Small Nova Scotian businesses halt shipping to U.S. amid tariff concerns

CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 4:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

When an American lawsuit called Scott Bowers to balk astir an other $104 US charge on his $180 US purchase, the proprietor of the Curling Store said helium wasn't definite what to do.

"He ended up rejecting that package," Bowers said successful an interrogation with CBC News.

That near the Dartmouth businessman in a pickle because helium had to contented a refund to his lawsuit but wasn't capable to get the merchandise returned owed to the prohibitive cost.

He said getting the transportation backmost into Canada would person required him to wage a shipping interest of $235 US, which helium decided not to do.

After a fewer much akin incidents, Bowers halted shipments to the United States.

The Curling Store is 1 of a fewer tiny Nova Scotian businesses that person stopped sending deliveries to the U.S. amid the ongoing tariff war. Bowers made his announcement successful a societal media station Wednesday, saying the store is inactive capable to vessel products to the U.S. if customers are consenting to pay extra fees.

"We anticipation this is impermanent and admit each of the enactment from U.S. customers to this point," the station reads.

This comes aft U.S. President Donald Trump signed an enforcement bid past period to extremity an exemption that allowed tiny packages of goods that originated successful China and Hong Kong and were worthy little than $800 US to participate the U.S. tax-free. That went into effect past week.

Bowers said an estimated 95 per cent of his products, from duffel bags to brooms, are made successful China and astir of his shipments to the U.S. came successful below the $800 US benchmark. That meant that until recently, astir of his American customers weren't faced with other taxes erstwhile picking up their deliveries.

He said it's hard connected his extremity to way what the last outgo to American customers mightiness be, since it depends connected the product's state of root and the authorities the shipment is being delivered to.

"I'm going to get customers that are not going to beryllium alert of those charges until the merchandise shows up astatine the doorway and they're going to beryllium unwilling, oregon unable, to wage much than treble what the merchandise is worth," helium said.

Classy Cards Creative, based successful Windsor, N.S., has besides decided to halt shipping products to the U.S. Like the Curling Store, galore of the stationery company's products are manufactured successful China, according to proprietor Cassy Collins.

About 70 per cent of Classy Cards' customers are based successful the U.S.

"If tariffs tin travel backmost down to a tenable price, past we tin conscionable set our prices a small spot to marque up that quality and vessel everything over," she said. "Either [that or] we person to enactment those costs onto our buyers, but nary 1 realistically is going to wage $300 for a $100 order."

Customers person mostly been knowing of the situation, Collins said, but it has been hard since determination hasn't been a batch of clarity connected however overmuch the other disbursal volition beryllium for them.

Possible options

Collins said until the exemption is reinstated, she is reasoning of mounting up a driblet shipping institution successful the U.S., truthful the merchandise would beryllium shipped straight from manufacturers to customers. 

She said she's besides looked into uncovering different manufacturers, a process that tin instrumentality up to a mates of months.

"Just the opening of this year, our archetypal 4th has been amazing. It conscionable sucks that each of a sudden, everything stops, due to the fact that we cognize radical privation our products, but we conscionable can't get them retired there," she said. 

For Bowers, things are a spot much stable, helium said, since lone astir 10 per cent of his income are to the U.S. His program moving guardant is to absorption connected Canadian clients.