Updated 2:56 PM EST, November 25th, 2025
US orders are still on hold, but ALL other orders are now shipping!
Our customs consultant approved the certificate for our US orders, but has to send it to the department that will be using it. unfortunately, she said it can take a day or two for them to comment or apply it to our account. I am sorry, we didn’t know there was this extra step on Monday.
We are going to keep making labels, but we really don’t want these orders picked up until these approved certificates are on file with our account. This USMCA paperwork and certificates are so that IF US customs tries to apply any tariffs, we can dispute without any worries. Without them, we would have to add an additional 35% US Government tax, plus a 5% courier service fee to pay that tax, for each US order. Keep in mind, this is on top of any local and state sales taxes. In some cases, this would mean a 50% tax on your purchase.
I hope you understand why we are being so cautious and why we are insisting on this validation. Fortunately, Canada already had their Thanksgiving holiday, so we are still hoping to have them picked up before the end of the week.
-November 23th, 2025
Boxes and Ready to Fly! This stack plus a few more will go as soon as FedEx confirms my new certificate is good. Hopefully tomorrow. We need to box the rest of the orders but it should all be done this week.
Our hope is to be fully caught up by Dec. 1st.
-November 19th, 2025
It looks like there's a glimmer of hope at the end of this dark tunnel. On Monday, I learned that all FedEx test shipments have been delivered, and initial reports indicate they cleared customs without unexpected fees. This was the good news we hoped for. We are now fully integrating FedEx into our platform to resume our regular shipping routine this week.
We started shipped a batch of our oldest orders on Monday and Tuesday, but after a meeting with our FedEx representative today, it seems there was a minor paperwork error. This will likely result in us paying the full 35% tariff on these packages. The mistake was simply that my name was on the documentation instead of my Canadian producers. Fortunately, we identified this before processing too many of the 350-package backlog and some we only made labels for and have not handed them off to FedEx.
This will result in some of you who just got a tracking number receiving messages that your shipping labels are being canceled. Don't worry; you will get new labels once we update the documentation. Although this setback prolongs delays, progress is being made. We are also reviewing our test set to check if this any other errors that might cause additional charges or possibly causing further delays.
Once everything is in order, we will restart shipping, focusing on our oldest US orders. I expect shipping delays to continue for a few weeks as we get back on track. The good news is that the delivered orders have already arrived quickly.
European orders are also improving. There are still minor issues with some international orders (EU and UK) related to VAT documentation, which should be resolved in a few weeks. I'm setting up accounts for these taxes, but the process hasn’t been quick. Some orders now have taxes prepaid at checkout; others do not. I am working to ensure all taxes are prepaid, but it will take a little more time to complete the setup.
-November 4th, 2025
Due to ongoing brokerage issues with UPS, we are transitioning to FedEx. Since my last update, we found a way to self-clear packages using an independent customs broker, avoiding UPS's problem. This involved hiring a broker to handle import taxes and using a small freight company to transport packages across the border to a UPS facility. However, on Monday, UPS prevented us from creating a joint Canadian/US account, which was essential for this plan. To maintain our rates, we need to ship a minimum number of orders weekly, which is possible if all shipments—domestic and international—are under the same account.
This was the final straw for us. We now need to start over with a new company. This is not ideal, because it took nearly a month to reach this point with UPS. We hope we can apply what we learned last time to speed up the onboarding process with FedEx, though we are bracing for a challenging November.
We are exploring options to continue shipping with Canadian Post and UPS to reduce your wait times and keep packages moving. However, we ask for your patience. Our goal is to limit your wait to three weeks. We do our best to send older packages sooner, but that’s sometimes not feasible right now.
We have already initiated the process with FedEx and plan to send a test batch of orders this week, starting with the oldest. I will update you on the timing and quantity of shipments. I will cover any extra costs associated with this new service. I appreciate your continued patience as we navigate this transition.
-October 31st, 2025
UPS shipping has been put on hold for U.S. order as they continue to bill us the 35% tariff fee. Although our UPS account rep (and other independent shipping professionals) assures us that these fees are unjustly applied and a clerical mistake on their part, they continue to arrive every other day. We are instructed to dispute these charges, and we have; however, the response we receive indicates that resolving these disputed charges will take 6-9 months. If everything checks out as we expect, these invoices will be revoked. If not, we will be responsible for paying them.
My production partner and I agree, this feels like we're putting our heads into a very big trap. Within even six months, a significant amount of expense would accumulate. In my experience with large corporations like this, I can imagine they could easily find some small mistake we made or exploit some loophole to ensure we end up paying all or part of these extra charges.
Don't get me wrong, if I am obligated to pay these tariffs, I will. My issue comes when they set these terms and then give me some legal excuse months later for why they have to break their agreement. Otherwise known as a bait-and-switch.
You may not realize, but I only make around 20-25% profit on each order. There is no way for me to absorb a 35% fee without passing it on to you. This started as a hobby that turned into a business, and that’s my fault. However, having six months of accumulated tariffs would put me on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars. This would, without doubt, end my business.
Shipments going to countries outside the US are seeing marked improvements. We have entered into an agreement with a European company to obtain an IOSS number, which will soon allow us to prepay import taxes and ensure delivery without extra costs. We have even filed the paperwork to extend this service to the UK; however, we have been told this will take several months to complete.
-October 12th, 2025
We are making significant progress in getting our shipping back up and running. After our test orders were delivered successfully (without any extra cost charged to the customers), we are moving forward with UPS. However, we are still waiting for the final prices, so our currently high "Temporary Rate" will stay in effect a little longer. We will start shipping our backlog of orders this week, beginning with the oldest ones.
There are still some backend issues connecting our store to UPS, which is limiting us to manually processing shipping labels. We are currently working to fix that issue and hope to have something up and running as quickly as possible. Until we do, the shipping will be slower and more laborious than we want. However, it will be resumed.
Canada Post Strike: If you currently have a Canadian Post tracking number for your order, jump over to this page for more information.
-October 1st, 2025
UPS Status:
The rates provided by UPS were not presented as a rate card, as one might expect. We had to purchase a few labels to find out what they would charge, and the rates we found were shocking.
Not only did they not match what they promised, but they were also much higher than our initial test results. To clarify, the base shipping rates were generally what we expected, but the brokerage fees—which they promised would only be $4 per package—are showing $20 per shipments into the US. In our initial test, this fee was $14, but they assured us it was a system error and would be fixed before we started shipping this week.
After reaching out again, they assured us we can challenge these fees and get a refund, but at this point, don't know what to believe. Still, we sent five of our backlogged orders (Orders #41275, #41282, #41284, #41285, and #41286) as another test to verify the system works and no extra fees are charged. We expect these to be delivered by early next week, and we should get answers about the brokerage fees. Until then, we have to work with these rates to ship our products, which are being implemented now. I hope to improve these rates in the coming weeks or months.
Canada Post Strike:
As of now, the strike continues. Any orders currently in their system are secure and will be delivered once the strike ends.
Given the rates we're seeing from UPS, we haven't ruled out returning to this provider after the strike. Even if they raise their rates, there’s a good chance they’ll still be cheaper. However, some of the extra delivery protections UPS provides might make those additional costs worth it. We’ll find out over time.
Conclusion:
I know I keep repeating this, but thank you for your ongoing patience and cooperation. The many emails and messages I've received have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. However, I understand your frustration and patience are wearing thin; as are mine.
If you ordered over a week ago, it has been printed, packaged, and is just waiting for a shipping label. This part has proven to be the most difficult.
Please know we are doing everything we can and have been working on resolving this issue every day for over a month. We’ve explored every option and consulted every "expert' we could find. Every bit of information we get is contradictory, and it's clear that no one knows for certain what’s going on. What I can promise is that we will keep working to get your orders to you as quickly as possible.
-September 26th, 2025
Until we have UPS fully implemented into our system the added expense of the shipping will be covered by myself and my production partner. This investment is not a small one so I would greatly appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigate this latest setback.
-September 13th, 2025
We are still encountering some issues trying to ship our products into the US. With the new tariff rules now in effect, we are still getting conflicting information from our shipping companies and customs officials. The instructions we receive earlier this month are proving to be questionable at best. It looks like we may end up being charged Trump's 35% tariff for how we have things set up now. However, there’s a chance these extra fees could be passed on to our US customers or just cause those packages to be held at the border until officials figure out what to do with it. Whatever the case, it’s clearly not the best solution for any of us.
We are exploring an alternative method to switch all our shipping to UPS to ensure your order is delivered successfully across the border without extra fees. However, I have heard these promises before, so I am running a few test orders to see if it works before fully implementing these changes. These changes, once made, would be significant on the backend of the site and could disrupt everything I’ve just fixed. So, I am being cautious to prevent shutting us down again.
While we run these tests, we are holding most of our US orders to avoid those unexpected fees mentioned above. Sadly, this will cause longer delays in shipping your order within our normal schedule. If these tests succeed, it should only add about a week to your wait. Orders heading outside the US might experience minor delays, mostly due to our logistics and planning. All held US orders are being printed, packaged and will be ready to go the moment our system proves successful.
Once these test shipments are delivered successfully and all final charges are cleared, I will work quickly to implement this new system so we can return to normal operations. This new UPS setup should also allow pre-payment of other international sales and VAT taxes, which I believe will be good news for my European customers.
However, if we adopt this system, it will require us to increase our shipping costs significantly. This increase is due to brokerage fees needed to process the reduced tariff fees negotiated under the USMCA. These fees will be less than the 35% tariff and should disappear once Trump ends the National Emergency declaration at the Canadian border, which is the reason for this high tariff rate in the first place.
I’m very sorry for the inconvenience and all the uncertainty surrounding your orders. Please know that we are just as frustrated that we can’t get clear guidance or straightforward answers. Honestly, I believe no one truly knows what's happening or how things are supposed to work. I want to follow these new rules and keep doing business, but this environment is making that harder and harder.
-August 30th, 2025
We have found an app to add to the store that promises compliance and tariff payment support, but as you can imagine, it comes with a steep price tag above the cost of the tariffs themselves. We have verified that our products are subject to the 5.6% rate established in the CUSMA signed in March. However, the executive order signed in August ignores that agreement and insists on replacing it with a 35% tariff. We are informed that we can file paperwork to regain our initial rate, but this process may take a few weeks.
Setting up this new app and establishing all the accounts is expected to take several days to weeks to complete. Please be patient as this process plays out.
I cannot process any US orders during this time, nor can I disable the ability for you to do so. If you are a US customer and place an order during this time, please know that I will have to cancel and refund your order. I have had to do this several times already, so please hold off until you see messaging that says that we are set up and ready to go.
If you are a US customer who had already placed an order before this all went down, your order is in one of two locations. If it is in the postal system, we are told that it will reach you, but it may take some time. Otherwise, we are working on a way for me to cover the cost of these new tariffs and get them shipped out to you manually. We are still working on those details, so please be patient again.
If you are a customer from a country other than the United States, please disregard this information. It's business as usual. Your order will be printed and shipped out as usual.
-August 28th, 2025
An executive order signed last month eliminates a widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less. Starting today that has ended. This is nearly two years earlier than the deadline set in the tax cuts and spending bill approved by Congress, so the system is unprepared. There will be significantly impact to all our U.S. Customers.
We now have to provide proof of the Tariff payment before we can purchase a shipping label for USA. However, there isn't a official way for us to pay yet, nor do we know if our parts are subject to a 5% or 35% Tariff. There is also a possibility that we are exempt, but we can't get an official answer. Canadian postal operators are working with us to calculate, collect, and remit these once we know who to pay and how much it will be.
Until this is resolved, our US postal operators is at a stand-still.
- If you are a US customer and you are thinking about making an order I would wait until we get on top of this.
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If you are a US customer that has already placed an order, expect a delay or if it has already shipped it may be shipped back to us. Your patience will be greatly appreciated as we wait for answers.
This issue does NOT affect orders going to any location outside the USA.
More information coming soon.
-April 23, 2025
After checking on an order heading to Minnesota for a customer who has been waiting for over a month, I discovered that it was held up at the Chicago International Distribution Center for three weeks. Although it cleared customs in two days, it remained in that facility from March 30th to April 18th. This delay coincided with the Liberation Day announcement and the resulting fallout. While I'm not sure if there was a connection, it does help to explain the three-week delay for an order stuck in international trade limbo.
I'm uncertain how many other orders may have faced this issue, but if you have been waiting more than two weeks after receiving your tracking number, please let me know. Unfortunately, once we hand them over to the shipping service, there isn't much we can do, but I can keep track of this situation and share updates.
To stay informed about your order's progress, please make sure to sign up for email or text notifications directly through the Postal Service.
-March 25, 2025
I can now report that some of our packages traveling through the US customs on their way to other parts of the world are being detained as well. One order on it's way to France has held for 10 days in Chicago. The Postal Service could not explain why they are being held, or in their words "delayed", but I must warn everyone that our normal shipping time-frames are unreliable.
We will be looking for other ways around the US for international packages but at the moment, we have limited options. Please expect delays.
-March 18, 2025
As of today, no one has reported any extra fee for US customers. However, I've noticed that the packages are being held in customs longer than usual when crossing into the US. I have seen some orders are being held for nearly a week. Please allow a few extra days to our usual shipping times.
If you live in the USA, I highly recommend using the USPS website to track your package once it crosses the border. You can use the same tracking number from the Canadian Postal Service. I've noticed you will get some more detailed information and sign up for alerts and messages.
-February 27, 2025
Just so you know, all of our 3D-printed items are produced in Canada. They are then shipped through the Canadian Postal Service to your country's Postal Service after they clear customs.
At this moment, it's unclear exactly how Trump's tariffs will be enforced. Still, after the tariffs are officially implemented, U.S. customers may need to pay an additional customs fee to receive their packages. This may require a trip to the Post Office. We highly recommend that once your package is inside the country, you switch to USPS to track your order and sign up for delivery alerts. Use the same tracking number issued by Canada Post. If your number isn't found in the USPS, the package isn't officially in the country yet. This may be because it's being held up in customs.
We believe that the dollar value of most orders will likely fall below the threshold that triggers these tariffs. However, we can't be sure yet.
We promise to continue monitoring the situation as it develops and provide updated information as we learn more. These tariffs are currently scheduled to be implemented on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025.