Selling US products in Canada: what changes
A short checklist for US brands thinking about Canadian retail. This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Bilingual labelling
Under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, most prepackaged non-food consumer products need the product identity and net quantity in both English and French, along with the dealer's name and principal place of business. Net quantity is shown in metric units.
Consumer textile articles, such as fabric storage bins or covers, have their own rules under the Textile Labelling Act, including fibre content and dealer identity.
Product safety
The Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits consumer products that are a danger to human health or safety, and some product types have their own regulations. Electrical products sold in Canada generally need a recognized Canadian certification mark.
Sales tax
Canada has a federal GST, a harmonized HST in some provinces, and provincial sales tax in others. When a brand sells to a Canadian retailer at wholesale, the retailer is responsible for sales tax on its own retail sales. Brands selling directly to Canadian consumers should get Canadian tax advice.
Your options on Amazon.ca
- Sell through a Canadian retailer or authorized reseller that buys from you at wholesale.
- Sell yourself on Amazon.ca, with stock held in Canadian fulfilment centres.
- Use Amazon's Remote Fulfillment, which offers your US fulfilment stock to Canadian customers, who pay any import duties and taxes.