Halloween Launch + Important US Shipping Updates

Hope everyone had a good Halloween! We wanted to touch base with everyone regarding shipping updates.

Thank you to everyone who supported our surprise Halloween launch. We’re so excited for you to get the products in your hands and see the beautiful custom packaging. The majority of shipping (not including orders with a preorder status) will be completed this coming week. So if you haven’t received a tracking yet, our team will be in touch soon. Pick Your Potion preorders are still on track to begin shipping at the end of November.

Now we’d like to address some issues we have been seeing with US shipments. We appreciate everyone who has reached out with feedback and to share their post de minimis removal shipping experience. As you know, we recently opened US shipping back up with FedEx International Connect Plus after having numerous meetings, test shipping many packages and seeing weeks of no charges. However, despite our products falling under CUSMA/USMCA qualifications, customers are coming back to us saying FedEx is trying to collect on packages that were delivered weeks prior (instead of any potential fees being fairly presented before or at the time of delivery). These are not being cited as a tariff however, it is simply being called a 35% “customs duty” fee and it is coming from the US government. 

It is hard for us to wrap our head around how a minor change in wording can completely and seemingly absolve a preexisting trade agreement of which we have followed each step to qualify. We do not believe this is happening across the board, but it’s something we are trying to find a solution to all the same. Please note that customs/duty fees may not be the same as a tariff, though a tariff is a form of duty. Having CUSMA/USMCA covered products should qualify them for “preferential duty-free treatment” since they meet the stipulations of the trade agreement. However, in practice it seems that this is being ignored or other avenues of duties are being enacted in some instances.

We have been opening disputes for those who have reached out letting us know about this issue. Our Customer Care Team is currently still making their way through emails from this past week and will get back to anyone awaiting a response early this coming week.

All of us here at Clionadh are working their hardest to make the best decisions possible for our US customers in the moment with the information at hand, but new hurdles seem to crop up as soon as we think something is settled. In light of the feedback and additional fees we are seeing, we have been working on a shipping alternative. Our goal is to have the set up for this method finished very soon and to offer this option to those with an outstanding US order.

The new shipping option is facilitated through a third-party company called Chit Chats, which connects with USPS once across the border. It is a system that other CUSMA/USMCA covered businesses have had success using and have not reported the same fee issue, however, we have not tried this firsthand ourselves. Transit time will likely be similar to what you are used to with Canada Post.

With all this said, we recognize that some of you placed orders with the anticipation of paying extra fees regardless. If you would prefer your order to be shipped promptly regardless of possible duties, please email our Customer Care team.

Please note, it is likely that the border changes from August 29th will inevitably result in some sort of additional fees since formal US entry paperwork is now required. However, our goal at Clionadh is to ensure proper charges are being applied so that our customers can make the most informed decision.

Sadly, we are not unique in this situation. Many small businesses are facing very hard and uncertain times. We are beyond thankful to everyone who still chooses to support us despite this economic turmoil. We will continue to do everything we can to make this as smooth as possible.

Thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your weekend.