You need a cross-border service like this if you live within a two-hour drive to the United States
I got a crazy deal on a new mattress that would not have been possible in Canada.
Greetings from my home in Toronto. Itβs been nice to sleep in my own bed for a while, and the bed is kind of where I want to go with this.
No, not that way.
Since Iβve returned to the Toronto Maple Leafs beat back in 2021, having a place in the United States to pick up some things that arenβt readily available in Canada is crucial. If you live within 200 km of the United States, you need a service like this. From picking up mail to getting parcels, I wanted to give a shoutout to my friends at CBI USA. This is absolutely not an ad, but without them, I wouldnβt be able to do what I do.
The Deal of a Lifetime
In the summertime, I realized that I had been putting off the purchase of a new mattress for a very long time. I needed something firmer and higher quality, but I just didnβt want to drop a couple thousand on a mattress.
Back in March, I followed an account on X called βGlitched Dealsβ and got an alert that Macyβs was clearing out some mattress models. A Sealy Posturepedic mattress that had originally been sold for $2,700 was marked down to $199 USD as a discontinued item. I pulled the trigger immediately, using my CBI USA address, without even thinking about how I would get this thing to Canada.
Initially, I also thought that the order might get cancelled by Macyβs. There was no way they were going to ship this, right? But after a few weeks, I got the message from Macyβs that the mattress was ready to be booked for deliveryβonly to my US address, of course. And so, I had them bring it to CBI USA.
But how am I getting this thing to Canada? CBI USA recommended a place in Niagara Falls, Ontario that they work with called Crossborder Express, which picks up your stuff for you and directs you to the pre-clearance customs page. After paying $50 USD to CBI and $230 CAD to Crossborder Express plus duties, I had the mattress delivered to my home in Toronto for just a little over $600 CAD. I would have never been able to get a mattress of this quality this cheap in Canada. Not a chance.
Why I Keep Going Back
Over the years, Iβve used CBI USA for the delivery of all kinds of things I just canβt get shipped to Canada, from random stuff at the US Amazon store to random American Costco products (there is no Costco in Buffalo yet but one is coming soon). During the height of tariff season, a backpack I really wanted to buy from a company called Aer was selling their backpack with shipping the states for $250US, or, wait for it, $460 Canadian. It was absurd. I just picked it up in Niagara Falls and I was on my way.
Their rates for small stuff are amazing. They hold small to medium-sized parcels for $6 USD for 180 days. The staff is super friendly, and I look forward to all of my visits. When in doubt about whether I want to ship to Canada or the US from a US shipper, Iβll often go to them because I trust my stuff is safe there.
Regardless of how you feel about the United States right now from a political or trade standpoint, I spend a lot of time for work heading down there for when the team I cover plays games there, and CBI has opened up a lot of doors. I share this story to say donβt be afraid of heading down, buying things, and bringing them back to Canada. Itβs not nearly as spooky or difficult as you read online.
If you live in the Southern Ontario area like myself, a place like CBI USA is a must. But even if you are a close driving distance elsewhere across Canada, there are many equivalents.