Today I’m sharing my Canadian guide to online shopping.  These days, I personally prefer online shopping to shopping in store.  Especially with having a young child at home, being able to have my picks shipped straight to my door so I can try on during nap time is literally priceless.  

However, living in Canada can sometimes complicate the online shopping experience.  It can be frustrating to purchase something online just to find out you are responsible for duty on top of your shipping costs.  Or even worse find out an outfit doesn’t fit and the cost to return the item is more than the clothing is actually worth.  Today I’m sharing my recommendations for which major online retailers are actually worth shopping when you are a Canadian and which ones are a hard pass.

Make sure to bookmark (or pin!) today’s post because I’m planning to keep it updated and add more online retailers as they are requested!  Likewise, if there is a retailer you think I need to add to this list and review, leave a comment letting me know below.  Now without further adieu, here is my guide to online shopping in Canada.

Canadian Online Shopping Guide

Anthropologie Canada Online Shopping Review: 7/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada over $150
DUTY: May have to pay duty – online items ship from both US & Canada (I personally have not had to pay duty on any of my Anthropologie purchases)
RETURNS: Free returns in store or return shipping is paid by customer.

Anthropologie does have a higher free shipping threshold than many other retailers but it’s still a great option to shop within Canada.  Customers can return items in store for free, so as long as you are near a Canadian Anthropologie location you don’t have to worry about paying extra if something you purchase doesn’t fit.

Amazon Canada Online Shopping Review: 10/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada over $35
DUTY: No duty – items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free returns for most items

The above review is specifically for items “fulfilled by Amazon” but I find almost 90% of the items I want to purchase on Amazon are available to ship directly from the Amazon warehouse.  With fast free shipping and easy returns, I use Amazon to shop for most of my household necessities.

ASOS Canada Online Shopping Review: 7/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada over $63 (but shipping is very slow)
DUTY: May have to pay duty (I’ve had to pay duty about 50% of the time on ASOS orders)
RETURNS: No free return shipping from Canada (prepaid return label costs $22)

I love the clothing at ASOS so I’m personally willing to wait a bit longer for their free but slow shipping to Canada.  If you are impatient, ASOS does also offer free shipping that is much faster to the United States.  So if you are planning a trip to the US, you can ship your items to the boarder or you could order your items to your home in Canada then use a US prepaid return label and drop it in the mail across the boarder for free.

Chicwish Canada Online Shopping Review: 4/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada
DUTY: Items ship from US but Chicwish tends to not declare the full value to Customs – You may have to pay duty, but not likely
RETURNS: No free returns – return shipping is paid for by customer

I love the clothing from Chicwish but their customer service is generally pretty terrible.  Return shipping is up to the buyer and Chicwish waits for items to be received in their warehouse before sending out exchanges.  Overall shopping with Chicwish is a risk, but if you really love their clothing it might be worth shopping.

Free People Canada Online Shopping Review: 6/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada on all orders
DUTY: Will likely have to pay duty. Option to pre-pay duty when ordering or take a chance with customs.
RETURNS: Free returns in store or return shipping is paid by customer.

While Free People has lots of unique choices, the small number of Canadian stores and expensive return options makes me hesitate when ordering from Free People online.  I personally have had to pay duty on all of my previous online orders from Free People.

H&M Canada Online Shopping Review: 10/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada over $50 (with free H&M membership)
DUTY: No duty since items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free returns (orders include a prepaid return label with free H&M membership)

Items from H&M ship quickly in Canada and returns are free!  Can’t get better than that!

Le Chateau Canada Online Shopping Review: 6/10

SHIPPING: $5 shipping over $100
DUTY: No duty since items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free returns in store for regular priced merchandise or pre-paid return label for $7.95

With no free shipping options and a confusing online return policy I recommend shopping at Le Chateau in store instead of online.

Nordstrom Canada Online Shopping Review: 4/10

SHIPPING: No free shipping to Canada
DUTY: Duty is included in the shipping cost (generally quite expensive but no surprise fees)
RETURNS: No free return shipping

While Nordstrom has an amazing selection of products in their online store, their Canadian shipping policies leave much to be desired.  With no free shipping or free returns it’s much better to shop at a local Canadian store or to ship your items to the US Border to take advantage of their free shipping and free returns in the US.

Old Navy Canada Online Shopping Review: 10/10

SHIPPING: Free Shipping over $50
DUTY: No duty since items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free returns in store, free return shipping label

Old Navy is a great choice for shopping online in Canada.  Free shipping, free returns and no duty make shopping their online store easy and risk free.

RW&CO Canada Online Shopping Review: 8/10

SHIPPING: $7.95 shipping to Canada
DUTY: No duty since items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free returns in store, or free return shipping label

Although RW&CO doesn’t offer free shipping, a guarantee of no duty and options for free shipping make larger online purchases worth it.

Sephora Canada Online Shopping Review: 10/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada over $50
DUTY: No duty since items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free returns in store, or free return shipping label

I prefer shopping at Sephora online over in store.  There are always plenty of reviews to read when deciding between items and there is a better selection of free samples online.  Free shipping and free returns make shopping at Sephora Canada a no-brainer.

Urban Outfitters Canada Online Shopping Review: 7/10

SHIPPING: Standard shipping to Canada $9.95
DUTY: May have to pay duty – online items ship from both US & Canada (I personally have not had to pay duty on any of my Urban Outfitters online purchases)
RETURNS: Free returns in store or $5 return shipping by mail

I wish Urban Outfitters offered free Canadian shipping but at $9.95 the shipping isn’t a huge barrier – especially if you are ordering several items at a time.  Overall Urban Outfitters offers fast shipping and good customer service.

Zara Canada Online Shopping Review: 10/10

SHIPPING: Free shipping to Canada over $50
DUTY: No duty since items ship from Canada
RETURNS: Free return shipping (orders include a prepaid label)

I’ve had nothing but great experiences ordering from Zara from my home address in Canada.  The shipping is quick, there is no duty and returns are a breeze!  Exchanges also ship quickly since they send out your exchange before waiting for your return to arrive.  Overall a great option for shopping online for clothing in Canada.

And there you have it!  My review of online stores that are great (or not so great) for online shopping in Canada.  While I’ve listed and reviewed stores that I personally shop at, I’d love to add even more retailers to this list.  Let me know which online shops you like to shop at or are interested in me reviewing