Why We’ve Had to Pause U.S. Orders 💔

Why We’ve Had to Pause U.S. Orders 💔

This is a post I never thought I’d be writing — and honestly, it breaks my heart.

As of now, we’ve had to shut off our website to U.S. orders. We’re hoping this is only temporary, but the truth is, we don’t know. We want it to just be “see you later,” not goodbye.

Here’s the reality: since the end of the de minimis exemption on August 29th, it has become almost impossible for small Canadian businesses like ours to ship to the U.S. We’ve done everything right — followed every new rule, completed every piece of paperwork, and jumped through every hoop — and it’s still not enough.

Parcels are being marked “return to sender” before they even leave Canada. And if they do make it across the border, it’s a coin toss — sometimes they arrive smoothly, other times they get hit with massive, unpredictable tariffs (we’ve seen up to 500%+). Even though we’re CUSMA compliant, there’s currently no clear system in place to actually process or collect these new tariffs, so there’s no way for us to even pay them on your behalf.

It’s not just us — thousands of small Canadian businesses are facing this same harsh reality. And while we’re working tirelessly behind the scenes to find a solution, we’re also just…tired. Small businesses have been asked to survive “once in a lifetime” crises over and over these past five years — postal strikes, skyrocketing costs, COVID shutdowns, and now this. We’ve pivoted more times than we can count, but this latest hurdle feels impossible to clear without structural change.

Losing access to the U.S. market is devastating — for some small businesses, it’s up to 40% of their revenue. It’s always been held up as the next big step, the sign of growth and success. To have it suddenly ripped away, through no fault of our own, is crushing.

For now, all we can ask is this: please keep supporting your local small businesses. Many of us are hanging on by a thread, and your support truly makes a difference.

We’re holding on to hope that this isn’t goodbye — just “see you later.” 💛

— The Upfront Team