By and large, Canada’s infrastructure is such that most goods can be shipped safely, efficiently, and most importantly legally, within the country’s borders. As with all things, however, restrictions do exist.

Veteran shippers may be more familiar with these restrictions, however if you are relatively new to the shipping world, or if you are expanding your shipping strategy into unfamiliar territory, navigating the intricacies of restricted and prohibited goods can be difficult to manage alone.

The good news is that you aren’t alone! Today on the Freightcom blog we’re giving you the information you need to answer the ever-important question: “Can this be shipped?”

Restricted vs. Prohibited Items

While at face value these terms could be considered synonymous, knowing the difference between restricted and prohibited goods is vital.

Prohibited items cannot be shipped by a carrier. While many prohibited items are simply illegal under Canadian law, many carriers will prohibit items such as fine art or jewelry for liability reasons.

Restricted items will be accepted by a carrier, however each carrier will have specific guidelines that must be met in order to do so. Oftentimes these restrictions will be related to an item’s packaging, the requirement of an adult’s signature upon receipt, or pre-negotiated contracts with the carrier in regards to the restricted item.

Restricted Items Cross-Border

As we discussed in our post about cross-border pallet shipping, moving goods within a country is one thing, but moving them between countries is another entirely. Beyond the added paperwork required to ship anything cross-border or internationally, it is imperative to know whether or not what you are shipping is a restricted or prohibited item in the destination country.

Most carriers will have these items listed on their respective regional websites, and in most cases, such as with the US Customs and Border Protection website, governments will have lists of goods that cannot be imported freely.

Freightcom Eases Your Shipping Worries

No matter what your business needs to ship (within reason, of course), you can trust Freightcom to ensure that better rates and better service don’t feel like a restriction.

Our multi-mode shipping management platform partners with the leading North American freight and parcel carriers to offer discounted shipping rates, end-to-end tracking, a wide variety of shipping services, and much more, all with zero startup and monthly fees!

Contact one of our shipping experts Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm EST at
1-877-335-8740 or by email at sales@freightcom.com and let Freightcom help keep your shipping strategy on track!

[1] https://www.history.com/news/mailing-children-post-office