I’m a small-business owner in Canada, and shipping through UPS to the U.S. has cost me time, money, and customers. I run two companies E6 Forged, which imports and sells high-end wheels for luxury cars like Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens, and E6 Carbon, which fabricates and repairs auto parts both domestically and internationally. My biggest customer base by far is in the United States. Every year, I spend over 150,000 Canadian dollars on shipping into the U.S., and this year has been one of the toughest I’ve ever experienced.
The first problems began after “Liberation Day” this spring, when new tariffs on imported goods started showing up on our shipments. At first, the baseline tariff of around 10% to 15% wasn’t devastating. But in August, things got much worse when the de minimis threshold for shipments under $800 changed. Previously, those items didn’t have to go through full customs clearance. Now, even small packages have to be formally declared, which has slowed everything down and added new layers of bureaucracy.
Since that change, UPS shipments to the U.S. have been riddled with errors and delays. I’ve seen multiple shipments charged with incorrect tariff rates sometimes far higher than they should be. Even when all the customs information is filled out correctly, packages arrive at customers’ homes with surprise tariff bills. One of my U.S. customers received a bill for $1,000 in duties and fees. Naturally, he called me, furious, thinking I had made the mistake. I hadn’t. UPS had.
Worse still, packages have started getting stuck in UPS facilities for days or weeks without explanation. In the past, if there was a customs issue, UPS would contact me to clarify the details or request more information. Now, that doesn’t happen. One shipment I sent to Alabama was supposed to arrive within four days. Instead, it bounced back to me a week later with no notice, even though all the customs details were correct. Another package has been missing for over a month. The tracking data shows it bouncing between Ontario, Michigan, and Tennessee like it’s teleporting. At one point, the tracking system said UPS planned to destroy it. I reached out to Carol Tomé, UPS’s CEO, directly. After I received an apology from her office, the package was suddenly recovered.
UPS says the problem is due to changes in U.S. import regulations and missing customs data, insisting that over 90% of shipments still clear customs the first day they arrive. But for small businesses like mine, the other 10% can be devastating. A lost or delayed shipment not only costs money it damages trust with customers who expect fast, reliable delivery.
After months of headaches, I decided to switch to FedEx for my U.S. shipments. I still use other carriers, including DHL and Purolator, depending on the rates, but FedEx has become my go-to for cross-border orders. It might cost $7 more per shipment, but it’s worth it to avoid the risk of losing a package or getting hit with surprise tariffs. For my business, that extra cost is small compared to the frustration of watching expensive auto parts get stuck in customs limbo.
Some of my international suppliers, especially in Japan, have even stopped shipping directly to the U.S. altogether. Instead, they sell to me at a discount so that I can handle the complicated process of importing and paying the additional tariffs. It’s more work, but it’s become the only practical solution.
It feels like U.S. policy is pushing toward reduced imports and more domestic self-reliance. Maybe that’s the goal to make the country more self-sustaining. But it’s coming at a real cost for small businesses like mine that depend on cross-border trade. I’m just one small player in a vast global network, but the ripple effects of these shipping delays and tariff changes are hitting entrepreneurs like me the hardest.
