eBay continues to work closely with members of the U.S. and Canadian governments in an effort to improve opportunities for small businesses that use eBay to export. Currently, individual countries enact de minimis thresholds to determine the value for goods that can be imported before customs dues and paperwork are required. The current U.S. de minimis is $200 with Congress discussing a proposed increase to $800. In Canada, the de minimis threshold remains at $20 – a value established in the early 1980’s.

As one of the world’s largest online marketplaces, eBay connects millions of buyers and sellers across the globe. Over 95% of U.S. commercial sellers on eBay export and Canada is a top destination for those sales. Similarly, over 99% of eBay-enabled small Canadian businesses export and the U.S. is a top destination for their sales. The inequity between the U.S. and Canadian de minimis is a major source of friction for eBay customers in these two countries – an inequity that eBay is committed to improving.

Recently Hal Lawton, eBay Senior Vice President for North America, sent a letter to U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman regarding Canada’s de minimis threshold. In his letter, Hal urged the Ambassador to work with the new Canadian government to improve cross border trade opportunities by increasing Canada’s de minimis threshold. This remains an important issue for eBay and we will continue to push for trade fairness on behalf of eBay sellers globally.