With the Canadian dollar averaging $0.75 USD over the past year, you could be tempted to jump on the situation and increase your business south of the border. By combining a well-planned shipping strategy with the current economics, Canadian businesses and online retailers are facing an opportunity that can’t be missed.

Shipping from Canada is great leverage Canadian businesses have over their U.S. competitors. It allows them to take advantage of beneficial trade programs and expand down south – while retaining operations in Canada. Here’s how you can do it:

Ship from Canada

By holding your inventory in Canada this allows you to eliminate the need to hold an additional inventory in the U.S. In fact, by having an inventory location within 200 km of the border, this will allow you to save on additional costs such as U.S. warehousing, packing services, and labour. Costs that you would have paid in U.S. funds – which can now be taken care of on the Canadian side.

A recent study shared by UPS actually demonstrated that online shoppers are willing to wait up to 11 days for the delivery of their goods. Meaning, by shipping from Canada, which generally adds on 1 to 2 days at most, you won’t lose any business due to delivery times.

Consolidate multiple orders

Minimize transit delays by developing a schedule that will allow you to consolidate multiple orders into several high-volume shipments and customs clearances. This will allow you to ship into the U.S. up to 2 to 3 times a week.

Apply for a duty drawback, offer a lower price

By submitting without any modifications for a duty drawback on any product that you import to Canada and re-export into the U.S. you’ll be able to recover double paid duty. That means that down the line you can reduce your sales costs in the U.S. and offer a lower price than the competition.

Work with NAFTA

nafta

Declaring any products that qualify under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will eliminate duty payments. You may want to reach out to a Customs specialist to help you identify eligible goods and move ahead with the required paperwork. The work is worthwhile as this will reduce your export costs and as a bonus, your business will be protected from any potential trade penalties.

Working with the Right Provider

Avoid costly interruptions and service delays by choosing to work with the right service provider when it comes to shipping into the U.S. The proper service provider will understand your needs and requirements and will ensure that all customs, trade compliances, delivery services and any cross-border freight details are taken care of – so you don’t need to worry about it.

Click here to read more about our eCommerce Customs Solutions