On paper, expanding into Amazon Canada looks easy. Same platform, same listings, same Seller Central account — just a new marketplace tab. But once you start selling, you realize how different it really is. What sells smoothly in the U.S. can get stuck or vanish overnight on Amazon.ca, usually without much explanation.
At Perfality, we’ve seen this story unfold dozens of times. A brand launches in Canada with confidence, only to spend the next few weeks fighting suppressed ASINs, missing documents, or packaging issues they didn’t know existed. The problem isn’t the product — it’s preparation. Canada follows its own set of rules, and the sooner you learn them, the easier expansion becomes.
1. Get compliance sorted before you ship
Here’s the reality: Canada’s marketplace rules are tighter than many sellers expect, and Amazon enforces them to the letter. Something as small as a missing French label or an out-of-date certificate can get your listing pulled down instantly.
This isn’t Amazon being picky — it’s Canadian law. Every product that lands in the country, especially in categories like health, beauty, or electronics, must meet specific packaging and labeling standards. If you ignore those, you’ll lose time, not just sales.
So before sending inventory north, take an hour to do a proper compliance check. Confirm that your packaging, documents, and listing details meet local requirements. It’s a small step that saves weeks of unnecessary back-and-forth later.
2. Stop suppressed ASINs before they stack up
Once a listing gets flagged, others often follow — and that’s where the real trouble starts. Amazon’s system looks for patterns, so if one SKU gets hit for missing information, the variations linked to it can be next in line.
The fix is prevention, not recovery. Make sure every listing includes both English and French copy (even short translations go a long way), and double-check that your UPCs, brand names, and documentation match exactly between your U.S. and Canadian marketplaces.
Once suppression happens, it’s rarely a quick fix. Getting listings reinstated takes time, and during that downtime, your visibility and sales take a hit that most sellers can’t afford during a launch window.
3. Don’t just translate — localize
Selling to Canadians isn’t about copying and pasting your U.S. listings. Small things — tone, word choice, and even spelling — shape how your brand feels to shoppers. “Favourite” instead of “favorite,” or “colour” instead of “color,” might sound minor, but these details make your listings feel like they belong.
We’ve helped brands increase engagement by rewriting bullet points, refreshing product images, and adjusting messaging to feel more natural for Canadian buyers. It’s subtle, but it builds trust faster than discounts ever will.
4. Handle logistics like a local
Cross-border shipping is where many sellers stumble. It looks straightforward, but once you factor in customs, duties, and slower delivery times, customers start losing patience.
Most established brands eventually store part of their inventory within Canada through FBA Canada. It keeps delivery times short and maintains Prime eligibility — two things buyers care about most. Just don’t forget to register for GST/HST if you’re making consistent sales. Amazon tracks it closely, and getting it right early saves headaches down the line.
5. Build systems that catch problems early
Most of the time, sellers don’t lose money because of one big mistake. They lose it in bits — a missed compliance upload here, a delayed claim there, or a few ASINs sitting suppressed for weeks without anyone noticing.
That’s why structure matters. At Perfality, we help brands link their catalog data, compliance files, and listing alerts into one simple system. It means fewer surprises, faster resolutions, and far less time spent reacting to problems.
Final thoughts
Selling on Amazon.ca isn’t hard — it just requires a different kind of discipline. Once compliance, translation, and logistics are handled properly, the market opens up quickly. Canada rewards sellers who plan ahead, not those who fix problems after the fact.
At Perfality, we’ve helped brands turn Canadian expansion from an experiment into a steady revenue stream — not by doing more, but by doing it right from the start.
