US Import Duties on Audio from Canada
What US buyers pay at the border — in plain language
We love our US customers — you’re a big part of our business — and the import rules changed several times in 2026. Here’s where things stand, what you’ll pay, and who you pay it to.
The short answer
- Radique Audio products (our cables, connectors, the RA-Twin II and other small house items) ship by Canada Post with US duties prepaid at checkout — one clearly labelled line, nothing to pay at the door.
- Everything else — vintage and used gear and third-party products — ships by UPS, which collects the US duty and its brokerage fee before delivery.
- Our prices don’t change for US buyers. Duties go to the US government and the carrier, not to us.
Two lanes to the US
The duty on an item is the same by either carrier. What differs is everything around it.
Radique Audio products · Canada Post, duties prepaid
When your shipping address is in the US and your cart contains Radique Audio products, checkout offers Canada Post only and adds one line: “US import duties and fees (prepaid, Canada Post).”
- That line is the US duty on the item plus the handling charge of our duty-prepayment partner Zonos: 10% of the duty plus US$1.99 per order.
- We pay it to US Customs on your behalf before the parcel leaves Canada; the parcel carries a customs declaration ID showing it is duty-paid.
- No brokerage fee, no customs hold, no card-on-delivery, no surprise invoice. On a US$29 Bluetooth adapter the prepaid line is about US$14; on a US$40 Gold Series cable, about US$20.
Why only Canada Post for these? By courier, a US$25–35 brokerage fee is added to the same duty and collected at your door — on a small item, more than the product may be worth.
Vintage, used & third-party gear · UPS
- When the parcel reaches US Customs, UPS clears it and contacts you — usually by email or text with a link — to pay the US duty plus its brokerage charges.
- Brokerage: an entry-preparation fee that scales with declared value (typically US$10–35), a disbursement fee of 3.5% of the duty advanced (minimum about US$14), and a small US customs processing fee.
- On a typical vintage component that’s roughly US$25–60 on top of the duty. Once paid, delivery continues.
- UPS suits this gear: most of it is too large or valuable for the postal option, the fee is a small share of a US$500–3,000 component, and transit is fast and tracked.
Mixing Radique Audio products with vintage gear? Because they travel by different carriers, checkout asks you to place them as two separate orders — it takes a minute and keeps both parcels on the right lane.
What changed in 2026
No more duty-free allowance
The old US$800 “de minimis” allowance ended on August 29, 2025 and is suspended indefinitely. Every parcel is dutiable, whatever its value.
Lower, country-based tariffs
On February 20, 2026 the US Supreme Court struck down the emergency (IEEPA) tariffs. Since July 24, 2026 the US charges a new, lower set of tariffs by country of manufacture.
Simpler postal lane
Parcels up to US$2,500 can now cross by mail with duties prepaid — exactly what we do for our own Radique Audio products.
Current US duty by country of manufacture
The duty depends on where the item was made, not where it ships from. These are the rates in force as of September 2026 for the categories we sell; the exact figure comes from checkout (Canada Post) or from UPS.
| Made in | Approx. US duty | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 12.5% | Most of our vintage receivers, amplifiers, decks and turntables |
| Korea | 12.5% | |
| European Union | about 10% | Some sources put the EU ceiling at 15%; UPS’s invoice is the final word |
| United Kingdom | about 10% | Tannoy, Mission, B&W, Castle and friends |
| Canada | about 10–15% | Canadian-made speakers and electronics (PSB, Paradigm, Totem, Energy, Mirage…): 10% plus the normal base rate of up to 4.9%. See the cabinet note below. |
| United States | usually 0% | US-made gear returning home is normally duty-free when its origin can be shown |
| China | about 37–40% | Applies to any China-made item, new or used |
Used and vintage items are dutiable at the same rates as new ones. Rates are set by the US government and can change; we update this page when they do.
Two real examples
US$1,000 vintage Japanese receiver · UPS
Duty 12.5% = US$125, plus UPS brokerage of roughly US$30–45 — a landed extra of about US$155–170, around 16% of the price, collected by UPS before delivery.
US$40 Radique Audio cable · Canada Post
A prepaid duties-and-fees line of about US$20, shown at checkout, nothing at the door. By courier the same cable would add US$25–35 of brokerage at delivery — which is why we don’t offer it.
Still worth it? We think so.
Nobody loves paying import duties, but here’s what comes with every Radique order: our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty on vintage gear — virtually unheard of in the used audio market — and our Perpetual Trade-Back Program, both of which apply to US customers exactly as they do in Canada. Add expert refurbishment, Canada’s largest online selection of curated used and vintage audio, and gear kept out of landfills.
Finding that perfect vintage piece locally, fully tested and in excellent condition? Good luck with that.
US import duties FAQ
Do I pay US import duty on audio gear ordered from Canada?
Yes. Since the US$800 duty-free allowance (“de minimis”) ended on August 29, 2025, every parcel entering the US is dutiable, whatever its value. For Radique Audio products the duty is prepaid at checkout; for everything else UPS collects it before delivery.
What changed in US import rules in 2026?
Three things. The US$800 de minimis allowance is suspended indefinitely. On February 20, 2026 the US Supreme Court struck down the emergency (IEEPA) tariffs, and since July 24, 2026 the US charges a new, lower set of tariffs by country of manufacture. And parcels up to US$2,500 can now cross by mail with duties prepaid, which is what we do for our own Radique Audio products.
How do Radique Audio products ship to the US?
By Canada Post with the US duties prepaid at checkout. Checkout adds one line, “US import duties and fees (prepaid, Canada Post)”: the US duty plus the handling charge of our duty-prepayment partner Zonos (10% of the duty plus US$1.99 per order). We pay it to US Customs before the parcel leaves Canada, so there’s no brokerage fee, no customs hold and nothing to pay at the door.
How does vintage and used gear ship to the US?
By UPS. When the parcel reaches US Customs, UPS contacts you, usually by email or text with a link, to pay the US duty plus its brokerage charges: an entry-preparation fee (typically US$10–35), a disbursement fee of 3.5% of the duty advanced (minimum about US$14) and a small US customs processing fee — roughly US$25–60 on top of the duty for a typical vintage component.
What are the current US duty rates by country of manufacture?
As of September 2026, for the categories we sell: Japan 12.5%; Korea 12.5%; European Union about 10% (some sources say up to 15%); United Kingdom about 10%; Canada about 10–15% (10% plus a base rate of up to 4.9%); United States usually 0% when origin can be shown; China about 37–40%. Used and vintage items are dutiable at the same rates as new ones.
Will I know my total landed cost before I buy?
For Radique Audio products, yes, to the cent: it’s a line at checkout. For UPS orders, the rate table on this page is a close guide and the final figure comes from UPS when the parcel clears. For an estimate on a specific item, email us the listing link and your city and we’ll work it out.
Are wooden cabinets and speaker stands affected?
They may be. Since August 22, 2026 the US applies an additional 50% duty to a list of Canadian-made goods that includes furniture, and our cherrywood audio cabinets and speaker stands may fall under it. They ship by UPS with duty collected at the border, so please email us first and we’ll confirm the landed cost before you order.
Do US customers get the same warranty and trade-back coverage?
Yes. Our Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty on vintage gear and the Perpetual Trade-Back Program apply to US customers exactly as in Canada. The only difference is that shipping gear back to us for warranty work is the customer’s responsibility, and we can usually arrange a discounted prepaid label through our carrier accounts.
Do your prices change for US buyers?
No. Our prices are the same for everyone. Import duties and carrier fees go to the US government and your shipping carrier, not to Radique.
Want a landed-cost estimate?
Send us the listing link and your city and we’ll work out the duty and fees before you buy — or hit the pink Ask a Question button on any listing.
This page reflects US import rules as we understood them on September 5, 2026. Tariff policy changed several times this year and may change again; the checkout and the carrier always show the current figure.