Shop Stradivarius Spain and Ship to Canada

Here is the honest version most forwarders won't tell you. For a parcel coming from the EU, Canada's de minimis is just CAD 20 — both duty and tax. Above that, GST/HST/PST applies to the entire value, not only the part over CAD 20. Watch out for the most common mistake online: the widely-quoted CAD 150 (duty) and CAD 40 (tax) thresholds are NOT for you. Those only apply to courier goods shipped from the US or Mexico under CUSMA, and they do not cover EU parcels — quoting them would badly understate what a Canadian actually pays. The consumption tax is 5% federal GST plus a provincial component, so combined roughly 5%-15% depending on the recipient's province (for example Alberta 5%, Ontario 13%, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador and PEI 15%). The carrier collects this on delivery (the courier CLVS program; Canada Post adds about CAD 9.95 in handling), though some merchants prepay it as DDP. One number to plan around: your EU store price already includes local EU VAT, and shipping through a forwarder to an EU address does not let a private shopper reclaim that VAT (a tourist refund needs a personal export with a customs stamp, which a forwarder can't do). So budget against the EU sticker price, not a tax-free one.

On duty, the good news is that EU-origin goods are 0% under CETA — but only if the EU seller includes a valid CETA origin declaration on the invoice. Without that declaration, standard MFN rates apply (clothing roughly 16-18%, footwear roughly 16-20%, leather roughly 8-11%), while cosmetics and most electronics are largely 0% either way. Because whether you pay 0% or full MFN hinges on a single line on the seller's invoice, a generic "X% on clothes" figure tells you very little about your actual bill. Rather than guess, we estimate your full landed cost — item value, plus shipping, plus estimated duty — before you ship, so you can plan with a realistic estimate. Create your free EU forwarding address, fill your cart at the EU store, and run it through our calculator for the real number before you commit.