North Shore Linens may be able to arrange shipping to the United States, but all U.S. orders must be quoted and processed manually.
Cross-border shipments may be subject to duties, tariffs, taxes, customs charges, brokerage fees, carrier fees, government fees, processing fees, and possibly a fee for having too many fees.
These costs vary depending on the product, order value, country of manufacture, destination, courier, and whichever customs regulation has wandered into the room that week.
For this reason, automatic U.S. checkout is not currently available on our website.
Guaranteed Customs Rates Only
At this time, North Shore Linens will process U.S. shipments only using a guaranteed customs rate.
Some couriers offer a less expensive estimated option. The word estimated, however, is doing an alarming amount of work.
Our freight provider has advised us that additional customs charges may be issued up to eight months after an order has already been delivered.
Eight months.
Long enough to receive the parcel, use the bedding, wash it repeatedly, recommend it to a friend, forget where you bought it—and then receive a surprise invoice from customs like an unwanted sequel. At Christmas, no less.
We do not believe that is fair to customers.
The estimated rate may appear more affordable upfront, but neither the customer nor North Shore Linens can reliably predict whether further charges will be applied later—or how large those charges might be.
A customer could purchase a wool overlay for $289.98 CAD, happily sleep on it for several months, and then receive a customs adjustment large enough to make them wonder whether the overlay was secretly woven from the fleece of a royal moon sheep.
If you prefer, we could simply charge you $2,289.98 for the wool overlay at the beginning and save everyone the suspense.
We will not be doing that.
Instead, we use the guaranteed customs rate so you know the expected cost before deciding whether to proceed.
For example, as of July 28, 2026, the guaranteed shipping and customs rate quoted for a $289.98 CAD Wool Mattress Overlay travelling to Chicago was $160.21 CAD—only $35.84 more than the estimated-rate option.
It costs more upfront, but that additional amount buys certainty and is intended to prevent surprise customs charges after the shipment has already been delivered.
No mystery invoice. No eight-month plot twist. No bedding-related financial jump scare.
And we understand the obvious question: why not let the customer choose?
Because we know what you’ll choose.
You’ll see that the estimated rate saves $35.84 upfront and think, “Well, surely customs won’t come back months later demanding hundreds more.”
Guys. We know you better than you know yourselves.
Would you gamble $35.84 against the possibility of a much larger bill appearing up to eight months later?
Perhaps you would. Perhaps you would win.
But let’s say you choose the estimated rate and lose.
You will not remember this webpage. You will not remember that we warned you. You will look at the surprise customs invoice, look at your wool overlay, and decide that North Shore Linens has somehow ruined Christmas.
You will hate us.
You may even leave a review saying that the $289.98 wool overlay somehow cost you $2,289.98, despite the fact that we specifically recommended the guaranteed option.
So, regrettably, we have removed the choice.
We are sorry.
We have become VIKI from I, Robot, protecting you from your own entirely predictable decision-making.
It is for the greater good.
The greater good.
What the Guaranteed Quote May Include
Your quotation may include:
- Product cost
- Shipping
- Duties and taxes
- Customs processing fees
- Carrier fees
- Government-related charges
- The courier’s guarantee fee
- Any other charge customs has given a respectable-sounding name
All costs included in the quote will be explained before payment is processed.
Unless otherwise stated, all North Shore Linens prices and quotations are in Canadian dollars.
Requesting a U.S. Shipping Quote
Please contact us with:
- The product, size, and quantity you would like
- Your complete U.S. shipping address
- Your ZIP code
We will obtain a guaranteed shipping and customs quote before asking you to make payment.
You can then review the total calmly, stare into the middle distance for a moment, and decide whether international bedding is still the adventure you had in mind.
Why Can’t I Check Out Online?
Automatic checkout cannot reliably calculate every possible U.S. import cost.
In the past, customers understandably cancelled orders after discovering the additional duties, tariffs, and customs fees.
Unfortunately, payment-processing fees are not refunded to us when an order is cancelled. As a small Canadian business, we cannot repeatedly lose money because international customs calculations have chosen chaos.
Manual quotations allow us to explain the full expected cost before you pay.
It is less glamorous than instant checkout, but considerably more glamorous than arguing about brokerage fees six months later.
Refused Deliveries
Please review the complete quote carefully before approving the order.
If a shipment is refused or returned, any costs charged to North Shore Linens may be deducted from the refund, including:
- Original shipping
- Return shipping
- Duties and tariffs
- Customs processing fees
- Brokerage or carrier fees
- Government charges
- Non-refundable payment-processing fees
- Any other expense incurred while the parcel enjoys an unnecessary round trip across the continent
We do not recommend refusing a parcel because the fees feel unpleasant upon arrival. The entire purpose of the guaranteed quote is to make the unpleasantness visible beforehand, where it can be examined under good lighting.
Will Every Product Cost the Same to Import?
No.
Import costs can vary depending on:
- The materials used
- The product category
- The country of manufacture
- The order value
- Parcel dimensions and weight
- Destination
- Courier
- Current tariffs and customs rules
- The general mood of international trade
Two products with the same retail price may receive very different import quotes.
A pillow and a duvet may both be bedding, but customs does not recognise the sacred unity of the linen cupboard.
Why We Use This Policy
We understand that a guaranteed rate may appear less attractive than a lower estimated rate.
However, we would rather give you the most complete expected cost upfront than offer a tempting figure that may turn into an expensive surprise months later.
We also do not want to place customers in a position where they reasonably chose the cheaper option, were later hit with an unpredictable customs bill, and understandably associated that experience with North Shore Linens.
We cannot control customs policy, but we can control which shipping options we are willing to offer.
So, for now: guaranteed rates only.
It is not the cheapest-looking option.
It is simply the option least likely to return from the dead eight months later carrying an invoice.