Canadian Sellers Using Zonos Prepay App and Shipping with Canada Post

[howlingdog]

Have any of your US buyers been charged fees by USPS if you have prepaid import duties through Zonos and shipped with Canada Post (not UPS or FedEx). Thanks, howlingdog

[recped]

I don't use the service but there should never be any additional charges using Zonos/Canada Post unless one blatently lies on the Zonos declaration. Even in that situation I expect any additional charges would be paid by Zonos/CP who would come after you rather than the recipient.

I'm pretty sure no one has reported here any adjustments billed to either the shipper or recipient. I believe at the moment any fudging of the declaration results in the seizure and destruction of the goods by US Customs.

[byto253]

I also read the Reddit Canada ebay threads at times and if this had happened there would be some loud hollering - nada here or there. 

[snoopwiz]

I've shipped only about 25 packages using Snap Ship / Zonos and have not heard about any of my buyers being charged during or after delivery. 

[tylerjordan21]

CANADIANS ARE BEING RIPPED OFF.

[mrdutch1001]

"CANADIANS ARE BEING RIPPED OFF."

only if they choose to ship to the USA without full knowledge of all the processes required to do so...

[howlingdog]

Thank you for this very helpful information. It is much appreciated.

[hockey-kong]

So far using the Zonos app for quite a few months now, no complaints from any US customers. The app is perfect for what I sell. There are still some items I won't sell to the US though, "made in canada" for example.

Many complaints the few times I used UPS or Fedex at the beginning of all this tariff BS, those companies are the kings of "upcharging".

[ypdc_dennis]

None. No problems.

But all my sales have been tariff exempt books.

[intimewithmusic]

Hi.  Just wondering if Zonos is zinging your card a month later for the $1.99 processing fee for the tarrif free goods?

[ypdc_dennis]

At this point, I have not seen any Zonos charges, but I've only had a couple of USA book sales (and they might have a minimum balance before charging).

Signed up for Zonos through Canada Post, with labels bought on the Canada Post website.

[jtg204]

Zonos AI support says it should show tariff free items as shipments in dashboard lite shipments section?

I'm assuming here you're using the verified account through Canada Post, not prepay app + Canada Post.

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Yes. Tariff‑free (duty‑free) items still show up as shipments in Dashboard Lite.

What to expect:

• ✅The shipment appears in Shipments once Zonos receives clearance data from Canada Post.

• ✅It will show $0 duties if the item qualifies for duty‑free treatment.

• ✅You’ll still see full details: tracking number, items, HS code, declared value, and status.

• ❌You will not be charged duties, but the shipment is still logged for compliance and reporting.

Why this happens:

• Zonos records all U.S.-bound postal shipments, regardless of duty amount.

• A $0 duty result simply means the HS code, origin, or rules resulted in duty‑free treatment—it doesn’t suppress the shipment record.

If you don’t see a duty‑free shipment yet, it usually means Canada Post hasn’t transmitted the clearance data yet (this can take a few days).

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For those with tariffs, I asked the AI to explain if 'into customs' triggered the charge or something after that and it explained the process as:

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When the charge actually happens

• Zonos charges after Canada Post transmits clearance data for the shipment.

• This usually occurs after the parcel leaves Canada, but before or around the time it enters U.S. customs.

• The USPS “Into Customs” scan is informational only and does not trigger billing.

Key clarification

• Charging is tied to data handoff from Canada Post → Zonos, not to:

  • Physical arrival at the U.S. border

  • USPS tracking events

  • Customs release status

Typical order

1. Label created in Snap Ship (no charge)

2. Parcel accepted by Canada Post

3. Canada Post sends clearance data to Zonos

4. Zonos calculates duty + clearance fee

5. Invoice created → card charged (usually within 24 hours)

6. USPS shows “Into Customs” (may be before or after the charge)

So if you see “Into Customs,” the charge may already have happened—or may appear shortly after—but the scan itself is not the trigger.

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[jtg204]

I finally had my first duty free item...

With a verified Zonos account, it shows up as a shipment and the shipment details shows the $2 clearance fee.

It's now been 2 days since the shipment processed and I have yet to receive an invoice for the $2 in the same way I receive invoices and receipts at 2:17AM CST the next day for those with duties.

HOWEVER, there is a pending invoice for $2 when I use the 'Generate pending shipments report' on the invoices page at the top.

Do you have any pending invoices for $2 for the no duty shipments?

[recped]

If you are using a Zonos ACCOUNT rather than the Prepay you get charged the $2, if you are using Prepay and there is no duty then there is no $2 charge.

With an account you get billed periodicaly (Monthly???).

[jtg204]

Yes, using a verified account.

Billing is daily now, and still occurring at 12:17AM PT.

I had some more shipments and waited to see how they processed, and can now report that I have indeed been charged the $1.99 fee for those with no duties.

The AI support spits out that small amounts are not charged right away, but that there is no public information on the threshold.

For mine, it charged after two new amounts for the day were added.  Charges grouped together for a total of $7.65.

However...using netPArcel rates + Zonos account the shipping discount with netParcel from my location on Tracked Packet USA for items 501g-750g today is still $3.68 cheaper than the sfsb discount on SnapShip, getting up to $5.97 cheaper for 1.5 to 2kg, and only $1.85 for 100g-250g.  So for most of what I ship, having the $2 fee when there are no duties still works out better or close enough to not matter compared to buying through SnapShip with only level 1 discount.