You want to thank someone you work with. Maybe a colleague in Toronto, an employee in Vancouver, or a client in Montreal. You’re in the United States, they’re in Canada, and sending them a gift should be simple.
Then you start looking into international shipping and suddenly you’re reading about customs declarations, duties, taxes, tariffs, and courier fees.
That’s a lot to think about when all you really wanted to do was say thank you.
The good news is that you have two options: ship a gift from the U.S. into Canada, or buy the gift in Canada and have it delivered locally.
Both can work, but the experience can be very different for you and the person receiving it.
The quick answer
If you already have a specific gift in the U.S. that you want to send, you can ship it to Canada. Just keep in mind that it will cross the Canadian border, may be assessed for duties or taxes, and needs to follow Canadian import rules.
If your goal is simply to thank an employee, coworker, or client in Canada, buying from a Canadian company can be much easier. The gift can be fulfilled and delivered locally instead of crossing the border on its way to the recipient.
Your recipient is in Canada. Your gift can be too.
Can you send a gift from the U.S. to Canada?
Yes. You can mail or courier a gift from the United States to someone in Canada. But because the package is crossing an international border, it becomes an import when it enters Canada.
That means the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) can assess the shipment and determine whether duties or taxes apply based on things like its value, what is inside, and where the goods originated.
That doesn’t mean shipping a gift to Canada is unusually difficult. Packages cross the border every day.
But there are a few things worth knowing before you send one, especially if the gift is coming from a business.
What happens at the border, and could your recipient be charged?
When you send a package internationally, you normally need to describe what is inside and declare its value.
Once it reaches Canada, the shipment can be assessed by customs. Depending on the contents, value, and origin of the goods, duties or taxes may apply. If you use a courier, there can also be costs associated with clearing the shipment through customs.
That is where an otherwise thoughtful gesture can become awkward.
You send your colleague or client a surprise. Instead of simply receiving it, they get a message saying there is money owing on the package.
A thank-you gift shouldn’t arrive with a bill attached.
If you are sending a business gift across the border, make sure your recipient won’t be left with unexpected duties, taxes, or courier charges. Even a small charge can change the experience.
A good business gift should create appreciation, not an obligation for the person receiving it.
Aren’t gifts exempt from customs in Canada?
Sometimes, but Canada’s gift exemption is narrower than the word gift might suggest.
According to the Canada Border Services Agency, a qualifying gift worth C$60 or less can be imported without duties or taxes when it is sent personally by a friend or relative outside Canada and includes a card or other notice identifying it as a gift.
If the qualifying gift is worth more than C$60, applicable duties and taxes can be charged on the portion above C$60.
There is one particularly important rule if you are gifting for work.
Items sent by a business do not qualify for Canada’s C$60 personal gift exemption.
So if you are a U.S. company, or you’re sending a gift on behalf of one, a gift to a Canadian employee, customer, or business partner does not qualify for the personal gift exemption simply because gift is written on the package.
That distinction is easy to miss.
What about tariffs on gifts from the U.S. to Canada?
This question has become more relevant in 2026 as trade rules between Canada and the United States continue to change.
Canada introduced new counter-tariffs on specified U.S.-origin goods effective September 8, 2026, with rates that vary depending on the product.
That does not mean every gift sent from the United States to Canada is subject to an additional tariff.
The measures apply to specific products. Whether a tariff applies depends on what you are sending, how the product is classified, and where it originated.
The important takeaway for a gift sender is simpler: if you are shipping something across the border, check the current Canadian rules when you send it.
Trade measures can change, and the rules that apply to one product may not apply to another. The Government of Canada maintains current guidance on tariffs and import regulations, customs classifications, and affected U.S. products.
If you already have a specific gift in the U.S. that you really want someone to receive, that extra research may be worthwhile.
But if your goal is simply to thank a colleague, employee, or client in Canada, there is another question worth asking: Does the gift need to cross the border at all?
What should U.S. companies think about before sending a gift to Canada?
When you are sending a gift on behalf of a company, the goal usually isn’t just to deliver something. You want someone to feel appreciated.
Maybe you’re a manager thanking an employee on your Canadian team, an account manager thanking a customer, a consultant recognizing someone who sent you a referral, or a company sending holiday gifts to clients across Canada.
Before shipping from the U.S., consider:
- Could the recipient be asked to pay duties, taxes, or other import-related charges?
- Is what I’m sending straightforward to import into Canada?
- How predictable will international delivery be?
- Do I know the recipient’s current home address?
- Do I actually know what they would like?
That last question matters more than it might seem.
Even if you solve the customs and shipping side, you can still end up guessing whether the person will actually like what you sent.
The simpler option: send the gift from within Canada
If you don’t need to send a specific item from the United States, an easier option is to buy from a Canadian retailer or gifting company and have the gift prepared and delivered within Canada.
You can still be sitting in New York, Chicago, Austin, or San Francisco. The difference is that the recipient’s package is already in Canada.
It doesn’t need to make a U.S.-to-Canada border crossing on the way to their door, which means less chance of pulling your recipient into customs, duties, or other import-related steps.
For a simple thank-you, employee gift, or client gift, buying within Canada can make the experience easier for both you and the person receiving it.
Business gifting doesn’t have to become a project
Even after you remove the international shipping problem, there are still a few things to figure out.
What should you send? Will they actually like it? What’s their address? How much should you spend?
When all you wanted to do was tell someone thank you, that can still become a surprising amount of work.
Business gifting can be personal and effortless at the same time.
You should be able to write a meaningful message, decide how much you want to spend, and make the gesture feel like it came from you without having to manage all the logistics yourself.
How Maple Parcel works for U.S. businesses
Maple Parcel is based in Canada, so when you send a gift to a Canadian client, employee, or colleague, their gift is prepared and shipped within Canada rather than being sent across the U.S.-Canada border.
That means no surprise cross-border duties, tariffs, or import fees for your recipient to deal with. Shipping is already included in the price you pay, so you know the cost upfront.
There’s also no need to guess what gift they’ll actually enjoy. You choose how much you want to spend and write your personal message. Your recipient then gets a private gift link where they choose something they love and provide their own Canadian shipping address.
We’ve started seeing more U.S. businesses use Maple Parcel for exactly this reason: they want to thank someone in Canada without turning a thoughtful gesture into a cross-border shipping project.
So instead of worrying about customs, international shipping, someone’s home address, or whether you picked the right gift, you can focus on the reason you’re sending it.
No surprise fees. No guesswork. Your recipient chooses something they love, and Maple Parcel takes care of the rest.
Should you ship the gift from the U.S. or buy it in Canada?
There is no single right answer.
If you already have something specific and meaningful in the United States, shipping it across the border may absolutely be worth it. Maybe it is something personal, custom merchandise from your company, or an item that simply isn’t available in Canada.
In that case, check the current Canada Border Services Agency guidance, declare the shipment accurately, and understand what your recipient might encounter when it arrives.
But if your starting point is simply:
I want to thank someone in Canada.
You probably don’t need to turn that into an international shipping project.
Buying the gift in Canada and having it delivered locally can remove much of the friction and reduce the chance that the recipient gets pulled into the import process.
Sometimes the easiest gift to send is also the nicest one to receive.