Many e-commerce shop owners selling from Vietnam to Canada assume that ocean freight is always the cheapest option. In practice, the story is different. Imagine you have a shipment of handicrafts or trending fashion. By sea, it spends 2 to 3 months on the water. By the time it arrives, your Canadian customers’ tastes may have changed or, worse, they may have cancelled because the wait was too long.

On top of that, Vietnam’s latest rules require people buying and selling through cross-border e-commerce to complete electronic identity verification when trading with foreign parties. This change is catching many people off guard, adding paperwork and lengthening clearance times. If you consolidate goods by sea, a problem with the electronic identity of just a few packages in a container can hold your whole shipment at the port for weeks. In this situation, switching to air freight to Canada frees up your capital and protects your shop’s reputation.

The hidden costs: is ocean freight really cheaper?

To know when to switch from sea to air, look at the total landed cost, not just the raw freight rate. Ocean freight has a low starting rate but carries a range of hidden costs:

• Storage and domestic transfer fees: When goods arrive at a Canadian port, they wait to be unloaded and declared, then a truck brings them to your warehouse before they are split up and shipped. Domestic costs in Canada are often expensive, from a few hundred to a thousand dollars or more.
• Opportunity cost of capital: If you invest 100 million VND in stock, that money is frozen for the 90 days at sea. By air, you could turn that capital over 3–4 times in the same period.
• High cancellation rates: Online shoppers in Canada are used to fast delivery. Waiting more than 3 weeks is the top reason they ask for refunds, so you lose both the goods and the two-way shipping cost.

The break-even formula for switching to air freight to Canada

To work out exactly when to change shipping methods, use this break-even calculation based on order weight and value.

1. Small parcels under 2 kg (use ePacket)

If your shop sells light products such as accessories, jewellery, phone cases or thin clothing, ocean freight is simply not viable because you can’t meet the minimum volume. The best option is ePacket.

From just $8.50 CAD per parcel, goods fly directly from Vietnam to Canada and are delivered to the recipient through Canada Post. Average transit time is just 7–12 business days. You don’t need to fill a full load or pay large storage costs.

2. Wholesale shipments of 10 kg or more

For heavier shipments, compare how efficiently your capital works. Assume your net profit margin per product is 30%.

• By sea: Cheap freight but 60 days in transit. You can only turn over your capital 6 times a year. Annual profit = Capital x 30% x 6 = 180% of capital.
• By air to Canada: From $16/kg (including all import duties and door-to-door delivery). Transit time is just 7–14 days. You can turn over your capital at least 18 times a year. Annual profit = Capital x 30% x 18 = 540% of capital.

So even though air freight costs more than ocean freight, turning over your capital three times faster brings much higher absolute profit. The break-even point is this: if your product has a life cycle under 3 months or a profit margin above 25%, you should switch to air to maximise revenue.

Prepare smoothly to avoid customs bottlenecks

To make full use of air freight’s speed (7–12 business days on average from take-off to delivery), shop owners need to handle paperwork and packing in Vietnam in advance. Delays in preparation wipe out air freight’s core advantage.

Complete electronic identity verification early

To avoid goods being held at the Vietnamese airport, sellers need to register and verify their electronic identity account on the public service portals or as instructed by the e-commerce authorities. Have a scan of your chip-based citizen ID and your household business or company details ready to provide as soon as the export declaration requires them.

Pack smart to save space

Air freight is charged on actual weight or volumetric weight (length x width x height / 5000), whichever is greater.

• Vacuum-seal clothing, stuffed toys and textiles to cut their volume as much as possible.
• Use sturdy cartons to protect your goods. Soleil Transportation offers free basic packing in standard cartons for all shipments to Canada.
• For heavy or oversized goods that need a pallet or wooden crate, contact us in advance for advice on surcharges.

Use fulfillment in Canada

If you have a steady flow of orders, the smartest option is to send one bulk shipment of 20–50 kg by air for storage in Canada, then use fulfillment in Canada from just $5 CAD per order.

The Soleil Transportation warehouse at 2446 Cawthra Road, B1U8, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5A 3K6 stores your goods, packs them to your standards and hands them straight to domestic carriers in Canada or the US (domestic rates from just $35 per parcel). This cuts delivery times to customers in Canada to just 1–3 days.

Act now to optimise your operations

Don’t let slow ocean shipments cool your customers’ interest and choke your cash flow. The new electronic identity rules may be a short-term challenge, but if you prepare carefully and choose the right shipping method, they become an opportunity to leave less professional competitors behind.

To start optimising your costs and try air freight to Canada, take these steps now:

1. List your best-selling items and calculate the average weight per order.
2. Have your personal or business electronic identity details ready for customs declarations.
3. Call +1 888-998-5199 or email your shipment details (size, weight, type of goods) to info@soleiltransportation.com. The Soleil Transportation team will calculate your break-even point in detail and set up the fastest air route for your shop.

How the two shipping methods work

To make the right financial decision, you first need to understand how each option works in practice.

Shipping individual orders from Vietnam to Canada

With this option, you only act when someone places an order. You pack the product at home or at your workshop in Vietnam, then find a carrier to ship it to Canada. For small parcels, gifts or personal items under 2 kg, you can choose ePacket from just $8.50 CAD per parcel. For heavier goods, you can use duties-included air freight from $16/kg. Average transit time from Vietnam to Canada is 7 to 14 business days. This method doesn’t require you to invest in stock up front, which reduces inventory risk.

Using a fulfillment service in Mississauga

Instead of shipping each order separately, you combine all your goods into one large shipment, pack it in standard cartons and send it for storage at the Soleil Transportation warehouse at 2446 Cawthra Road, B1U8, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5A 3K6. When an order comes in on a marketplace, the order details are sent to the system. Staff at the Mississauga warehouse pick, pack and label the item for domestic delivery to the customer. This fulfillment service costs from just $5 CAD per order.

A detailed cost comparison

To make it concrete, let’s run the numbers for a typical fashion accessories shop with 100 orders a month, each weighing about 500 g.

When you add up the direct and indirect costs, shipping each order individually seems to need no up-front stock investment, but it takes a lot of time to handle the paperwork and you risk cancellations because of slow delivery. Using the Mississauga warehouse, on the other hand, shortens delivery times, which brings more reviews and more repeat sales.

New regulations that directly affect shipping costs

Whether you ship individually or store stock, the latest import and export regulations have a big impact. Knowing them helps you avoid unexpected fines.

New rules on certificates of origin

From August 1, the authorities apply new rules on which office accepts certificate-of-origin applications. For household businesses and small companies that want tariff preferences when exporting to Canada, filing with the wrong office delays clearance at the border. If you ship 100 different orders individually, preparing and proving origin for each one is extremely complicated. If you consolidate goods into one shipment to the Mississauga fulfillment warehouse, you only need to complete the certificate-of-origin procedure once for the whole shipment.

Changes to export goods classification

On July 30, 2026, Vietnam applied new rules on classifying export goods to simplify procedures. Even though the process is shorter, shop owners who pack their own goods and don’t learn the new classification are likely to have their goods held for inspection at the Vietnamese border. Using an all-in-one service from a professional carrier means your goods are declared correctly from the start, so you avoid storage fees caused by holds.

Tighter rules on prohibited goods

A recently issued decree added many items to the list of goods banned from export and import, especially affecting dried foods, cosmetics and personal items. When shipping with Soleil Transportation, remember that drugs, cash, dangerous goods and cremated remains are completely banned on every route. Food and devices containing lithium batteries are subject to separate controls on each air route. Shipping these products individually without understanding the rules can easily lead to confiscation, destruction and the loss of all your costs.

Special notes for technology and electronics

From July 13, individuals and shop owners selling products with security features, storage devices, hardware or smart technology must declare the correct regulated code for civil cryptography products. If the code is wrong, customs will stop clearance. This hits shops that ship individually especially hard, because a single held order leads to airport storage fees and the risk of administrative fines.

Pressure from ocean freight rate spikes

Ocean freight rates are currently volatile and soaring, putting huge cost pressure on sellers. To protect cash flow and the customer experience, small shops are moving from ocean freight to consolidated high-speed air freight. With Soleil Transportation’s air rates from just $16/kg, combined with storage in Mississauga for domestic deliveries, you avoid the ocean rate storm and keep transit times from Vietnam to your customers in Canada to just 7 to 12 business days.

Which option is right for your business?

There is no single best option, only the one that fits your shop’s stage of growth.

Keep shipping orders individually (with ePacket from $8.50 CAD per parcel) when:

• Your shop is new, with fewer than 15 orders a month and no steady pattern yet.
• Your products are highly personalised, made to order for each customer, and can’t be produced in bulk for storage.
• You want to test how the Canadian market responds to a new product line before making a big investment.

Switch to fulfillment in Mississauga (from $5 CAD per order) when:

• You reach 20–30 orders a month with steady growth.
• You sell standard-sized products that are easy to pack and often bought again, such as clothing, accessories and small decorations.
• Your customers often complain about long delivery times, or you want to expand into the US market (Soleil Transportation ships within Canada and to the US from $35 per large parcel; US recipients pay any import duties).

To start optimising your shop’s operating costs, review your product list and work out the standard packed weight and size of each item. Contact us on +1 888-998-5199 or email your product details to info@soleiltransportation.com for a detailed cost breakdown to help you make the best business decision.

Fulfillment is a service that manages the entire order process for you, from storing goods in a warehouse and packing them to delivering them to your customers.

This lets sellers focus on marketing, sales and growing their brand instead of spending hours on logistics.

Benefits of using a fulfillment service

1. Save time and staff

Instead of managing your own stock, packing and shipping every day, you can let a fulfillment provider handle the whole process.

2. Faster delivery

Fulfillment centres usually run professional warehouse systems, so orders are processed quickly and reach customers in less time.

3. Efficient order management

Fulfillment services usually include an order management system, so sellers can easily track inventory, order status and delivery history.

4. Easy to scale

As your business grows and orders increase, fulfillment lets you scale up without investing in more warehouse space or staff.

Who is fulfillment for?

Fulfillment services are especially suitable for:

• Online shops
• E-commerce businesses
• Sellers on Amazon, Shopify and eBay
• Small and medium-sized exporters
• Brands expanding into international markets

With professional processing, fulfillment helps businesses optimise their supply chain and give customers a better experience.

How does the fulfillment process work?

The fulfillment process usually involves these steps:

1. Receiving stock: The business sends its goods to the fulfillment warehouse for storage.
2. Storage and inventory management: Goods are organised and managed with a professional system.
3. Order intake: When a new order comes in from your website or sales platform, the system updates automatically.
4. Packing and processing: Warehouse staff pack the goods to standard.
5. Shipping and delivery: The order is handed to a carrier for delivery to the customer.

Why is fulfillment an e-commerce trend?

As e-commerce grows, handling every order in-house becomes difficult for many businesses. Fulfillment automates and optimises the entire logistics process, making operations more efficient.

With this service, businesses can focus on product development, marketing and customer care while experts handle the warehousing.

Conclusion

Fulfillment is becoming an essential logistics solution for e-commerce businesses. With professional warehousing, order processing and shipping, it helps businesses save money, work more efficiently and expand into new markets more easily.

If you sell online and want to streamline your operations, fulfillment is the key to sustainable growth in the global e-commerce market.

If you would like more advice, don’t hesitate to contact Soleil Transportation.

• Email: info@soleiltransportation.com
• Phone: +1 888-998-5199 ext. 9