Shipping from China to Canada
Moving inventory into Canada involves a CRA import account, GST at the border, and packaging that speaks both English and French. We print, pack, and book the freight from one Shenzhen facility.
Get a Canada Freight Quote
One-stop service, one vendor:
Canadian Gateways for Cargo from South China
Canada has two coasts and a large interior, so the gateway you choose shapes the whole delivery. Ocean freight from Shenzhen typically lands at one of four ports:
- Vancouver, the country's busiest container port, handles most trans-Pacific volume and links by rail and highway to Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and the Toronto area.
- Prince Rupert, in northern British Columbia, is a rail-oriented terminal where containers move inland by train toward central Canada and the US Midwest.
- Montreal and Halifax put cargo directly into Quebec and the Maritimes, at the cost of a longer sea route from Asia.
For tight deadlines we also book air freight into major Canadian airports and courier service for samples or small replenishments. Each option is quoted against your real delivery postal code.
Clearing CBSA and Selling on Amazon.ca
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) releases imported goods once the declaration, duties, and GST are in order. Your Business Number and import-export account need to exist before arrival, and a licensed customs broker normally files the entry. From our side, invoice values, HS descriptions, and packing lists are prepared to match exactly, which is where most CBSA queries start.
Amazon.ca sellers can have FNSKU labels, bilingual product stickers, poly bagging, and carton inspection done here, with shipments split across the Canadian fulfillment centers in the inbound plan. Browse our full service list or read how we handle warehousing & freight booking. Retailer distribution centers and 3PLs in any province are handled the same way.
Canada Import FAQ
Do I need a Business Number to import commercial goods into Canada?
Yes. Commercial importers need a Business Number from the Canada Revenue Agency with an import-export (RM) program account attached. The Canada Border Services Agency uses that account to identify you on every customs declaration and to bill duties and taxes. Importers also manage their CBSA accounts through the CARM Client Portal. Register before your first shipment sails, because a container cannot be released to a consignee who has no valid import account.
Will I pay GST or HST when my goods arrive from China?
GST is charged on most commercial imports and is assessed by CBSA along with any customs duty. Ontario and the Atlantic provinces use the Harmonized Sales Tax, and how the provincial portion is handled for your business depends on your registration status. Ask your customs broker or accountant to confirm your treatment; we make sure the commercial invoice shows accurate values, currency, and Incoterms so the assessment starts from correct numbers.
Does my product packaging need French as well as English?
For most prepackaged consumer products sold in Canada, mandatory label information such as the product name and net quantity must appear in both official languages under federal labeling rules, and Quebec has its own French-language requirements on top of that. As a printing and packaging manufacturer we can print bilingual retail boxes, or apply bilingual stickers to existing stock in Shenzhen, so you are not relabeling cartons after they land. Have the wording checked against the rules for your product category before printing.
Should my container go to Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Montreal, or Halifax?
It depends on where the inventory needs to end up. Vancouver and Prince Rupert sit on the Pacific, closest to Asia, and connect by rail to the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec. Montreal and Halifax serve eastern Canada directly but involve a longer ocean voyage from China. We compare carrier routings for your actual delivery address and confirm transit time and cost for each option at quote stage, because both change with schedules and season.
Importing into Canada?
Share your product, carton count, and the province or Amazon.ca fulfillment center it is going to. We reply with sea, air, and courier options within 12 hours (Monday–Saturday).