If you ship products internationally, retailers are responsible for paying duties. However, by marking eligible products as compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), you can keep them duty-free.
What makes a product USMCA compliant?
To qualify for USMCA duty-free treatment, products must be made in Canada, the United States, or Mexico, with sufficient materials and manufacturing from these countries to meet the USMCA rules of origin.
As the exporter, you’re responsible for accurately declaring the product’s origin. If documentation is missing or incorrect, duties may be applied and billed to your retailers.
Please note that inaccurately identifying your products as USMCA-compliant, or repeatedly failing to provide the required documentation for such products, may be considered a violation of Faire’s Terms of Service.
Why should I mark products as USMCA compliant?
Starting August 29, 2025, the $800 USD de minimis exemption for duty-free shipments to the United States will be removed. This means all international commercial shipments to the US will require formal customs processing and may be subject to duties, regardless of their value or origin.
However, products that qualify under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) can still be shipped duty-free.
Marking eligible products as USMCA compliant on Faire ensures that:
- US retailers will not see a duty estimate for those products.
Will marking my products as USMCA compliant guarantee that duties are waived?
No, marking your products as USMCA compliant on Faire alone does not ensure that duties are waived. If you’re shipping products worth over $2,500 USD you will also need to include with your shipment a certification of origin, which the importer (usually the retailer) must provide to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). For orders under $2,500 USD, a certification of origin is not routinely required, but the importer still must provide it to CBP if asked for it. If this certification is missing, duties could be charged and your customers would be responsible for these unexpected fees. Because of this, Faire asks that you include a certification of origin in all your shipments, even those under $2,500 USD.
How do I mark individual products as USMCA compliant?
- Navigate to the Products tab in your brand portal.
- Select a product and scroll down to the Shipping section.
- If a "Made in" location hasn't been specified, select the appropriate Made in location
- Check the box for This product is USMCA compliant to confirm the product complies with USMCA.
If you have not selected a Made in location as the United States, Canada or Mexico, you will not be able to select this box as your products do not meet the USMCA compliance requirements.
How do I bulk update my products for USMCA compliance?
- Go to Shop settings in your brand portal.
- Scroll down to the International orders section.
- Under USMCA duty-free compliance, choose Bulk edit product compliance.
- Select Confirm to update all published products with a Made in country of Canada, the United States or Mexico as USMCA compliant.
If you want to change the USMCA compliance on products that were bulk edited, you will need to make changes on the individual product page.
Do I need to provide a certificate of origin for all orders?
Yes, you will need to provide a certification of origin for all orders that you ship from Canada into the United States in order for the USMCA exemption to apply.
- For shipments over $2,500 USD, the importer (usually the retailer) will be required to provide this certification of origin to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
- For shipments under $2,500 USD, the importer will not be routinely required to provide the certification to CBP, but if CBP asks for it, the importer must provide it within 30 days. Accordingly, Faire asks that you complete the certification and include it with all shipments.
If the certification is missing or incorrect, duties may apply and your US retailers would be responsible for paying these unexpected charges. Because of this, Faire will ask you to verify that goods are USMCA-compliant before completing an order.
How do I get a valid certification of origin?
A certification of origin can come in any form so long as it contains the following pieces of information:
- Whether the certifier is the exporter, importer, or producer (in this case, it will be the exporter)
- The exporter/certifier’s name, title, address (including country), telephone number, and email address
- The producer’s name, title, address (including country), telephone number, and email address (if different from the exporter). If there are multiple producers, you can list each of them or state “Various”
- The importer’s name, address, email address, and telephone number. If there are multiple importers, you can list each of them or state “Various”
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Product description and HS (Harmonized System) code
- The product description should be sufficiently detailed to relate it to the invoice and the Harmonized System (HS) nomenclature
- Identify the HS tariff classification code to at least the six-digit level (if the relevant rule of origin for the good requires eight digits, identify to the eight-digit level)
- If the certification of origin covers a single shipment of a good, provide the invoice number for the exportation (if known)
- Identify the applicable rule of origin (also called the “origin criterion”) under which the product qualifies under USMCA. Goods typically fall into Criterions A, B, C, or D. For the text of the rules of origin:
- Identify the country of origin
- Certification, Certifier’s Signature, and Date
- The certification must be signed and dated by the certifier and accompanied by the following statement: “I certify that the goods described in this document qualify as originating and the information contained in this document is true and accurate. I assume responsibility for proving such representations and agree to maintain and present upon request or to make available during a verification visit, documentation necessary to support this certification.”
Templates for the certification of origin are available from US Customs and Border Protection, UPS, and FedEx. Please note that Faire does not provide or validate these templates and brands are responsible for ensuring their own compliance.
What do retailers see if I report my products as USMCA compliant?
When you mark a product as USMCA-compliant on Faire, US retailers will not see a duty estimate for it.
These estimates are provided on a product level, so if you have a mix of USMCA-compliant and non-compliant products, retailers will see duties estimates in their cart and at checkout for the products that are not exempted from duties fees by USMCA.
What should I do if I forgot to include my certification of origin with an order?
If the certification of origin is missing or inaccurate, US customs may charge duties, and your retailer could be responsible for unexpected fees. If you forgot to include it, contact your logistics provider or customs broker immediately to check if corrective documentation can be submitted. If they are not able to add the documentation, we recommend reaching out to the retailer to give them a heads up that duties may be charged on the order.
Make sure future shipments always include the correct paperwork
This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or customs compliance advice. Brands and retailers remain responsible for ensuring shipments comply with applicable laws and regulations. In particular, it is the responsibility of brands and retailers to confirm that all goods for which you claim preferential tariff treatment under the USMCA meet all of the applicable USMCA rules of origin for those goods and any other applicable USMCA requirements.