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

When it comes to online shopping, Canadians have become accustomed to paying extra duties and fees to receive the goods they ordered from American and international sellers and as Canadians, they're not being too fussy about it. Unaware of what lies behind the online shipping industry, Canadians leave between the hands of government agencies and private lobby groups, a matter that is of economic self-interest. There's a back-alley fight going ...

As anyone who has ever ordered anything online from an American retailer knows, there are some risks when engaging in this adventure : extra duties! Canadian customs officers have the right to intercept and delay your shipment if it's over a $20 value and add on to it provincial and federal taxes and of course, extra duty charges. By the time you've received your order, it could double in price, making you ponder why you even bothered ordering o...

As an importer, the last thing you want to see are additional fees that add on to your already high operation costs; it’s even less amusing when those fees turn out to be penalties from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). The federal agency, when issuing a penalty, will do so through AMPS – the Administrative Monetary Penalty System – to clients for violating the CBSA’s trade and border legislation. Examples of the most common ...

With a weaker loonie and Canadian customers that keep on turning up to do their shopping online and cross-border; it's the perfect mix of events for any business owner looking to tap into the Northern market. Although exporting goods to Canada comes with its series of various fees and tariffs, there is one way that exporters can achieve exporting goals and developing a larger presence in Canada. Using Your Unfair Advantage In reality, your unfa...

So you've finally found the car of your dreams: the curves, the power, and just the perfect color. But there's one small problem, the seller is located in the U.S. which means you'll need to bring the car into Canada, which might sound easy...but it's a bit more challenging than that. Importing a vehicle into Canada is regulated by several different government agencies. Transport Canada itself has quite an exhaustive definition for what exactl...

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) offers the opportunity to importers, via their customs brokers, to submit shipment release information for approval through the Pre-arrival Review System (PARS). The process speeds up the release of the shipment or referral for examination at the moment the goods arrive at the border. But to ensure that this process is executed flawlessly, without too many headaches, all partners need to do their bits. Te...

In early May 2015, Jim Balsillie, co-founder of Research in Motion (now BlackBerry Ltd.), published an editorial in the Globe and Mail in which he said: “Canada’s terrible record of commercializing its ideas won’t change until we build proper infrastructure to help our entrepreneurs succeed on the global stage, where the real money is made.” Balsillie‘s main reproach was that policies required for the innovation economy in Canada are...

As part of its action plan to support the Canadian agri-food manufacturing industry, the new Trudeau Government's first budget included clear intentions to eliminate duties on imports of certain food manufacturing ingredients, excluding supply managed products. Budget 2016 aims to make agri-food manufacturers more competitive on both the international market and domestically. For importers of food manufacturing ingredients, this represents an imp...

As a business owner with an eye on international trade, you might be heading into a sea of complications filled with rules and regulations, agreements and so many different forms. Having a customs broker on your team is a great idea and it may seem like a fairly easy thing to choose, but really, not all brokers offer the same services. You’ll want to choose carefully in order to have someone who can really contribute in the long term success of...

As a Canadian importer you can take advantage of Canada's position on the global marketplace to access a vast array of products from various suppliers in countries around the world. To get your hands on their goods there is also a great choice of modes of transportation and carriers from which to choose from, so it would make sense to use different customs brokers to help you out wouldn't it? That might not be so true and so let's explore why. ...