Tariffs sink Canadian couples’ long-running e-commerce operation

Published January 8, 2026 6:41pm ET



(The Center Square) – Lana Bain and her husband had been selling antiques online for nearly 30 years when the U.S. tariffs hit. 

At first it was higher prices and confusion. And then, in August 2025, it was the end of the de minimis loophole, which had previously allowed goods valued at less than $800 to cross the border without import duties.

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