How to sell on
Amazon Canada

Step 01

Check that your product can be sold in Canada

Some products need federal approval or notification before they can be sold in Canada, whatever the sales channel. Natural health products such as vitamins and supplements need a Health Canada product licence (an NPN, or a DIN-HM for homeopathic medicines) before they are marketed. Importers and manufacturers of cosmetics must notify Health Canada within 10 days of their first sale. The table further down lists the main category rules.

Amazon adds its own checks. Some categories and products need Amazon's approval before you can list them, and Seller Central shows this when you add a product. For natural health products, Amazon.ca staff have asked sellers for label images that show the NPN and the full bilingual ingredient list.

Step 02

Make the packaging bilingual

Under the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, prepackaged consumer products must show the product identity and the net quantity in English and French, with the net quantity generally in metric units. The dealer's name and principal place of business can appear in either language. Products made outside Canada can show a Canadian dealer preceded by "imported by / importé par", or the foreign dealer's name and address.

Quebec adds its own rules. Since 1 June 2025, any generic term or product description inside a trademark on a product must also appear in French, with a phase-out period for some products made before that date. If you print a "Made in Canada" or "Product of Canada" claim, it has to meet the Competition Bureau's tests. Both claims need the last substantial transformation to happen in Canada. "Made in Canada" also needs at least 51% of direct costs incurred in Canada and a qualifying statement such as "Made in Canada with imported parts". "Product of Canada" needs at least 98%. Food follows separate CFIA rules.

Step 03

Open or extend your seller account

Canadian brands register at sell.amazon.ca. Amazon asks for a government-issued ID, an internationally chargeable credit card, a bank account in your name or your business's name, proof of address from the last 180 days, a phone number and tax information. Identity verification is done by photo or by video call with an Amazon associate, and Amazon says it usually takes three business days or less. The account also covers Amazon.com and Amazon.com.mx.

US brands add Canada from their North America unified account. Amazon lists the Professional plan on a unified account at US$39.99 a month.

The Individual plan charges CA$1.49 per unit sold instead of a monthly fee, so the Professional plan costs less once you sell more than about 20 units a month. Sponsored Products ads are open to Professional sellers, so brands that plan to advertise need it from the start.

Step 04

Sort out GST/HST

Canadian businesses follow the small supplier rule. Once worldwide taxable supplies pass $30,000 in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, you must register within 29 days. You can register voluntarily before that, which lets you claim back the GST/HST you pay on business costs.

Non-resident sellers fall under the CRA's digital-economy rules, in force since 1 July 2021. Sellers whose goods sit in Canadian fulfilment warehouses can be required to register under the normal GST/HST regime once taxable supplies pass $30,000. When a seller is not registered, the marketplace collects and remits GST/HST on those sales. Many non-residents register anyway so they can recover the 5% GST paid at the border. The CRA generally asks non-residents without a permanent establishment in Canada for security of 50% of estimated net tax, between $5,000 and $1 million, with an exemption for smaller sellers.

Rates differ by province: 5% GST in Alberta and the territories, 13% HST in Ontario, 14% in Nova Scotia and 15% in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Quebec charge their own provincial tax on top of the 5% GST. This is general information, not tax advice.

Step 05

Choose how you will fulfil orders

The fulfilment method decides whether you need to import, how fast shoppers receive orders and what each unit costs. The comparison table below sets out the three options. Most of the Canadian brands we manage use FBA Canada. A common path for US brands is to start with Remote Fulfillment and move proven products into Canadian fulfilment centres.

Step 06

Set up importing if your stock crosses the border

If you ship inventory into Canadian fulfilment centres from outside Canada, someone has to clear customs as the importer of record, and Amazon will not take that role. The importer needs a Canada Revenue Agency Business Number with an import-export (RM) program account. Since October 2024, the CBSA's CARM portal is where importers manage duties and taxes. To have goods released before duties and taxes are paid, resident and non-resident importers must post financial security through the CARM portal.

Most sellers hire a customs broker to file entries and pay duties and the 5% GST on their behalf. Duty depends on the product's tariff classification and origin. US-origin goods that qualify under CUSMA are generally duty-free. However, Canada applied counter-tariffs of 15%, 25% and 50% to about $27.6 billion of US-origin goods from 8 September 2026. The affected sectors include steel and aluminum products, appliances, electronics, and some furniture and apparel. Check Canada's list of US products subject to counter-tariffs before you price a Canadian launch.

Step 07

List your products

Use GS1 barcodes. GS1 Canada says Amazon.ca checks GTINs against GS1 records before products go live, and because GS1 GTINs are globally unique, GTINs issued by GS1 in the US work on Amazon.ca as well. US sellers can use Build International Listings to create Canadian offers from US listings. It can sync the Canadian price to the US price and translate listings.

Price in Canadian dollars from your Canadian landed cost, not a converted US price. Include fees, freight, duties and storage. Amazon.ca can be browsed in French, so decide whether to add French titles, bullets and backend search terms for products with strong demand in Quebec.

Step 08

Enrol in Brand Registry

Brand Registry is free and opens A+ Content, Sponsored Brands, a Brand Store, Brand Analytics and Amazon's brand protection tools on Amazon.ca. It needs a trademark, and Amazon accepts some pending applications. Enrolling within six months of listing your first eligible product also qualifies new sellers for Amazon.ca's Brand Registry bonus. Our Brand Registry Canada guide covers each step, the 2026 CIPO fees and a realistic timeline.

Step 09

Send stock and start advertising

Create your first FBA shipment in Seller Central and follow Amazon's prep and labelling requirements. Once units are available, start Sponsored Products. Amazon.ca's New Seller Incentives include up to CA$1,250 in Sponsored Products credit if you create a campaign within 90 days of listing an eligible product, and the credit must be used within 30 days of launching that campaign. The advertising section below covers how to set up the Canadian account.