Yes — usually. A figurine shipped to Canada from overseas (Hong Kong, China, even a US warehouse) can trigger customs duty, GST, QST and a courier brokerage fee once its value passes Canada’s de minimis threshold — as low as CAD $20 for non-US shipments. Buying from a Quebec maker means zero customs, full stop.
Do you actually pay customs on a figurine shipped to Canada?
If the figurine ships from abroad and its declared value is above Canada’s remission threshold, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) can assess customs duty plus sales tax before it’s released. A courier then often adds its own brokerage charge to collect those amounts. So the sticker price you saw online is rarely what lands at your door.
Three things decide whether you pay: where it ships from, where it was actually made, and how much it’s worth. Mail versus courier matters too — the thresholds aren’t the same.
What are Canada’s de minimis thresholds in 2026?
“De minimis” is the value below which CBSA waives duty and tax. Under CUSMA, Canada keeps two different limits for courier shipments — and a much lower limit for everything else.
| Shipped from | Tax-free up to | Duty-free up to |
|---|---|---|
| US or Mexico (courier) | CAD $40 | CAD $150 |
| Any other country (courier) | CAD $20 | CAD $20 |
| Postal mail (any country) | CAD $20 | CAD $20 |
So a CAD $35 figurine couriered from a US address can arrive clean. The same figurine sent from Hong Kong — or by regular mail — is over the $20 line and is fair game for duty and tax. Alcohol and tobacco never qualify for these thresholds, regardless of value.
How much duty does a figurine attract?
It depends on how CBSA classifies it. A figurine declared as a toy can land at 0% under the Most-Favoured-Nation tariff, while an ornamental plastic statuette is commonly rated around 6.5%. Resin, metal and “collectible” classifications fall somewhere in between, roughly 0% to 6.5%. You don’t get to pick the code — the broker does.
The real cost math: a $120 overseas figurine
Here’s a realistic landed-cost breakdown for a CAD $120 resin figurine couriered from overseas to a Quebec address, classified at the common 6.5% statuette rate:
That’s roughly $49 in add-ons — a $120 figurine lands closer to $169, before any currency-conversion markup. CBSA calculates GST on the duty-paid value, and in Quebec the 9.975% QST stacks on top.
- Figurine value 71%
- Duty + taxes + brokerage 29%
What about brokerage fees — the hidden one?
This is the charge buyers forget. When a courier pre-pays your duty and tax, it bills you a disbursement fee (UPS, for example, charges 2.7% with a CAD $5.85 minimum in 2026) plus an entry-preparation fee on standard ground shipments. On a low-value figurine, the brokerage can easily cost more than the duty — and it’s collected COD at your door, in cash or card, before the box is handed over.
Why does buying from a Quebec maker mean zero customs?
A figurine printed in Canada never crosses a border, so there is no import entry, no duty, no brokerage and no COD surprise. You still pay normal Quebec sales tax (GST + QST) — exactly what you’d pay on any local purchase — but the duty, the brokerage fee and the exchange-rate markup all disappear.
3DCentral runs a 200+ printer farm in Laval, Quebec. We price in Canadian dollars, ship domestically and fast, and serve you in English and real Quebec French — not machine-translated French. Our catalogue mixes original 3DCentral designs with curated community-artist models, so you’re buying from the maker, not a reseller flipping an overseas drop-ship.
| At checkout | Overseas order | 3DCentral (Quebec) |
|---|---|---|
| Customs duty | Possible (0–6.5%) | None |
| Brokerage / COD fee | $15–$60 | None |
| Currency markup | USD/HKD conversion | Priced in CAD |
| GST + QST | Collected by CBSA | Normal local tax only |
| Delivery | Weeks + customs hold | Fast domestic |
Can you get a custom figurine without the customs headache?
Yes. Want a personalized art toy or keepsake instead of a mass overseas drop? Our dual AI engine (Tripo + Rodin) turns your concept or photo into a printable, full-colour FDM figurine — AI-assisted and human-finished from your idea — with a preview you approve before we print anything. No border, no duty, no brokerage.
Skip the customs lottery and order a keepsake that ships from Quebec: turn your photo into a custom figurine with zero customs.
Frequently asked questions
Do I pay customs on a figurine shipped from the US to Canada?
A figurine couriered from the US is tax-free under CAD $40 and duty-free under CAD $150 thanks to CUSMA, but only if it genuinely qualifies as US- or Mexico-made. A figurine made in China and merely warehoused in the US can still owe duty as a Chinese-origin good. Postal mail uses the lower $20 limit.
What is the de minimis threshold for figurines from China or Hong Kong?
For courier or postal shipments from any country other than the US or Mexico, Canada’s remission threshold is just CAD $20 for both duty and tax. Above $20, CBSA can charge customs duty plus GST and, in Quebec, QST.
How much does a customs broker charge on a figurine?
Couriers add a disbursement fee when they pre-pay your duty and tax — UPS, for example, charges 2.7% with a CAD $5.85 minimum in 2026 — plus an entry-preparation fee on standard ground shipments. On a low-value figurine the brokerage can total $15 to $60 and is usually collected COD at your door.
Do I pay tax twice in Quebec on an imported figurine?
Not twice, but Quebec stacks two taxes: CBSA assesses 5% GST plus 9.975% QST on the duty-paid value, for a combined 14.975%. You pay this on an import just as you would on a local purchase — but a local order has no duty or brokerage on top.
Can I avoid customs by marking the figurine as a gift?
Only genuine person-to-person gifts qualify, and the gift exemption caps at CAD $60 — anything above that is taxed on the excess. A figurine you bought for yourself from an online store is a commercial import, not a gift, so the exemption doesn’t apply. Buying from a Canadian maker avoids the question entirely.
How do I avoid customs charges on a figurine in Canada?
The simplest way is to buy from a Canadian maker so the figurine never crosses a border — no duty, no brokerage, no COD surprise. 3DCentral prints in Laval, Quebec, prices in CAD and ships domestically, so the only tax you pay is the normal GST and QST.
