Update: Canada Post now uses e-mail to send out their release letters! If you believe your shipment is being held, please contact the Mail Centre nearest you with your tracking number.
Montreal: 514-496-1989
Toronto: 905-625-7450
Vancouver: 604-666-8952
A sample letter sent out by Canada Post when parcels exceed $2500 in value
Many sellers will ship using their national postal carrier. Exporters in Korea and Europe are particularly fond of this. The problem is that when the parcel arrives in Canada it must be released through Canada Post. If the shipment is under $2500 CAD, Canada Post will clear it for you and collect the tax from you on delivery.
However, if your purchases exceeds $2500 CAD, you will likely get one of the below letters in the mail. By the time you receive the letter, your shipment will have already been sitting at a CBSA mail centre for a few days, unless you are on that particular mail centres fax list.
If you receive one of these letters, you have two options:
- You can either clear the shipment yourself (if you can make it to a customs office)
or
- Hire a customs broker such as Border Bee to clear the shipment for you
If you frequently have shipments held by the Post, you can request to be placed on their fax list to expedite release. Please contact us for details.