Cross-Border E-Commerce Air Freight Basics
E-commerce parcels don't clear customs the way a commercial freight shipment does — different value thresholds, different documentation expectations, different typical carrier model.
Get a RateCAD $40
De minimis threshold, duty and tax exempt (CUSMA-origin)
CAD $150
De minimis threshold, duty exempt, GST still applies (CUSMA-origin)
Courier LVS
Low Value Shipment program for simplified courier clearance
Per-parcel
Clearance basis, distinct from consolidated freight
A different clearance model, not just smaller freight
Canada's de minimis thresholds for imported goods, established under CUSMA, exempt shipments valued at CAD $40 or less from both duty and GST/HST, and shipments valued at CAD $150 or less from duty specifically (GST/HST still generally applies in that CAD $40–150 band). These thresholds are meaningfully more generous than Canada's pre-CUSMA baseline and are a real, structural difference from a standard commercial freight shipment where these exemptions don't apply.
CBSA's Courier Low Value Shipment (LVS) program allows simplified, expedited release for qualifying courier shipments under a specified value threshold, without the full commercial import declaration process a higher-value freight shipment goes through — this is a genuinely different clearance pathway, not simply 'the same process but faster.'
A consolidated e-commerce freight shipment — many individual parcels moving together as one piece of air cargo from a fulfillment centre to a Canadian sortation facility — still requires each individual parcel to be properly declared as its own import for customs purposes, even though the physical transportation is consolidated. Confirm which specific model (courier LVS vs. consolidated freight with per-parcel declaration) applies to your e-commerce operation rather than assuming one process covers both.
CUSMA De Minimis Note
The CAD $40 and $150 thresholds apply per shipment/parcel, not per customer order history or per day
Confirm the specific valuation and threshold rules with your customs broker for your specific e-commerce fulfillment model — splitting a single order into multiple parcels specifically to stay under a threshold can itself raise a compliance question.
Source: Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), de minimis provisions; CBSA Courier Low Value Shipment Program.
Worked example
A worked example: a consolidated e-commerce shipment
Take a consolidated air freight shipment containing 500 individual e-commerce parcels bound for Canadian consumers, most valued under CAD $150.
Even though the 500 parcels travel as one consolidated air cargo booking, each parcel is legally a separate import — UAL coordinates with the client's customs broker to confirm the correct per-parcel declaration and de minimis threshold application, rather than treating the consolidation as one single commercial entry.
Parcels valued at CAD $40 or under clear without duty or GST; those between CAD $40 and $150 clear duty-free but with GST applied; those above CAD $150 go through standard commercial clearance with full duty and GST assessment — three different treatment bands within the same consolidated shipment.
What UAL coordinates for e-commerce freight
We coordinate the consolidated air freight movement and work with the client's customs broker to ensure per-parcel declaration and de minimis threshold application is handled correctly for the specific fulfillment model in use.
Frequently asked questions
The specific CUSMA-linked thresholds described here apply in the context CUSMA established; general (non-CUSMA-origin) low-value shipment treatment can differ. Confirm the applicable threshold for your specific origin with your customs broker rather than assuming the CUSMA figures apply universally regardless of origin.
Related
General Cargo Rate Types Explained
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Duties and GST on Imports, Explained
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Freight Consolidation / Groupage
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Source: Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), de minimis provisions; CBSA Courier Low Value Shipment Program. Last verified July 2026.
Air Freight Fundamentals
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