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A Quick Guide on Standard Shipping from Outside Canada

Jenna M
  •  
December 29, 2020

When it comes to managing your business, you’re always looking for opportunities you can grab. These opportunities shall help you expand your business and earn more sales. Among these are shipping from outside your country. If you’re living overseas and plan to target the Canadian market, you might think of standard shipping from outside Canada to ship your products. 

This is a great opportunity that you should pursue. Based on Pitney Bowes, 62% of retailers offer cross-border selling, and 70% of consumers shop online internationally. The figures show us that consumers and retailers are jumping into the eCommerce business. It has even been estimated that in 2020, cross-border eCommerce shall account for USD 900 billion Gross Merchandise Value. 

International shipping shall open you to a lot of opportunities. It may seem scary at first because you’re moving out of your comfort zone, but with the right guidance and tips, we’re sure that you’ll prevail. To help you out in shipping your goods, we’ll tackle the difference between standard and expedited shipping and the best shipping services you can avail for your business. 

What is Standard Shipping and Expedited Shipping?

Shipping is an essential aspect of your eCommerce business because it’s how your customers get to have your product. The way everything is handled affects your customer’s impression on you. Moreover, customers tend to have different opinions on the pace of shipping their products. 

Some need their items urgently while others are satisfied with the normal delivery time. If you have been ordering online, you may have encountered the terms standard and expedited shipping. These two terms are often interchanged, so to clear any confusion, we discussed the two in detail below.

Standard shipping is what we usually call regular shipping. Since it does not include overnight shipping, the usual delivery time is five to seven days. It’s also cheaper than expedited shipping. Less urgent goods can be shipped through standard shipping. 

Expedited shipping is faster than standard because trucks carrying the goods rarely stop while shipping the products. These trucks have two drivers who work in shifts for the speedier delivery of goods. Hence, the delivery of these goods usually takes two to three days only. The price is also higher than expedited shipping. Time-sensitive products should be shipped through expedited shipping rather than standard shipping. 

Amazon offers standard, expedited, and priority shipping. 

Suppose you’ve been buying or selling on Amazon. Then you may have experienced the terms express and priority shipping. For you to not get confused, the terms express, priority, and expedited have close meanings. The difference lies in how the shipping company uses it. On Amazon, express shipping refers to next day delivery while expedited refers to one to three day delivery time.

Everything you Need to Know about Shipping within Canada

If you are shipping within Canada, these are the things you need to know.

How long does Canada Standard Shipping Take?

Shipping in Canada as a small business, these are the shipping options and times you should be aware of:

Shipping OptionDelivery Times
Standard Shipping3 to 6 business days
Express Shipping2 to 4 business days
Priority Shipping1 to 3 business days
Two-Day ShippingWithin 2 business days
One-Day ShippingWithin 1 business day

Your package shall arrive based on these delivery estimates

The seller determines shipping rates within Canada that are not books, music, DVDs, and videos. These rates are pre-calculated, and you can see it on your Order Summary page. However, shipping rates for books, music, DVDs, and videos are fixed. 


BooksMusicDVDVideo
Domestic$6.49$3.49$3.49$6.49
United States$7.99$7.49$7.49$7.99
Other International$14.98$7.99$7.99$14.98

Shipping Services in Canada

Stallion Express offers the most affordable and efficient shipping rates for your packages. You can ship anywhere in Canada by using our shipping service. We offer the lowest price on shipping than any other courier service you can think of. Wouldn’t you like to save up to 50% of shipping across the country? Plus, you and your customer can track the parcels once you delivered it in our hands to your customer’s doorsteps. 

For easy tracking and fulfillment of orders, you can integrate your store with our state-of-the-art system. What’s more? Your customers can receive your packages within 2-8 business days! Aside from domestic shipping, we offer international and Amazon FBA Shipping too. 

Everything you Need to Know about Shipping from Canada to the US

If you wish to ship from Canada to the US, you’ll need to know the destination country's policies first. In the US, you will be subjected to customs fees and import duties. We’ll talk about shipping from Canada to the US customs fee, documents, shipping price, and shipping services.

Customs Entry and Documents

When you are shipping from Canada to the US, you’ll need to follow their shipping policies and cross-border rules. The United States Customs and Border Protection regulates and monitors the trading of goods between Canada and the US. The customs entry can be declared as Section 321, Informal entry, or Formal entry. 

  • Section 321: Shipments with a declared value of $800 or less are not subjected to duty. 
  • Informal entry: These are goods with a declared value of more than $800 and less than $2,500. 
  • Formal entry: These are packages that are worth more than $2,500.

The documents you need when you are shipping from Canada to the US are the following:

  • Bill of Lading
  • Commercial Invoice
  • Electronic Export Information
  • IRS business registration or Social Security Number
  • USMCA Certificate of Origin

Customs Duty 

Customs duty is also called import tax. To calculate your customs duty, you need to know the right Harmonized Tariff Schedule of US (HTS) codes first. This code represents a type of product that helps the US government monitor goods imported in the country. For a smoother transaction, you can just let the US Customs calculate your duty then pay for it. Or you can pay the import tax before it arrives at US Customs. 

Shipping Price

When calculating the shipping fee from Canada to the US, it will depend on the shipping method you used.

  • Standard International Shipping usually takes 8 to 16 business days.
  • Expedited International Shipping usually takes 4 to 7 Business Days
  • Priority International Courier usually takes 1 to 3 Business Days

So, how much is shipping from Canada to US? 

Standard ShippingBooks and AudiobooksCDsVideosDVDs
Per shipment$7.99$7.99$7.99$7.99
Per item$1.99$1.99$1.99$1.99
Expedited ShippingBooks and AudiobooksCDsVideosDVDs
Per shipment$11.99$11.99$11.99$11.99
Per item$3.99$3.99$3.99$3.99
Priority ShippingBooks and AudiobooksCDsVideosDVDs
Per shipment$14.99$14.99$14.99$14.99
Per item$4.99$4.99$4.99$4.99

Need a reliable shipping service?

Well, we have you covered. Here at Stallion Express, we will help you expand your business by carefully delivering your packages from Canada to the US. Working closely with USPS, we will make sure that your customers receive your package between 2 to 4 business days. You don’t also have to worry about the price because you can save up to 75% on shipping costs. It’s genuinely such a great deal. If you wish to know more about our service, you can contact us today

Everything you Need to Know about Standard Shipping from Outside Canada

Canada is one of the countries that are worth considering when you plan on expanding your business. Based on Statistics, projected revenue in 2020 for the eCommerce industry shall be $29.8M, while user penetration is expected to hit 77.1% in 2024. Moreover, we found out that two-thirds of online purchases by Canadians come from other countries. With this in mind, we can affirm that selling in Canada shall help you reach a new market and expand your business. 

Selling on the Amazon marketplace gives you access to Amazon’s customers. It will also be accessible on the part of the customer to purchase products internationally without leaving the market. We’ll discuss everything you need to know when shipping from outside Canada. 

Know what products can be imported

To start shipping to Canada, you’ll need to determine if your item is prohibited or not. It may lead to complications at the border once customs find out that your item is restricted or prohibited from entering the country. Moreover, it’s best to check your items first before selling them in the marketplace. 

Inform your customers about duties, tariffs, and taxes

When it comes to the duties, taxes, and tariffs, your customers are responsible for it. It’s best to inform them beforehand, so they won’t be surprised when they see their total bill upon checkout. 

There are three taxes customers need to know when importing goods into Canada. These are the goods and services tax(GST), the harmonized tax (HST), and the provincial sales tax (PST). 

As for the tariffs, it shall depend on the country where you manufactured the product. NAFTA removes tariffs for products made in the US. However, if it was manufactured outside of the US, then tariffs may apply. 

Choose a Shipping Option

There are numerous shipping companies and shipping options to choose from when delivering to Canada. 

The most common shipping option is the standard shipping where goods are delivered to Canada in 7 to12 business days. However, there are other available delivery options that they can choose. When giving shipping options, you should present these three because your customers may want the variety. The table below shows the price for each delivery option.

  • Standard Shipping usually takes 7-12 business days

Prime MemberNon-Prime Member
UrbanFree$4.99/Shipment + $1.49/lb ($3.28/kg)
RuralFree$6.99/Shipment + $1.49/lb ($3.28/kg)
RemoteFree$36.00/Shipment + $1.49/lb ($26.99/kg(
  • Expedited Shipping takes 5 to 9 business days

Prime MemberNon-Prime Member
Urban$3.49/Shipment$6.99/Shipment + $1.99/lb ($4.39/kg)
Rural$3.49/Shipment$11.99/Shipment + $1.99/lb ($4.39/kg)
  • Priority Shipping takes 2 to 4 business days

Prime MemberNon-Prime Member
Urban$5.99$11.99/Shipment + $1.99/lb ($4.39/kg)
Rural$8.99$13.99/Shipment + $1.99/lb ($4.39/kg)

Key Takeaways

Shipping from one place to another does require time and patience. However, customers love it when they receive their packages as quickly and hassle-free as possible. They often like it when they don’t have to pay for the shipping fee or get discounts on their shipping costs. Having a variety of shipping options helps a customer choose which would work best for them. 

Standard shipping is the most common type of shipping option. It’s also cheaper than expedited shipping. However, when it comes to the promptness of the delivery of the packages, it is still better to use expedited shipping. The sad part of it is you have to pay more than the average shipping cost. 

What if you find a shipping company that can give you fast delivery at a very affordable price? 

Here at Stallion Express, we make sure that your packages arrive at the destination in a smooth and fast way. We also don’t ask for exorbitant amounts of money for the shipping cost. Aside from it, we offer full tracking of parcels, friendly customer service, insurance for packages, and integration to our system. Are you interested to know more about our services? Give us a call now, and you’ll be able to talk to our friendly shipping agent! 

Get started today! Ship faster, smarter, cheaper with Stallion.

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