Shipping TCG Singles From Canada: A Card Store Best-Practice Guide

Updated October 2026. Canada Post rates and US customs rules change often, so check the linked sources before you set your shipping prices.

The short answer: Inside Canada, cheap singles can go by Lettermail in a plain envelope, and anything worth tracking goes as a tracked parcel. To the US, Lettermail is off the table for anything a customer bought. Ship cards as a tracked package, and prepay US duties through Zonos (or a carrier that handles duties for you) before the package crosses the border.

If you sell singles out of a Canadian store, orders that stay in Canada and orders heading south follow different rules, and the US rules are much stricter. Get them wrong and you're eating surprise fees, or worse... orders that never even reach your customers.

Shipping singles inside Canada

For low-value orders, Lettermail is still the cheapest way to get a few cards to a customer. Canadian sellers use it all the time for singles. Just know what you're giving up: no tracking, and no compensation if it goes missing.

What it costs (Canada Post):

Watch the thickness. Standard Lettermail tops out at 245 × 156 mm and 5 mm thick. Past that, it's Oversize, up to 380 × 270 mm and 20 mm thick (Canada Post). A top loader plus a cardboard stiffener can push a standard envelope over 5 mm, so measure a packed envelope once and price it right.

Our recommendation: a bubble mailer with an Oversize stamp. A small bubble mailer gives your singles extra padding, and with a top loader inside it's going to be over 5 mm anyway. So price it as Oversize from the start: $2.61 covers anything up to 100 g, which is more than enough for a handful of singles. Keep it under 20 mm thick and you're set. A little more postage beats a bent card or an envelope coming back for short postage.

When to switch to tracked. Pick a dollar threshold and put it in your shipping policy. Below it, Lettermail. Above it, a tracked Canada Post parcel service like Expedited Parcel or Xpresspost. The right line is wherever a lost envelope hurts more than the cost of tracking. For a lot of stores, that line gets drawn the first time a mythic goes missing.

Shipping singles from Canada to the US

Two rules trip up most Canadian sellers.

1. No goods by Letter-post. Canada Post doesn't accept purchased items in US-bound Letter-post. Its own FAQ is blunt: purchased items are merchandise and "cannot be sent by Letter-post" (Canada Post). That's been enforced since 2021, when cross-border mail started needing electronic customs data (Canadian Stamp News). A stamped envelope with a card in it is likely to come back.

2. Duties are prepaid now. The US suspended its US$800 duty-free threshold on August 29, 2025. Every postal shipment under US$800 needs its duties prepaid before it crosses the border (Canada Post).

How prepaying duties works with Canada Post

Canada Post uses Zonos to calculate and collect US duties. You get a Declaration ID, link it to the shipment, and Zonos sends the money to US customs. There are two ways in:

A few details that trip people up:

• Country of origin is mandatory on every US-bound item, whatever it's worth. Set it per product, and set it accurately.
• Declaration IDs expire after 5 days if they aren't linked to a tracking number. Generate them on the day you ship.
• Paid duties aren't refundable, and a resent package counts as a new import.
• CUSMA doesn't save you in the postal stream. CUSMA duty-free treatment still exists, but goods sent by post are still subject to tariff collection (CFIB).

Which service to use for US orders

Canada Post Tracked Packet USA handles packages under 2 kg, with tracking, delivery in about 4 to 7 business days and $100 of automatic coverage (Canada Post). That's the usual pick for a few singles in a bubble mailer.

Consolidators like Chit Chats and Stallion Express collect your packages in Canada and hand them to US carriers. Both now ship duties paid. Stallion ships every US order Delivered Duty Paid and uses China as the default origin if you don't set one, so set it (Stallion). Chit Chats needs manufacturer details for its duties-paid options (Chit Chats). Compare their current rates against Tracked Packet for your typical order before you commit.

Packaging singles by order value

Match the packaging to what's in the order.

Some habits to help you go the extra mile:

• Tape the team bag shut, not the top loader. Customers hate cutting tape off their cards.
• Write "Do not bend" if it's a big order of singles in a mailer. It doesn't guarantee anything, but it helps.
• Keep a packing slip in every order. It speeds up returns and any "where's my card" message.

A shipping workflow that scales

Past a handful of orders a day, the process for pulling your orders matters more than the packaging. This workflow holds up on a busy week:

1. Batch it. Print every paid order at once instead of one at a time.
2. Pick once. Use a single pick list for the whole batch, sorted by game, set and collector number, so you walk each shelf once.
3. Merge same-buyer orders before you print. One envelope, one postage charge.
4. Set origin at the product level, so customs info for US orders isn't a scramble at the counter.
5. Generate Zonos Declaration IDs the day you ship, and link them to tracking right away.

Sideboard's order printing does steps 1 to 3 for paid Shopify, CardTrader and eBay orders: a 4x6 label per order, one merged pick list for the batch, a customer slip, and a matching order number on all three. Merging same-buyer orders works out to roughly 7.6% fewer envelopes. 

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I send trading cards by Lettermail in Canada? Canadian card sellers do it every day for low-value singles. It's the cheapest option, with no tracking and no compensation if it's lost. Keep the envelope under 5 mm thick for Standard rates.

Can I mail cards to the US in a regular envelope from Canada? No. Canada Post doesn't accept purchased goods by US-bound Letter-post. Use a tracked package service and prepay duties.

What's the cheapest tracked way to ship cards from Canada to the US? It depends on your volume. Compare Canada Post Tracked Packet USA with consolidators like Chit Chats and Stallion Express for your typical order size, including their duty handling.

Do I have to pay US duties on cards shipped from Canada? Shipments under US$800 sent by post need duties prepaid before they cross the border, through Zonos for Canada Post. The amount depends on the product and its country of origin.

How much does Zonos charge to prepay duties? The Prepay app charges $3.99 CAD plus a 10% processing fee. A Verified Account charges $1.99 plus 10% of the calculated duties.

Should my card store use Canada Post, Chit Chats or Stallion? Use Canada Post for domestic orders and occasional US orders. If you ship to the US every week, price a consolidator against Tracked Packet USA and pick whichever is cheaper per order once duties are included.