China Made item CA->USA: Avoiding tariffs + Return .. Use CP Labels from Shippo? Any issues?

[itolduandso]

So based on the feedback from the forum here to continue sending China made items to US is the best option sending by Canada Post Tracked USA because the chances of tariff being charged or item returned os lowest or very low.

I looked at Canada Post Snap Ship, the discount is quite low I get, it's not even worth for me to fill it in, I just take the address to post office and have the postal worker fill in for me for 2-3 dollars more.  The Snap Ship doesn't force me to enter COO Country of Origin or HS Code.  Good. The less information provided the better.

However, the Canada Post prices are very high for heavier items. Shippo discount is almost 25% of the CP rate. That's alot, on a 5 lbs box the difference could be 10 Canadian dollars compared to the Snap Ship rate and about 13 dollars compared to the regular retail over the counter CP rate.  Shippo imports the orders from Ebay and Etsy, although the website is slow, it sucks, much slower than Chitchats and Stallion.

But the issue is Shippo automatically forces customs entry for items imported from Ebay and Etsy. I can't delete the Customs record, there is country of origin field which is mandatory and value of the item. The HS Code is not required.

When I create an order in Shippo manually, it doesn't expect me to put the Country of Origin information t

So hence my concern, if I use Shippo to save 25% on CP shipping labels, the customs information is passedon with the shipping label. I assume this is what I should avoid, no?

If customs receive the shipment info they can right away see it's a China item package and they will send it back right away (or charge duties which is apparently not happening yet).

Anybody using Shippo labels successfully getting China made stuff to US without issues?

Since CP isn't making the info mandatory, should I assume it's there but not sento to Customs?

I have seen people mention manually filled in Canada Post shipments. It's quite a pain to fill them in after being used to Stallion.

I am on Ebay.COM site, so I don't even have any CP ebay labels anyhow, not an option.

[reallynicestamps]

If you can print  a Snap Ship label at home, why are you paying counter rates and spending your time and the clerk's time buying at the counter?

Shippo has lower rates because they have negotiated them with Canada Post.

How do the Shippo rates compare with your Solutions for Small Business rates?

You use Shippo to buy a label.

Shippo demands Country of Origin, but not HScode.

Which leaves the US customs officer knowing where the item comes from but guessing what it is.

Can you insert the HS code on the Shippo label ? Or do you own a pen that you can use to write "HSCode 9040.00" somewhere on or near the label to help the officer out?

Is Shippo charging you the US tariff before selling you the label?
If so, why are you paying a US tax, when other shippers (like Canada Post/SnapShip/SfSB) do not?

If the buyer paid the tariff on arrival, who is charging you the tariff when the shipment is returned?

I'm old and confused.

[reallynicestamps]

Do you have a Solutions for Small Business account with Canada Post?
https://sso-osu.canadapost-postescanada.ca/pfe-pap/en/registration/business?sourceApp=SMB&sourceUrl=...

[itolduandso]

Yes, I have small business account.

The goal is to put as little information as possible, if not required, put nothing on the label.

Why would I want to put COO and HS code if I am not required, to help CBS to return the package or charge tariff?

Isn't the reason why packages are returned because the CBS picks random and the ones having China COO are sent back?

If there is nothing on the package, are they opening them?  Probably not.

The ones that came back haven't been touched.

[itolduandso]

Weird things happening.

I checked Stallion Canada Post Tracked USA rates and they are 10% higher than the counter retail Canada Post rates. So I assume they hiked it on purpose so people don't ship via Canada Post maybe because of issues.

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[itolduandso]

CHitchats rates but they do still offer the CP Tracked USA option.

Same package .

It looks like Stallion not only has Expedided rates which are higher than retail CP rates but they also removed the CP Tracked USA options complete, I can't even select it.

Whether it has to do with the recent returns of packages, no clue. CHitchats pulled down CP USA Traced rates and now they are back.

[itolduandso]

My mistake, I had the COO country not set to China.

Once I set the COO to China, the Tracked USA option disappears in Chitchats and they only show the more expensive Expedided USA

Note, the cost of CP Expedided Retail rate is exactly same as the rate in Chitchats.

That meas, Chitchats giving ZERO discount on the CP rates, they make all the margins.
Stallion Express charges even more for CP rates than I would get at CP retail store.

So there is no point to ship CP DDU with either Chitchats or Stallion, I guess they don't want you to ship.

[marnotom!]

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@itolduandso wrote:

Why would I want to put COO and HS code if I am not required, to help CBS to return the package or charge tariff?

Isn't the reason why packages are returned because the CBS picks random and the ones having China COO are sent back?

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Canada Border Services has nothing to do with inspecting postal items bound for the United States and it  doesn't have anything to do with assessing and charging tariffs on said items.

Perhaps you meant "CBP": United States Customs and Border Protection.

[transtraders]

At this point I think NOT having the COO or HS Code filled in will draw MORE attention to your package and thus more likely to be returned. That information is to make the flow through customs quicker and more efficient, the tarriffs and duties are coming no matter how you try to circumvent them. But this is just my opinion.

[itolduandso]

Yes I have some inventory I need to sell to the US before things go tight so I am trying to determine what is the most safest way to do that under the current circumstances. Canadian buyers are few and between. It was 20/1 ratio and now I find it's 50/1 the ratio of US orders vs Canadian orders I am getting. I think Canada should just accept a reasonable agreement the way EU did rather than go into long dispute because Canada is far more vulnerable than the EU. 15-20% tariffs would be a good deal for Canada. I would take that without any hesitation rather than the bigger humuliation of 35% now.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@reallynicestamps wrote:

If you can print  a Snap Ship label at home, why are you paying counter rates and spending your time and the clerk's time buying at the counter?

Shippo has lower rates because they have negotiated them with Canada Post.

How do the Shippo rates compare with your Solutions for Small Business rates?

You use Shippo to buy a label.

Shippo demands Country of Origin, but not HScode.

Which leaves the US customs officer knowing where the item comes from but guessing what it is.

Can you insert the HS code on the Shippo label ? Or do you own a pen that you can use to write "HSCode 9040.00" somewhere on or near the label to help the officer out?

Is Shippo charging you the US tariff before selling you the label?
If so, why are you paying a US tax, when other shippers (like Canada Post/SnapShip/SfSB) do not?

If the buyer paid the tariff on arrival, who is charging you the tariff when the shipment is returned?

I'm old and confused.

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@itolduandso  Actually the more info provided the better. Missing info can cause delays or the shipment being rejected and/or returned.

@reallynicestamps 

I personally haven't confirmed the difference between level 1 at CP and Shippo so an unknown for me. They do offer discounts for numerous systems. (It does appear that Shippo is no longer linked to eBay. The link is MIA for me unless there is a way to associate internally.) Somewhere along the way Shippo became a subscription service.  They have a basic plan but it is limited. In the past when I used....over 3 years, the HS code and Coo were mandatory fields. Don't enter...label does not generate. It also gives you the option to use the detailed customs invoice with perks like choosing return or destroy. A viewable notes section. IRS/ Fed Tax ID number when required for high value, choosing how tariffs are billed and a few other nuances. Shippo definitely is more courier requirements based. 

[easoss]

None of these agreements are reality. Just memorandums of a framework of a deal. I'd be surprised if any of these deals actually come to fruition. Trump's word isn't worth anything. I'd prefer we stand firm on these issues and not capitulate because you're giving him a reason to come for something else.

[itolduandso]

Frameworks or not, tariffs are in place and they are non-refundable regardless. If the  economy starts contracting he will just play golf. So I am less worried about what happens in 1-2 years than what happens next..

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@itolduandso wrote:

Frameworks or not, tariffs are in place and they are non-refundable regardless. If the  economy starts contracting he will just play golf. So I am less worried about what happens in 1-2 years than what happens next..

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@itolduandso 

@easoss 

This has been covered on local and intl news a number of times (See attached)...The thought that what happens if the courts decide the tariffs were illegal because of trade deals that were previously in place and the reasons behind implimenting.

So a judges decision followed by the appeals 

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/what-happens-next-us-court-battle-over-trumps-tariffs-2025-...

The Federal Circuit has not said when it will issue a decision, but its briefing schedule suggests it intends to move quickly. Meanwhile, the tariffs remain in effect after the Federal Circuit paused a lower court's ruling declaring them illegal.

and

CAN IMPORTERS SEEK REFUNDS FOR TARIFFS PAID?

If Trump loses at the Supreme Court, importers are likely to seek refunds of tariffs already paid. This would be a lengthy process given the large number of anticipated claims.

Federal regulations dictate that such requests would be first heard by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If that agency denies a refund request, the importer can appeal to the Court of International Trade.

There is precedent for tariff refund requests being granted.

Since May, CBP has been processing refunds to importers who inadvertently overpaid duties because of tariff "stacking" — where multiple overlapping tariffs are applied to the same imports.

And in the 1990s, after the Court of International Trade struck down a tax on exporters that was being used to finance improvements to U.S. harbors, the court set up a process for issuing refunds. That decision was upheld by both the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court.

In Canada as a receiver you can appeal duties and taxes. But that has to be done through CSBA. Getting processing back is another story.

Additional link on the subject:

https://www.piie.com/blogs/realtime-economics/2025/who-gets-compensated-if-trumps-tariffs-are-ruled-...

[reallynicestamps]

Note that it is the importers who pay any tariff and it would be the importers who are reimbursed.

Best bet would be for an exporter to refuse to use any shipper who tries to charge the tariffs to the exporter.

Even if the price of shipping appears lower.

The best price is not always the best deal.