Shopping in Canada at a glance
Shopping in Canada feels familiar: the same malls, many of the same chains, and prices that look close to US prices until you remember the exchange rate. At US$1 = C$1.40, a C$100 sweater costs about $71 before tax, so Canadian-made goods priced the same in both countries are often a real bargain for Americans.
Two things work differently. Prices on tags and menus are shown before sales tax, which runs from 5% to 15% depending on the province, and Canada no longer refunds that tax to visitors. On the way home, US customs rules decide what you can carry duty-free, and those rules got more complicated in 2025 and 2026 for anything you ship.
This page covers what is worth buying, where to find it, how the taxes work, and exactly what US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) allows when you come back. For bringing things into Canada, see entry; for paying with cards and cash, see money.
What to buy
Maple products
Quebec produces roughly 70 percent of the world's maple syrup, and the best place to buy it is close to the source: a sugar shack (cabane à sucre) in March and April, a farm stand, or a market such as Jean-Talon in Montreal. Canadian syrup is sold as Grade A in four color classes, from Golden with a delicate taste to Very Dark with a strong one. Amber is the all-rounder; Dark is better for baking. Check that the label says pure maple syrup (sirop d'érable pur), since cheaper "table syrup" is mostly corn syrup.
Beyond syrup, look for maple butter (crème d'érable, a spreadable whipped syrup), maple sugar, maple taffy, and maple-cured smoked salmon on the East Coast. Supermarkets often sell the classic Quebec 540 ml can of syrup for less than souvenir shops do.
Watch out
Syrup, maple butter and icewine count as liquids at airport security in both countries, with a 100 ml (3.4 oz) limit in carry-on bags. Pack them in checked luggage wrapped in clothing, or buy them after security at the airport.
Icewine and other drinks
Icewine is Canada's signature wine, made from grapes left on the vine until they freeze naturally. Under VQA rules in Ontario and British Columbia, they must be picked at -8°C (about 18°F) or colder, which concentrates the sugar and acid into an intense dessert wine. Vidal is the classic grape, with Riesling and Cabernet Franc versions too. Buy at wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake or the Okanagan, at provincial liquor stores, or at duty-free shops. Most icewine comes in half bottles (375 ml) or smaller, so two half bottles fit inside the 1 liter US duty-free allowance.
Other good buys: Quebec ice cider (cidre de glace), Canadian rye whisky, and craft spirits from small distilleries. Our drinks page covers liquor store rules by province.
Indigenous art
Some of the most meaningful things you can bring home are made by First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists: carvings, prints, beadwork, moccasins and mukluks, jewelry, and Coast Salish knitwear. The rule is simple. Buy directly from Indigenous artists, Indigenous-owned shops, artist co-operatives and Indigenous-run cultural centers, and ask who made a piece and where. Reputable sellers will tell you the artist's name and community without hesitation.
Good places to start include Indigenous-run cultural centers and their shops, such as the Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, Wendake's Huron-Wendat museum and hotel just outside Quebec City, and Wanuskewin Heritage Park near Saskatoon. Indigenous-owned brands such as Manitobah (mukluks and moccasins) and Section 35 (apparel) sell online and in stores. The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada marks member businesses with its "Original Original" designation. See Indigenous Canada for respectful visits.
Inuit art and the Igloo Tag
Souvenir shops in Banff, Niagara and Old Quebec sell plenty of "Inuit-style" stone carvings that were never made by Inuit artists. The Igloo Tag is the established safeguard. The Government of Canada created this igloo-shaped trademark in 1958 to certify authentic Inuit art, and the Inuit Art Foundation took full ownership of it in March 2017. Tagged work comes through authorized distributors and dealers licensed to use the mark.
The program is under review, and the foundation is not issuing new licenses for now, so many genuine works, especially those bought directly from artists in the North or online, carry no tag. A tag is a strong sign of authenticity; its absence is a reason to ask more questions. Look for the artist's signature, often in Inuktitut syllabics, the community name, and a seller who can document the piece. Inuit-owned co-operatives, such as the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative (Kinngait Studios) and the Fédération des coopératives du Nouveau-Québec, are reliable sources.
Watch out
US marine mammal law bars Americans from importing products made from seal, walrus, whale (including whale bone and baleen), narwhal or polar bear, even when they are legal in Canada and made by Inuit artists. Sealskin mitts and walrus-ivory carvings are the usual problem. Stone, antler and many other materials are generally fine, but declare anything made from animal parts.
Hudson's Bay: the stripes after the store
Hudson's Bay, founded in 1670 and once the oldest company in North America, went into creditor protection in 2025 and liquidated its department stores; the last ones closed in early June 2025. If you remember buying a striped point blanket at "the Bay," that store is gone. Canadian Tire bought the Hudson's Bay brand and trademarks in 2025 for C$30 million (about $21 million).
The stripes are back in a new form. Canadian Tire launched its first Hudson's Bay Stripes collection in late 2025 and a larger summer line in April 2026, sold from kiosks in Canadian Tire stores nationwide and in a smaller selection at some Mark's stores. The range includes the point blanket in several sizes, Muskoka chairs, cushions, towels, totes and games, from mugs at about C$8 (about $6) up to a cedar-strip canoe at roughly C$10,000. The point blanket is tied to the fur trade, and Indigenous perspectives on it vary, which some buyers like to know.
Canadian brands
Many Canadian brands cost noticeably less in Canada once you convert. Shop at their own stores, where selection is widest.
Outerwear and winter gear
Canada Goose (Toronto) for expedition parkas, Arc'teryx (founded in North Vancouver) for technical shells, and Montreal labels such as Kanuk, Mackage and Rudsak for city coats. For boots, Canadian names include Kamik, Baffin and Pajar. Prices for top parkas run well over C$1,000, so compare carefully.
Everyday clothing
Roots for sweatshirts and leather goods, Lululemon and Aritzia (both from Vancouver), Kotn (Toronto) for basics, and La Maison Simons, the Quebec City department store founded in 1840, with branches across Canada. Herschel (Vancouver) does bags and Mejuri (Toronto) jewelry.
Outdoor equipment
MEC (Mountain Equipment Company, a co-op until its 2020 sale) is the classic Canadian outdoor store, alongside Sporting Life, Sail and Atmosphere. Banff, Canmore, Whistler and Squamish have strong independent gear shops. Hockey fans will find better selection of Bauer and CCM gear than in most US cities.
Different from home
A Canadian brand does not mean a Canadian-made product. Much of it is manufactured in Asia or elsewhere. That matters if you ship purchases home, because US tariffs follow the country where an item was made, not the brand or the country where you bought it.
Montreal fashion
Montreal is Canada's fashion city. Rue Sainte-Catherine is the main department-store strip, with Simons as the anchor now that the Bay is gone. Boulevard Saint-Laurent and Rue Saint-Denis in the Plateau have independent boutiques and vintage stores, and Mile End is good for local designers and small makers. Plaza Saint-Hubert specializes in bridal and formalwear. Montreal's garment district around Rue Chabanel holds sample sales; check listings before you go. See Montreal for neighborhoods.
Sales tax and why there is no refund
Canada charges a 5% federal Goods and Services Tax (GST). Some provinces combine it with their own tax into a single Harmonized Sales Tax (HST); others add a separate provincial tax. The tax is added at the register, so the shelf price is never the final price. Basic groceries are generally tax-free; restaurant meals, clothing, souvenirs and hotel rooms are taxed.
| Province or territory | Tax charged | Total on most purchases |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | GST | 5% |
| British Columbia | GST + PST 7% | 12% |
| Manitoba | GST + RST 7% | 12% |
| Saskatchewan | GST + PST 6% | 11% |
| Ontario | HST | 13% |
| Quebec | GST + QST 9.975% | 14.975% |
| Nova Scotia | HST (cut from 15% on April 1, 2025) | 14% |
| New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI | HST | 15% |
| Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut | GST | 5% |
Canada ended its general visitor tax refund in 2007, so there is no form to fill in at the airport for shopping. Two narrower breaks remain. When a Canadian store ships your purchase directly to an address outside Canada, it generally does not charge GST or HST, because exports are zero-rated (US duties then apply on arrival, as explained below). And non-residents who buy a qualifying tour package can claim back the tax on the accommodation portion through the Canada Revenue Agency's Foreign Convention and Tour Incentive Program.
Save money
Alberta's 5% is the lowest sales tax in the provinces. If you are buying a big-ticket item such as a parka or ski gear on a Rockies trip, buying it in Calgary or Banff instead of Vancouver saves 7%, and buying it in Alberta instead of PEI saves 10%.
Duty-free shops
Duty-free shops at the land crossings and in international airports sell without Canadian taxes or duties, which makes liquor, tobacco and perfume cheaper than in town. Many other items are not cheaper at all. Everything you buy there still counts toward your US allowance, and US customs treats it as foreign goods. Our border page lists the main crossings.
Markets worth a morning
Food markets are the best one-stop shops for edible souvenirs, from maple and cheese to smoked salmon and preserves, and they are fun to wander even if you buy nothing.
Jean-Talon Market
Montreal's largest public market, with Quebec produce, cheeses, maple products, cider and prepared food. Atwater Market in Saint-Henri, by the Lachine Canal, is smaller and has excellent butchers and a strong maple selection.
St. Lawrence Market
A historic hall packed with butchers, fishmongers and cheese counters; try the peameal bacon sandwich. Saturday mornings bring the farmers' market. Check the market's site for current hours, since sections keep different schedules.
Granville Island Public Market
Under the Granville Street Bridge, with smoked salmon, BC produce, bakeries and craft studios nearby. Take the little False Creek ferries rather than trying to park on weekends.
Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market
Part of a market tradition dating to 1750, with Nova Scotia wines, seafood and crafts. Pair it with the waterfront boardwalk. See Nova Scotia.
ByWard Market
Outdoor stalls in summer and fall plus food shops and restaurants in the surrounding blocks. Good for maple products and a BeaverTails pastry.
Grand Marché de Québec
The city's main public market, with Île d'Orléans produce, cheeses, ciders and maple. It replaced the old Old Port market in 2019 and is a short bus ride from the walled city.
US customs: the duty-free exemptions
When you return, you must declare everything you bought or were given in Canada, whatever its value. The personal exemption then decides how much of it comes in duty-free. These amounts have not changed with the 2026 tariff measures.
| Your trip | Duty-free allowance | Alcohol (21+) | Tobacco |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 hours or longer, exemption not used in the past 30 days | $800 per person; family members in one household can combine | 1 liter (about 34 fl oz) | 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars |
| Under 48 hours, or exemption used in the past 30 days | $200 per person; cannot be combined | 150 ml (about 5 fl oz) | 50 cigarettes and 10 cigars |
The 48-hour rule applies to Canada, which surprises many Americans. A day trip to Niagara Falls or Vancouver gets the $200 allowance, not $800. If your purchases on a short trip go over $200, the whole amount can become dutiable rather than only the excess. A family of four on a week-long trip, on the other hand, can pool a combined $3,200 on one declaration.
Above the $800 allowance, CBP applies a flat duty rate, long set at 3 percent, to the next $1,000 of goods for personal use; items beyond that are charged at their own tariff rates. Goods within your exemption come in duty-free, new tariffs included. Above it, 2026 made things murkier. The 50% Section 338 tariff placed on many Canadian goods in late August 2026 targets commercial imports, and trade lawyers read at least part of it as excluding travelers' personal-use goods, but the product lists are not written the same way. If you are bringing back well over $800 of Canadian-made goods, especially clothing, furniture, art or alcohol, expect that an officer may assess more than the flat rate. Things you ship are another matter (see below).
Different from home
If you fly home from Toronto Pearson, Vancouver, Montreal–Trudeau, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Winnipeg or Halifax, you clear US customs in Canada before boarding, at US preclearance. That is where you declare, and you land in the US as a domestic arrival. Have receipts handy in the preclearance hall, and see flights for timing.
Alcohol and tobacco in detail
The 1 liter duty-free alcohol allowance is per adult aged 21 or older, regardless of Canada's lower drinking age of 18 or 19. You can bring more for personal use, but CBP charges duty and federal excise tax on the excess, and your home state's own rules on importing alcohol also apply; some states are strict. The duty on a bottle or two over the limit is usually modest if you declare it.
For tobacco, the limits are 200 cigarettes (one carton) and 100 cigars. Tobacco products bought in Canadian duty-free shops count toward these limits. Canada's own tobacco is heavily taxed, so duty-free is the only place where prices are attractive.
Watch out
Cuban cigars and Cuban rum are sold openly across Canada, and Havana Club on a Canadian bar shelf is the Cuban version. US sanctions bar Americans from bringing any Cuban-origin cigars or alcohol into the United States, in any quantity, even as gifts. CBP seizes them and can fine you.
What you cannot bring back
Cannabis in any form
Cannabis is legal in Canada and sold in government and licensed stores. It remains illegal under US federal law, and federal law governs the border, even if your home state allows it. Taking cannabis, edibles, vapes or cannabis-infused drinks across the border is a crime in both directions; Canadian law also bans taking cannabis out of Canada. That includes CBD products bought in Canada, which are regulated as cannabis there.
The consequences can be serious: seizure, fines, arrest, and loss of NEXUS or Global Entry membership. Non-citizens, including green card holders, can face immigration consequences. Use it in Canada if you choose, where it is legal, and finish or discard anything before you head home. See drinks and cannabis laws.
Other items to leave behind
- Kinder Surprise eggs. The chocolate egg with a toy sealed inside is sold everywhere in Canada and banned in the US. CBP confiscates them. Kinder Joy, packaged in two halves, is legal.
- Marine mammal products. Seal, walrus, whale, narwhal and polar bear items, as described above.
- Some medications. Low-dose codeine products sold without a prescription in some provinces are controlled substances in the US. Bring only medicines you can legally use at home, in original packaging. See health.
- Counterfeit goods. Fake designer goods can be seized.
- Firewood and Christmas trees. Cut conifer trees cannot cross; wreaths and boughs are inspected. Firewood can carry invasive pests, so buy it where you burn it.
- Large amounts of cash. Carrying more than $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into the US is legal, but it must be reported to CBP. Canada has a matching reporting rule at C$10,000 on the way out.
Food: what is fine and what is not
Most food from Canada is allowed, as long as you declare it. The US Department of Agriculture sets the rules, and CBP enforces them at the border. If you declare everything, you face no penalty even if an officer takes something away; undeclared food is what leads to fines.
| Item | Rule for travelers from Canada |
|---|---|
| Maple syrup, candy, chocolate, cookies, coffee, tea, packaged snacks | Generally allowed (except Kinder Surprise) |
| Beef, pork, lamb, bison (including Montreal smoked meat) | Allowed in personal amounts, up to 50 lb (23 kg) of meat per traveler |
| Poultry and eggs | Personal amounts allowed unless temporary avian-flu restrictions are in place; check before you travel |
| Cheese and other dairy | Allowed with proof of Canadian origin, such as the label or a receipt |
| Canadian-grown fruit and vegetables | Allowed with "Produce of Canada" labels or dated receipts; field-grown produce mainly May 1 to October 31; greenhouse cucumbers, lettuce, eggplant, squash and strawberries year-round |
| Citrus, tomatoes, peppers, avocados, bananas, pineapple, tropical fruit | Prohibited, even if bought in a Canadian store |
| Potatoes | Up to 50 lb (23 kg), commercially packaged and labeled as grown in Canada or the US |
| Homegrown garden produce | Prohibited without a Canadian Food Inspection Agency certificate |
| Pet food and treats | Unopened retail packaging; raw or dried products labeled as a product of Canada or the US; up to 50 lb per vehicle |
Insider tip
Keep food in its original labeled packaging and keep the receipt. The label is your proof of Canadian origin. A loose bag of apples from a roadside stand with no receipt is exactly the kind of thing that gets taken at the border. Bringing a dog? See pets.
Shipping purchases home
This is the area that changed most. For decades, packages worth up to $800 entered the US duty-free under the "de minimis" rule. The US suspended that rule for shipments from every country on August 29, 2025, and in June 2026 CBP issued rules extending the suspension indefinitely. Today, any package mailed or couriered from Canada to a US address owes duty, whatever its value, and carriers add brokerage or processing fees on top.
On top of that, a 50% Section 338 tariff on a long list of Canadian goods took effect in late August 2026, stacked on any normal duty. It covers alcohol, dairy including many cheeses, and hundreds of other product lines, from clothing and textiles to cosmetics, jewelry, furniture, toys, paper goods, wooden tableware, hockey equipment and some fine art. USMCA free-trade status does not exempt covered goods, and the list keeps changing: CBP added categories in September 2026, and an October 2026 proclamation added and removed more from October 30. These tariffs follow where an item was made, so a Canadian-brand jacket made in Asia faces the duty for its country of manufacture instead.
Your $800 personal exemption covers only what you bring with you. Items you mail home do not count toward it.
- Carry it if you can. Personal purchases in your luggage count toward your exemption and, within it, owe no duty or tariff. Pack an empty duffel for the trip home.
- Do not mail alcohol. Canada Post and US mail rules bar it. Wine and spirits travel in checked bags, wrapped and padded.
- For large items, let the seller ship. Galleries and furniture makers that ship to the US regularly know the paperwork. Ask for a total landed cost, including duty, tariff and brokerage, before you pay, and ask how the item will be classified.
- Expect no Canadian sales tax on exports. A seller shipping directly to your US address generally should not charge GST or HST. Check the invoice.
- Keep the paperwork. The invoice should show what the item is, where it was made, and what you paid. Mismatched or vague descriptions cause delays.
Watch out
Small mailed gifts used to arrive duty-free under a $100 gift allowance, but low-value mail rules have changed repeatedly since 2025. Assume any package from Canada will be taxed, and check CBP's current guidance before sending one.
How to declare, step by step
Declaring is quick when you are organized. Officers mostly want an accurate list and a total.
- Keep every receipt together in one envelope or photographed on your phone, converted roughly into US dollars.
- Pack purchases together in one bag or near the top of your luggage, especially food and alcohol.
- By car or on foot, the officer will ask what you are bringing back. List purchases, food, alcohol and gifts, and give the total. Everyone in the car should have ID ready; see border.
- By air, declare at US preclearance in Canada or on arrival in the US. CBP's Mobile Passport Control app, where available, and the airport kiosks let you answer the customs questions on screen. A family living in one household can make one joint declaration.
- Declare food, plants and animal products every time, even a sandwich or an apple.
- Pay any duty on the spot by card. Ask for a receipt.
Watch out
Undeclared items can be seized and fined, and a customs violation can cost you NEXUS or Global Entry membership, which is far more painful than any duty bill. When in doubt, declare it and let the officer decide.
What trips people up
- Forgetting that tags exclude sales tax, then being surprised by 13% to 15% at the register in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.
- Expecting a tax refund at the airport. Canada stopped refunding sales tax to visitors in 2007.
- Assuming a day trip gets $800. Under 48 hours, the allowance is $200 per person.
- Bringing back cannabis or CBD because it was legal where you bought it.
- Buying Cuban cigars or Havana Club as a gift for someone at home.
- Putting icewine or maple syrup in a carry-on bag.
- Mailing purchases home without checking the new duty and tariff costs.
- Buying sealskin or walrus-ivory pieces without knowing the US import ban.
- Not declaring food. Declared food that gets refused costs you nothing; undeclared food can cost you a fine.
Planning a trip around markets, wineries or galleries? See food, Niagara wine country and budget for costs, or use our currency and unit converters.
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