What to know about the USA tariffs starting Aug 29th

The U.S. has just announced a new wave of tariffs on Canadian goods, and it’s happening a lot sooner than expected. Originally planned for next year, these tariffs are now being rushed into effect on August 29th, and unfortunately, they’ll hit hard.

Here’s what you need to know as an Origami Customs customer in the States:

• Starting Aug 29, a 35% tariff will apply to every single package into the USA, no matter the price of the goods. No exceptions. It used to be that any package under $800 was exempt, but after Aug 29th, that is no longer the case. 

• This is a mess. We've called both Canada Post, USPS, and Customs, and no one seems to be sure of how they're going to handle this escalated workload. 

• On top of that, U.S. Customs may charge a flat $200 fee per package (instead of the 35%) for the next six months. They're giving any delivery carrier the option to add this specific tariff in case they don’t have the capacity to calculate the exact tariff. That means that any package, regardless of the value, could get hit with a $200 fee.

• After August 29, expect that any packages coming into the USA will be delayed at the border, due to their escalated workload. 

What this means for you:

• We’re working hard to push all existing U.S. orders out before this date, but any new custom order placed from now on will be subject to these tariffs.

• If you want to avoid the extra cost, the best option is to shop our ready-to-ship items now, and order well before Aug 29th. We just added more stock, so if you think you'll need something in the next 6 months, now is the time to grab it.

• We are also in the process of applying for Canadian-made certification, which could exempt us from these tariffs altogether. But there’s no clear timeline on when or if this will come through. If you know you’ll need something in the next six months, grab your ready-to-ship pieces now to avoid potential fees.
  

We’ll keep you updated as things unfold. For now: shop ready-to-ship, save yourself the headache.