US Import Tariffs on Audio from Canada | Radique
US Customers — Understanding Import Tariffs
Updated: September 2026 — What You Need to Know Before You Order
Wondering about US import tariffs on audio ordered from Canada? You’re in the right place. We love our US customers — you make up a significant portion of our business — and the rules changed several times in 2026, so here is where things stand today, in plain language.
• Radique Audio products (our cables, connectors, the RA-Twin II and other small house items) ship by Canada Post with the US duties prepaid at checkout. You see one clearly labelled line — “US import duties and fees (prepaid, Canada Post)” — before you pay, and there is nothing to pay when the parcel arrives. We route them this way because it costs you less: the US duty is the same by either carrier, but by post there is no courier brokerage fee — and on a small item that fee can be worth more than the product. It is in everyone’s interest to ship these by Canada Post.
• Everything else — vintage and used gear, and third-party products — ships by UPS. UPS collects the duty and its brokerage fee from you at the border, before delivery.
• Our prices don’t change for US buyers. Duties go to the US government and the carrier, not to us.
🌎 What changed in 2026?
Three things, and they are why this page was rewritten. First, the old US$800 duty-free allowance (“de minimis”) ended on August 29, 2025 and is now suspended indefinitely — every parcel is dutiable, whatever its value. Second, on February 20, 2026 the US Supreme Court struck down the emergency (IEEPA) tariffs, so the very high stacked rates you may have read about earlier this year no longer apply; since July 24, 2026 the US charges a new, lower set of tariffs by country of manufacture instead. Third, the postal system got simpler: parcels up to US$2,500 can now cross by mail with the duties prepaid, which is exactly what we do for our own products.
📦 Radique Audio products: Canada Post, duties prepaid at checkout
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 through Zonos before the parcel leaves Canada, and the parcel carries a customs declaration ID showing it is duty-paid.
What that means for you: no brokerage fee, no customs hold, no card-on-delivery, no surprise invoice. The total you see at checkout is the total you pay. On a US$29 Bluetooth adapter, for example, the prepaid line is about US$14; on a US$40 Gold Series cable, about US$20.
Why Canada Post, and why only Canada Post? Because it is the cheapest way for you to receive these items, by a wide margin. The US duty on an item is set by what it is and where it was made, and it does not change with the carrier. What changes is everything around it. By post, the duty is prepaid through Zonos for 10% of the duty plus US$1.99 an order, and that is the whole story. By courier, a brokerage fee of US$25–35 is added on top of the same duty — on a small item that can be more than the product is worth — and you pay it at the door. Shipping these by Canada Post is in everyone’s interest, so for Radique Audio products we don’t offer the courier option at all.
Mixing Radique Audio products with vintage gear: because the two travel by different carriers, checkout will ask you to place them as two separate orders. It takes a minute and keeps both parcels on the right lane.
🚚 Everything else: UPS, with duties and brokerage collected at the border
Vintage and used components, speakers, and third-party products ship by 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 (see the rate table below) plus UPS’s brokerage charges: an entry-preparation fee that scales with the 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 adds up to roughly US$25–60 on top of the duty. Once paid, delivery continues.
UPS is the right lane for this gear: most of it is too large or too valuable for the postal option, the brokerage fee is a small share of a US$500–3,000 component, transit is fast and tracked, and the duty rate is the same either way.
🌍 Current duty rates 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 for your order comes from the checkout (Canada Post) or from UPS (courier); this table is the guide.
| Country of manufacture | Approximate 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 note on cabinets 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.
📊 Can you give me a real example?
A vintage Japanese receiver at US$1,000, by UPS: duty 12.5% = US$125, plus UPS brokerage of roughly US$30–45, for a landed extra of about US$155–170 — around 16% of the price. UPS collects it before delivery.
A US$40 Radique Audio cable, by Canada Post: a prepaid duties-and-fees line of about US$20, shown at checkout, nothing at the door. The same cable by courier would carry the same duty plus US$25–35 of brokerage collected at delivery — which is why we don’t offer it.
💳 Will I know my total landed cost before I commit?
Radique Audio products: yes, to the cent — it is a line on your checkout. UPS orders: the table above is a close guide, and the final figure comes from UPS when the parcel clears. If you would like an estimate for a specific item before you buy, email us with the listing link and your city and we will work it out for you.
🪵 A note on our wooden cabinets and speaker stands
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 are also too large for the postal option, so they travel by UPS with the duty collected at the border. If you are in the US and would like one, please email us first — we will confirm the current landed cost before you order rather than leave you to find out at the door.
🛡️ 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 they do in Canada. The only difference is that return shipping for warranty work is the customer’s responsibility — and we can usually arrange a discounted prepaid label through our carrier accounts to keep that reasonable. 😊
🎵 Why buy from Radique despite these fees?
We get it — nobody loves paying import duties! But remember what you’re getting:
• Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty on vintage gear — virtually unheard of in the used audio market
• Perpetual Trade-Back Program — your investment is protected, always
• Expert refurbishment — we bring vintage audio back to life properly
• Canada’s largest online selection of curated used and vintage audio components
• Keeping gear from landfills — good for your soul AND the planet 🌍
Plus, finding that perfect vintage piece in excellent, fully tested condition locally? Good luck with that! 😉
And remember: import duties and carrier fees go to the US government and your shipping carrier — not to us. We’re just as excited as you are to get your new-to-you vintage audio into your hands. ✨
📧 [email protected] | ☎️ 613-416-9995
Or hit the pink Ask a Question button on any product listing.