Importing from Japan into Canada

Import tax is set by Canada, not by the proxy service you choose. All the proxy decides is whether it takes the money at checkout or leaves you to settle with the courier at the door — the amount owed is the same either way. That is why the totals on this site are split into what you pay now and what you pay on arrival, rather than merged into one figure that would make the companies who collect honestly look dearer.

The numbers

• Import VAT / GST: 5% to 15% depending on your province (GST alone, or HST) — we do not guess a single rate
• Duty-free threshold: CAD 20

Which proxies collect this tax up front

None of the four services collect this tax up front for Canada. You pay it when the parcel arrives, and couriers normally add a handling charge on top.

What that means in money

Two orders to Canada — both from Mercari Japan, both about 1 kg packed, both with ¥700 of domestic postage inside Japan — priced through the cheapest service available for each:

Canadian sales tax on imports ranges from 5% to 15% depending on your province. Parcels over CAD 20 are taxable. Couriers usually add a customs handling fee on delivery.

Couriers usually add their own customs handling fee on top. Paying tax up front often avoids it.

The handling fee nobody quotes

Where tax is not collected up front, the courier or postal operator pays it for you at the border and then charges a fee for having done so. It is commonly ¥1,000–3,000 and it is not part of the tax itself. None of the four services publish it and it varies by carrier, so it is deliberately left out of the totals here rather than guessed at — but it is a real reason to prefer a service that collects at checkout where you have the choice.