Clearit.ca's Blog on Customs Brokerage and News Updates

While CUSMA or USCMA has been extensively covered in news since 2018, there is still a lack of clarity about what it means, and how exactly it differs from the NAFTA agreement. The NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was, until recently, the trade deal agreed upon by Canada, Mexico and the United States. However, the demand to renegotiate took precedence based on various concerns and doubts raised by the economists, trade specialists and ...

To those who are not familiar, duties can be somewhat of a mystery and seem extremely arbitrary. Why on earth are you paying extra fees on something you already paid for, just because it came from another country?  Paying duty on shipped items may sting, but there is in fact good reason for those extra fees. Duty is put in place to protect Canadian industry, and is a protectionist approach to balancing trade with domestic industry. Duty rates...

When crossing the Canadian border, every person is required by law to submit themselves and their goods for inspection. This standard procedure, called Primary Inspection or Customs, is second nature for frequent travellers and people shipping across the border. However, you may be pulled aside again after the initial inspection. A secondary inspection at Canada’s border might be alarming at first, but you shouldn’t worry. In most cases, s...

There’s a reason dogs are called man’s best friend—they, along with other household pets, become lovable and irreplaceable members of the family. Whether you’re moving to Canada, or simply looking to expand your family with a furry, feathered, or scaly companion from abroad, it's only natural to want to import a pet from your hometown or even from a country where there’s a great need for animal adoption. When bringing pets into Canad...

Duties and taxes can quickly eat into your wallet if you’re not careful. Passing on the costs to the consumer can burn bridges in the public eye, but taking on the costs yourself isn’t ideal either. If you’re importing for personal reasons, high duty costs are even more onerous — you have no choice but to pay them alone. Thankfully, by being smart, you can avoid being hit too hard by duties and other fees! Avoiding Duty Altogether: Du...

Canada is a trading nation; our total trade is worth more than 66% of our GDP, the second highest in the G7 after Germany. We’re the 12th largest export economy in the world, and at just over 35 million people, that’s an accomplishment to be proud of! Understanding our import and export markets is key to understanding the Canadian economy. What does Canada import and what do we export? What does Canada Export? The bulk of Canadian export...

Importing goods successfully means keeping track of a lot of moving parts at once (or having your customs broker partner do it!). You might get your invoice at one point, your bill of lading at another, your final landed costs months later… and wait, you did get your tariffs right… right? Here at Clearit, we take pride in taking some of the confusion out of importing. Today, we’re going to go over one of the most important pieces you hav...

The world of international trade is complicated — hundreds of laws, thousands of codes, a million little quirks… it’s no wonder so many people have so many questions. Even longtime importers might feel a little fuzzy on some of the details — that’s why we’re here to be the experts! Through our work, we see some questions come up a lot. To help out anyone with those burning customs and importing questions, we put our heads together ...

In 1961, the International Organization for Standardization (IOS) changed international trade forever. After container shipping was introduced onto the importing/exporting scene in 1956 by Malcom McLean — whose contributions to modern international trade cannot be understated — the IOS introduced standardized container sizes. With standardized measurements making loading a ship much simpler, container shipping took off. International tr...

Supply chains around the world have evolved from simple procurement and payment relationships to tangled, complex webs. Over 820,000 Canadians are employed in supply-chain-related activities overseeing thousands of trade transactions at every step of the line. Managing supply chains is costly; supply chain costs are 79% of petroleum sales, 67% of vehicle sales, and aren’t much lower for anyone else. Adding additional costs and considerations...