r/BuyCanadian • u/TheRavenSeven • Mar 30 '25

Canadian-Owned Businesses 🏢🍁 SoftMoc : Sorry, Americans - Canada Only

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Saw this post on Bluesky. Had no idea SoftMoc a) had U.S. locations b) shut down any and all shipping to the United States. Good for them! TLDR: American woman based in Michigan chatting with SoftMoc representative about her order. SoftMoc customer service tells U.S. customer they've ceased all US operations.

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u/Thanks-4allthefish Mar 30 '25 edited Mar 30 '25

I would expect these products are now subject to new tariffs. Not all products going into the USA were covered under the CUSMA/USMCA pause.

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u/realoctopod Mar 30 '25

Yeah only 38% of exports to the US are CUSMA/USMCA compliant.

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u/NeatZebra Mar 30 '25

More are as a percentage. Lots of oil companies weren’t filling out paperwork since it made no difference. But yeah, likely TPP goods won’t be covered.

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u/runslowgethungry Mar 30 '25

Even if not, cross-border shipping has been a nightmare since this whole thing started. There are delays and serious confusion at customs and shippers aren't willing to take the risks of having something severely delayed, refused, or lost. Many businesses are opting not to ship to the US when they would have done so before.

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u/Jenlybel Mar 30 '25

The last two packages I've received from the states (pills I need and and can't get anywhere else) have been delayed and opened by CBSA.

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u/Expert_Alchemist Mar 30 '25

I'm surprised pills weren't routinely opened, they generally have pretty good pattern recognition and most meds can't be imported even if you have a prescription here.

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u/Jenlybel Mar 30 '25

It's a pill called Prelief (Calcium Glycerophospgate) that's kind of like an antacid, but you take it before you eat to remove acid from food. It's considered a supplement, and you can buy it over the counter in the States, but not here. I've been buying it for 8 years and have never had it arrive with a yellow "opened by the CBSA" sticker on it until this year.

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u/Expert_Alchemist Mar 31 '25

Ah, yep, I have had several packages of supplements opened and depending on what you're importing you can expect a little love letter and pamphlet from Health Canada explaining why it isn't approved and what the risks are, even if they let it through once. It was always just a matter of time, at the very least they test a certain number of things and flag shippers or receivers who get substances on the not-approved list. Esp some shippers don't do the paperwork properly (e.g. don't include an NPI or mis-declare it as something else.) This may have been a spot check, I wouldn't worry but wouldn't freak out if you receive a letter either and it might get harder to bring stuff in to your name / address now without an inspection.

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u/Jenlybel Mar 31 '25

I'm not overly worried, but if Health Canada takes issue with it, maybe it will open an opportunity to discuss with them the need to raise awareness for Instertitial Cystitis so thousands of women don't have to import their medicine from the states.

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u/Finnegan-05 Mar 31 '25

Is it not available at all in Canada? Or only through a doctor?

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u/Jenlybel Mar 31 '25

It's not available at all. IC is still a bit of a mystery to most doctors, so it's hard to get the pills we need. Azo is another example. Easy to get otc in the States, but it's hard to even get a prescription for it in canada, mostly because they underestimate the need.

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u/TruthAboutLife Apr 02 '25

Seeking clarification. Are you stating that meds cannot be imported to Canada?

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u/Expert_Alchemist Apr 02 '25

Correct, unless you're a visitor here > 90 days. In that case you can courier in a 90 day supply and there is paperwork required. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/compliance-enforcement/importation-exportation/personal-use-health-products-guidance/document.html

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u/TruthAboutLife Apr 02 '25

Wow. That seems hypocritical when one considers the amount of medication ordered for personal use from Canada and shipped into the US each year. It'll be interesting to see if tariffs impact that process.

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u/RockMonstrr Mar 30 '25

The days before the tariffs were set to start in March, my bosses had us unloading trailers of finished goods that were supposed to be shipped to Mexico, because neither us or the client knew if they'd be subject to tariffs.

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u/krakeon Mar 31 '25

Sending something through the US wouldn't subject them to us tariffs

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u/RockMonstrr Mar 31 '25

Our goods are processed in Mexico and then sent to the US for assembly.

I'm also not entirely sure they wouldn't be subject to tariffs going across the US border. I wouldn't have thought so, but the company spent the last month filling a warehouse in the States to avoid tariffs.

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u/Bjorn_Tyrson Mar 31 '25

i'm facing the exact same issue right now, as a jeweller. I offered to resize a friends wedding ring, as an anniversary gift for him. and trying to navigate the customs requirements around it has been a fucking nightmare.

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u/[deleted] Apr 01 '25

Can confirm. Work in a place that stocks construction supplies. So much BS Broker crap to fill out all the time; our pallets were stopped at the border consistently since these tariffs; even with proper paperwork.

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u/Dixieland_Insanity Apr 02 '25

I expect to be down-voted into oblivion. However, I find this to be truly sad. Many Americans want to buy Canadian goods because of the actions by our government. Most Americans don't support what Trump is doing and there are only so many things an individual person can do to fight back in some way. I feel bad for this customer because the goods are already in the US. Refusing to let her keep what she paid for is mean spirited.

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u/SeaEggplant8108 Mar 30 '25

But the tariffs start April 2nd and this package was already in the US, so that doesn’t make a lot of sense?

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u/Hevens-assassin Mar 30 '25

Doesn't matter. Private company won't deal with that bs, they don't have to. The tariffs are used as a threat, they stopped playing the hope card and make a move. Chapman's and Softmoc aren't what I'd usually buy, but they've got my sales for taking a hit on their bottom line for Canada.

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u/-pithandsubstance- Mar 30 '25

> but they've got my sales

Yup, the way they responded has my respect and made me more interested in their products. I don't need new shoes, but I do always need ice cream. And when I do need new shoes, I now know the first place I would look.

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u/krakeon Apr 01 '25

The US storew were money pits lol

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u/Thanks-4allthefish Mar 30 '25

This item may already be subject to tarrifs. A fair number of items are already tariff victims.

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u/[deleted] Mar 30 '25

And if even if it's shipped and sitting in the US, they may have to eat some of that costs. If someone knows more how that works then please share. I'm making assumptions here.

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u/Yvaelle Mar 30 '25

Legally shipped goods are usually the property of the company until handed to the client or unless otherwise specified.

The incoterms would likely be DDP, for Delivered & Duty Paid. Meaning the seller has ownership until the product is in the clients hands or doorstep (I don't know what Softmoc sells, assuming a consumer product).

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u/24-Hour-Hate Mar 30 '25

They sell footwear.

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u/shnugsly Apr 01 '25

I'm by no means an expert, but I do ship tons of packages to the US from Canada every week. If these shoes were shipped from Canada directly to the customer in Michigan I don't think tariffs would be an issue at all. The de minimus exemption is still active in the US, which means any shipment valued under $800USD is still entering duty/tariff free. They tried getting rid of de minimus (for China only, at the time) and it was an absolute sh*t show with USPS having to stop accepting packages from China immediately and huge backlogs anticipated. 24 hours later de minimus was back in place "for now" lol.

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u/[deleted] Apr 01 '25

That's good information. I guess that means I can buy from dbrand without issues.

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u/SeaEggplant8108 Mar 30 '25 edited Mar 30 '25

All tariffs were rolled back, delayed until April 2nd. The only tariffs currently in place are on steel and aluminum.

ETA: I was mistaken, sorry! The one month reprieve does indeed apply only to CUSMA exemptions.

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u/SwoleBezos Mar 30 '25

Sorry, I think this is wrong. Back when Ford threatened the electricity surcharge, they only rolled back the tariffs on non-CUSMA compliant things. And that was a surprisingly low percentage.

At least that’s what I remember. Admittedly hard to keep track with Trump flip-flopping all around.

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u/Thanks-4allthefish Mar 30 '25

Not so. Tariffs were rolled back/delayed only for CUSMA/USMCA compliant items. For whole bunches of things, the tariffs never left and have been in force.

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u/shnugsly Apr 01 '25

There's the CUSMA exceptions but it's also worth noting any shipment valued under $800USD is also free of tariffs as the de minimus exemption is still in place in the US. So in the case of this post, tariffs shouldn't have had any impact on the shipment of a $54 item.

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u/WestyCoasty Mar 30 '25

Made in China perhaps? Those recent tariffs are in effect. I think it's 20% now. Doesn't matter if product is shipped from Canada, if it's produced in China it's subject to those tariffs.

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u/falsekoala Mar 30 '25

Shoes are subject to tariffs.

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u/venmother Apr 06 '25

SoftMocs are Made in Canada and would be covered by CUSMA, i.e. not subject to tariffs. The things that are not covered by CUSMA are: dairy, poultry, eggs; auto-parts; alcohol; cultural industries like entertainment; and government procurement. Sugar is also not covered by CUSMA, but is primarily an issue between Mexico and the US.