If you're importing for resale or business use, set your account up as a business account — commercial imports are declared under your business number and taxed differently than personal ones.
Business accounts on Shippsy
Importing for a business? Business accounts declare with an importer number, pay 5% GST instead of 13% HST on imports, and can declare in bulk.
What you need
- A Canadian business number with an import/export account (your importer number — 9 digits followed by
RM0001). Don't have one? See How do I obtain an importer number for business import? Unsure of yours? Call CRA at 1-800-959-5525. - A CARM Client Portal registration — see Do I need to sign up with CARM?
- A one-time $5 broker setup fee applies, and it can take up to 10 business days for the broker to verify your business number.
You can select "This is a business account" during account setup, or contact support to convert an existing personal account.
How business imports are treated differently
- Import VAT is 5% (GST) instead of the 13% charged on personal imports — see Tax & Duties Summary.
- Your declarations are filed under your importer number, and duties/taxes flow through your CARM account with CBSA.
- Certain rules differ for commercial goods — for example, health and beauty products for resale need additional clearance.
Bulk declarations by spreadsheet
Business accounts can declare many shipments at once instead of one by one:
- Go to Shipments → Action Required → Pending Details.
- Click Export to download a CSV of everything awaiting details.
- Fill in the contents, quantity, value (USD), category, and product columns.
- Click Import and upload the file — all your declarations are submitted together.
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