Parcel forwarding from France to Québec: prices, delays, customs
Québec has a luck few places have: its residents read French sites in the original. What they lack is a way to get delivered. Here's how the price is built, what brings it down — and what Canadian customs, GST and QST included, collects on arrival.
A Quebecer opening French Vinted, Leboncoin or a French brand's site has no language barrier. They understand the listings, can write to the seller, know what they're buying. The barrier is elsewhere: most of those sites don't deliver to Canada, and those that do often charge a premium, when they don't decline the card.
This guide explains where the price of a shipment comes from, how to bring it down, and what awaits you on arrival. The exact price of your own parcel is calculated live on our estimator, from its weight and size.
Prefer to read this in French? There's a French-language version written for Québec.
Two ways to get a parcel to you
You order yourself. On French sites that accept your card, you enter your FrenchShopper address at checkout. To the shop you're a French customer; the parcel lands at our warehouse, we receive it, and we forward it to you. The address is free and comes with your account.
We buy for you. On Vinted, Leboncoin, and any seller who only ships within France or rejects a Canadian card, you send us the link: we check it, quote it, and once you've paid, we buy with our own French account and card. The details are here.
Either way, your items wait for free for 45 days in our warehouse so you can gather several — and everything leaves in one box, with one shipping charge.
How the shipping price is built
Our price covers transport, packaging and insurance, and it depends on two things: the weight of the box and its size. Carriers charge on whichever is higher, actual or volumetric weight — a big half-empty box is billed as if it were full. For every shipment to Québec, you see all the available offers, with their price and delivery time, before you pay.
The rule that matters: the price rises far more slowly than the weight. A lone 1 kg parcel is the worst ratio between what you get and what you pay; several orders in one box is the best. Estimate your parcel from its real weight, before you order anything.
The delivery times we see
On our measurements to Montréal, the cheapest offer (FedEx Economy) shows delivery eight days after handover to the carrier; the Chronopost options, a little dearer, show six. Those times include customs clearance on arrival. The exact time for each offer is displayed before you pay — you trade price against speed with the numbers in front of you.
What Canadian customs collects, GST and QST included
This is the part nobody likes to bring up, and the part we'd rather tell you before than after.
A parcel from France is an import. Above a low value threshold, the Canada Border Services Agency assesses duties and the sales taxes — the GST, and the QST for Québec — calculated on the declared value of the items. The carrier pays those on your behalf, collects them at delivery, and usually adds a handling fee of its own. The threshold and the rates change: check with the CBSA before a large order.
What we do, and what we don't
- We declare the real value of your items, as it appears on your invoices. It's the law, and it's what protects you: our insurance covers the declared value.
- We never under-declare, even on request. An under-declared parcel can be held, taxed on an estimated value, or seized.
- Duties, taxes and handling fees are never in our price: they depend on Canada, not on us, and can only be known on arrival.
Why Québec is made for this service
Our price is a shipping price, not a subscription: there's nothing to pay until you ship, and nothing recurring. Receiving is free, storage is free for 45 days. What you pay is the box that leaves — and the fuller it is, the less each item costs you.
Add the buying service for everything you can't order yourself, and the advantage of reading French: a Quebecer can hunt on French Vinted exactly like a Parisian. All that was missing was an address on the other side — and someone to press "Buy".
Frequently asked questions
Are Canadian duties, GST and QST included in your price?
No — they can't be. They're assessed by Canadian customs on arrival, on the declared value, and collected by the carrier at delivery. Our price covers transport, packaging and insurance, never your country's taxes.
Does French Vinted deliver to Québec?
No. Vinted has no Canadian version, and French sellers almost all restrict their listings to France. It's the typical case where we buy for you, then ship to you.
How long does a parcel from France to Québec take?
On our measurements, between six and eight business days from handover to the carrier to delivery, depending on the offer — customs clearance included. The exact time is shown with each offer before you pay.
Can I have an item I already ordered on a French site delivered?
Yes, it's even the simplest: you enter your FrenchShopper address when ordering, the site delivers to us, and we forward it to you. The address is free and instant when you create your account.
