Shipments to the USA: What we know about customs, tariffs, and duties

We want to be as open and transparent as possible with our customers about what to expect when ordering from the USA. As it stands, the customs and tariff landscape is constantly shifting, and although we’re working to establish a smoother long-term solution, this page outlines everything we currently know.

Last Updated: 4 May 2025

Please note: This is not legal or customs advice. The information provided here is based on our understanding and experience, and it may become outdated as regulations change. We will do our best to keep this page updated.

Country of origin and tariff classification

All of our windows are manufactured in Canada and ship from Canada to the United States.

Our product falls under HS Code 3925.20.0020 and therefore should qualify for duty-free treatment under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This means that, under normal circumstances, there should be no import duties applied to our windows when they enter the US.

The Trump Administration's tariffs have complicated this. However, USMCA-qualifying products should still receive duty-free treatment at the US border. Until this changes (which it is liable to at any time), you should not owe duties fees to the US customs authorities.

How we ship

We ship most US orders using UPS, who also act as our customs broker for most of those shipments. Depending on the value of your order, different customs processes and requirements apply.

Orders under $800 USD

Orders below $800 typically fall under what’s known as the Section 321 de minimis exemption, which allows shipments of this value or less to enter the US without duties or formal customs processing.

• To our knowledge, this exemption still applies to goods from Canada, even though it has been removed for some other countries, such as China.

• Many of our customers ordering a single window (under $800 total) have had their shipments arrive without incident or extra charges.

Orders over $2500 USD

Orders above $2500 are always treated as formal customs entries. For these, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires the importer of record (that’s you, the customer) to provide a Tax Identification Number (TIN) — this can be an EIN, SSN, or other tax ID.

• We will generally ship orders of this value on a pallet through an LTL carrier and work with an independent customs broker. 

• We are (and have always been) required to provide our customs broker with your Tax ID# on these orders. You should expect a member of our team to reach out to you and request this information. 

• You can learn more about this from the US Customs and Border Protection website here: https://www.help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-1118?language=en_US

Orders between $800 and $2500 USD

This is where we’ve seen the most inconsistency.

• Technically, orders under $2500 should not require formal customs entry. However, UPS has recently started requesting importer information (SSN, EIN, etc.) for orders in this range.

• Sometimes they contact us to get it from the customer. Sometimes they reach out directly to the customer.
  

• Sometimes UPS arrives with the windows and requests the customer to pay a large duty charge on the shipment (It seems that in these cases, UPS has applied a 25% customs duty plus brokerage fees to our windows, although this is an error at present since our products qualify for USMCA.)
  

• If you receive an email or call from UPS asking for this information, we recommend responding promptly to avoid delays.

What happens if a duty is charged?

Some of our customers have told us that when UPS arrived with their windows, that they were asked to pay a fee on the package. It seems that in these cases, UPS has applied a 25% customs duty plus brokerage fees to our windows.

As we understand it, this is incorrect, as our products should be duty-free under USMCA.

• If UPS requests payment upon delivery, we think the best course of action is to pay the duty (if you are able to) in order to receive your windows without delay.

• Make sure to get a receipt and any relevant documentation from UPS at the time of delivery.

After receiving your shipment, you may be able to dispute the charge with UPS and request a refund.

How to dispute a duty charge

To dispute a customs charge, you, the customer (as the importer of record), will likely need to submit a USMCA Certificate of Origin, which you can download here:

Download our USMCA Certificate of Origin

If you are charged duties, we may be able to help you get them reversed, as we have found a contact with UPS that has been helpful so far. However, its best if we can get ahead of this and have the charge corrected before the windows even make it to you. We are monitoring our shipments to help with this, but you should as well.

Please note: We haven’t yet had a customer go through the full dispute process, so we’re still learning what this looks like. We’d love to hear your experience if you go through it.

Our recommendations for US customers

We think the best thing you can do is to monitor your tracking data early to catch if there are any charges being applied or if there is any information that UPS requires before that can deliver your windows.

1. Monitor your UPS tracking closely. If anything seems off, contact UPS early. Let us know as well; we may be able to help.

2. Watch for any messages from UPS asking for tax ID information — respond promptly. They seem to only be reaching out to the receiver, and we tend not to know that information is needed.

We're working on a better solution

We know this is a frustrating situation for customers, and it’s frustrating for us too. We’re actively exploring more permanent solutions to simplify US shipping and eliminate these surprises altogether.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience and understanding — and as always, we’re here to help if you have any questions.

We really appreciate your business and are here to help however we can.