08/14/2025
This post is for our American customers. ❤
It is planned (not by our own preference) that we will be temporarily turning off shipping to the US on our website approximately this August 20th, based on the Trump administration's tariffs on imports into the US. The situation is too highly unpredictable currently, but we continue to monitor it, and we will let you know if we turn it on again soon. (Background for this is below for anyone who hasn't been following.)
It may be the case that we can turn on shipping into the US *just* for products made in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, as these are protected currently under CUSMA (our free trade agreement), and we would ship by Canada Post/ USPS along with a CUSMA declaration from us in such cases, but we also would not take for granted that a package shipped thus wouldn't erroneously have duty charged still.
If the situation were more certain, and we knew for example, that it would only be 15% tariff on European made products, we could go with a system where we had the duty charged to our own business account, and we factored this into our US pricing, but the current legislation is too uncertain, and it has been changing so much the last months; we also fear the the actual handling will be too uncertain, as this is quite new for US personnel at Customs and United States Postal Services.
We wish that this all wasn't the case. It's another difficult blow to our business. Some friends and family ask us how we're faring, and we reply that we're so battle-weary from last years. Still, however, we know that we are fortunate compared to what many people are dealing with these difficult times. ❤
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Background:
Currently, 12:01AM EST, August 29th, it is planned that the United States will suspend the 'De Minimis' Entry for shipments coming into the United States.
This applies to shipments Globally, including shipments coming from Canada.
The De Minimis entry has meant these last years that a US individual, ordering privately for themselves for their personal use, could import up to $800 US per day, tax-free, duty-free, and brokerage-free into the US. An American individual ordering from another country outside of the US will now have to pay tariffs, which Trump administration has enacted under an 'International Emergency Economic Powers Act', which has tied individual imports to illegal importation of fentanyl.
Now, this wouldn't be such an issue alone, as many items, including certain children's toys, have 0% tariffs regularly; but the Trump administration has also imposed 35-40% tariffs on items coming from Canada. These numbers have been changing the last months, but this is the current status.
The executive order by Trump ties the suspension of de minimis entry with respect to imports from Canada and Mexico to the existing IEEPA-based fentanyl tariffs imposed on Canada and Mexico, as well as reciprocal tariffs globally on all countries.
There are currently 12 states in the United States that are challenging this in court.
What this means for packages from Nest.ca to American customers:
~ We're continuing to keep abreast of what options are available.
~ Currently, orders sent via Canada Post and then handed over to United States Postal Services (USPS) for the next 6 months have two options by USPS to use for evaluating and charging tariffs:
Option 1) Ad valorem duty, equal to the effective tariff rate imposed under the IEEPA applicable to country of origin.
Option 2) 'Specific duty', which is a duty 'ranging from $80 to $200 per item', based on IEEPA tariffs.
After this next six months, the tariffs are set to revert strictly to the Ad valorem duty. This additionally throws a lot of uncertainty into shipments for this six month period. We also don't assume that this all won't be subject to changing.
