International shipping costs are killing me
by antarcticanUsing Canada Post for local shipping is relatively inexpensive. So I created flat-price shipping at $2. Stupid me. Shipping to the USA is extremely expensive. First off, if the product (say a small sticker) is inside a brown envelope, Canada Post assumes it is commercial (even though any grandma can buy a brown envelope) and requires you to fill out a US customs declaration. Which potentially means my package will be opened by US customs, which means I'm now exporting as a business, and thus require a company with an export license.... Here in Canada we can have a small personal side business and pay no tax up to a certain income level, and do not need to incorporate. I was hoping this would remain at this level for a while, but instead I might have to spend hundreds or thousands for a paltry tens of dollars in profit.
As well, my flat rate pricing works for Canada, but I lose roughly $1 for everything I send to the USA. I thought flat-rate shipping would make things easier but it's actually making things harder. Time to rethink.
