Jewelry Across Borders: A Bridge, Not a Breakup
The Zavikon Bridge is not actually "the smallest international bridge," but that’s what we were told while cruising the Saint Lawrence River, on a recently family trip. This scene is a quaint highlight on the boat tour featuring the castles of the Thousand Islands archipelago (a collection of 1,864 islands), where we were seamlessly in and out of Canadian and US waters. (The US flag is hiding behind trees on the right side of the bridge. The flag in the middle is for Hungary, representing the owner's heritage.) Some quick fact checking confirms both of the little Zavikon islands, owned by the Rickerd family, are in Canadian waters but it’s great that the family wants it to look like their footbridge connects our countries, because we need more bonding and less bickering. I LOVE what this folklore symbolizes.
Hello US customers!
Shipping changes between our countries are brewing so let's make a plan!
A lot of Canadian companies - big and small - are ending or pausing shipping to the US, but I'm not. I will continue send you "bridge" vibes, not "break up" vibes.
When I first launched My Beading Art jewelry and accessories, via Etsy back in 2007, my US customers made up a huge part of my fan base. Their orders and reviews helped my shop grow and flourish, and I remain grateful for that.
This was before Etsy imposed "localization", a function of its algorithm that prioritizes the geographic proximity between shoppers and shops, as it matches searches and item results.
As Canada is far less populated than the US, and makes up a tiny fraction of the US Etsy market, you can imagine how this was a disadvantage to Canadian shops. That's why your continued support for my unique online beaded jewelry shop and other small Canadian vendors is so significant and appreciated.
So I will keep shipping to the US, I just ask for a little patience as shipping carriers make adjustments.
The plan is for us to ship using a DDP system which means that any duties, taxes and fees that you would owe the US government, would be collected up front at the time you purchase from My Beading Art (via Etsy). This will make your online checkout and delivery simple and seamless.
The reason this is necessary is because the current US administration has ended an agreement our countries have had since 2016, called the "De minimis" exemption, which allowed US citizens to purchase and import goods from outside the US, valued at less than $800 US, without paying duties/tariffs.
I will post again in the next few weeks with some visuals of how this is going to work and how much the new fees will amount to.
For now, as all of my beaded jewelry items are one-of-a-kind, I am happy to "hold" items for you to secure them while we await more details from our shipping carriers. You are welcome to shop and check out as well, just understand that there may be shipping delays and additional fees due, until the pre-pay system changes are finalized. There are still a few days before the exemption ends, so you can continue shopping as usual for the next few days. My last shipment before a likely pause will be Wednesday, August 27th.
Thanks for your patience and support,
Hedy Huk
My Beading Art
