The price on a product page is not always the price you pay. When an order of occasion wear reaches Canada as an international parcel, the courier can turn up with a second bill — customs duty, GST or HST, and a brokerage charge for the paperwork. It is collected at the door, it is rarely mentioned at checkout, and on a lehenga it can be the difference between a sensible purchase and a bad one.
This page sets out what Canada charges, what MishUUU charges, and how long each takes. The figures are read from the current shipping policy and from the Canada Border Services Agency, not rounded off or remembered.
The twenty-dollar line most shoppers have never heard of
Canada sets a value below which a courier shipment comes in without duty or tax. Most people assume it is generous. For anything arriving from India, it is twenty Canadian dollars.
The higher figures that get quoted online — CAD $150 before duty applies, CAD $40 before tax applies — exist, but they are specific to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and they only cover qualifying courier shipments from the United States or Mexico. CBSA states the point plainly: the commitment applies to imports from the US or Mexico, and only by courier. Order from a US website and have it shipped from somewhere else and it does not qualify either.
So a kurta set posted from Delhi and a kurta set posted from Dallas are treated differently at the border, and the gap is $130. On a CAD $165 parcel from India, the whole value is assessable. On the same parcel from the United States, none of it is.
What the bill looks like when it does arrive
Three separate things stack up, and only the first is actually the government's idea of duty:
- Customs duty on apparel, charged as a percentage of the declared value under the applicable tariff line.
- GST, or HST in Ontario, charged on the value plus the duty — so the tax is calculated on a number that already includes the duty.
- A courier brokerage or disbursement fee, which is not a government charge at all. It is what the courier bills you for clearing the shipment and fronting the money.
Rates change and tariff classification is genuinely fiddly, so the honest advice is to check the current rate against your own shipment with CBSA rather than trust a number in a blog post. The structural point does not change, though: the brokerage fee is flat-ish, which means it bites hardest on the cheapest parcels.
There is one trap worth naming. If you refuse the parcel at the door because you did not expect the bill, you have not escaped anything — you have started a return, and returns have their own rules. More on that below.
Where the stock sits, and why that is the whole answer
MishUUU holds stock in Brampton and runs a physical store on Steeles Avenue East. For a Canadian order, that means a domestic parcel rather than an import, and the border question does not arise.
For the destinations where it does arise, the published policy is duty-free shipping: in most destinations no import or customs duty should apply, and if duty or tax is charged unexpectedly, the full amount is reimbursed once you send the official paid receipt to the help address. That is a reimbursement promise rather than a guarantee that no bill will ever appear, which is a distinction worth understanding before you order — keep the receipt.
Shipping rates and delivery windows, in full
Rates are shown again at checkout and vary by destination, but the standing figures are:
- Canada — standard CAD $25.00, free above CAD $125. Express CAD $29.99 flat.
- United States — standard USD $20.00, free above USD $95. Express CAD $29.99 flat.
- International (UK, EU, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, UAE and others) — standard CAD $28.99, free above CAD $131. Express CAD $29.99 flat.
The free-shipping threshold in Canada sits at $125, which matters more than it looks. A large part of the catalogue clears it on a single piece: most of the suit sets and almost all of the lehengas are above it. Below it, in the under $99 range, you are paying $25 to have a $90 piece delivered, so a second item is often close to free.
On timing: orders are dispatched within one to two business days and always within fourteen days of confirmation. The usual delivery target is six business days from the order date. A customised piece adds four business days, making ten. Express runs three to five business days.
Ordering for Diwali on 8 November
Diwali falls on Sunday 8 November 2026. The dated delivery promise that was published for this season closed on 18 October, so from today the ordinary timelines are the ones to plan against — and they still work comfortably.
Counting business days from the third week of October, a standard six-business-day order lands in the last days of the month. A customised order at ten business days lands in the first days of November. Express compresses it to three to five. The piece that will cost you the runway is customisation, not shipping, so if you are having something made to your measurements, order it first and choose the rest afterwards. The Diwali edit and the new arrivals are the two places most people start; if you have left it later than you meant to, the last-minute guide covers what is realistic.
Wedding season runs from November through February, so the same arithmetic applies to a December reception with a month more slack. Our Diwali outfit guide covers what to actually wear once it arrives.
If something goes wrong
Every order is insured in transit until the courier marks it delivered at the address you gave. A loss before that point is the shop's, not yours. After the courier confirms delivery, responsibility transfers — so if parcel theft is a problem where you live, use a pickup point.
If an order simply never turns up, the thirty-day rule is the one to know: delivery is not guaranteed and delays alone do not trigger a refund, but an order not delivered within thirty days is refunded in full.
Two details catch people out, and both are in the return policy rather than the shipping one:
- Refusing a delivery without telling anyone first carries a 75% restocking fee, deducted from the refund. This is the expensive version of the customs-bill mistake above. If you want to turn a parcel away, contact the shop before the courier arrives, not at the door.
- Refunds are store credit, not money back. Returns are initiated within seven days of delivery, return postage is yours, and there are no direct exchanges — you return the piece and reorder. Bridal wear, sarees with stitched blouses, customised pieces, pre-draped sarees and anything bought under a Buy 1 Get 1 promotion are excluded from returns entirely.
That last exclusion list is worth reading against your shortlist before you order rather than after. A standard-size suit set is a correctable decision. A pre-draped piece from the drapes and saree rail is not. If you are unsure of size, the custom sizing guide and the size chart are better spent before checkout than after.
Or skip the parcel entirely
The Brampton store at 2575 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 9 is open 11:00 to 20:00, seven days a week. Nothing ships, nothing clears customs, and you can see the weight of an embroidered skirt in your hand, which no photograph conveys. Menswear is easier to buy this way than any other — the whole men's rail is a narrow size range and a quick decision.
One thing to know before you drive out: refunds are not processed at the physical store. In-store purchases follow the same store-credit policy, handled through the usual channel. Our Brampton shopping guide covers what is worth the trip.
Questions people ask
Do I pay customs duty on Indian clothes shipped within Canada?
No. Duty is a border charge. An order shipped from stock held in Brampton to an address in Ontario, British Columbia or anywhere else in Canada is a domestic parcel and never crosses a border.
How much can I order from India before duty applies?
Twenty Canadian dollars. The higher CAD $150 and CAD $40 thresholds people quote apply only to qualifying courier shipments from the United States and Mexico under CUSMA. Verify your own shipment with CBSA — the rules are specific about courier versus postal and about where the goods actually ship from.
How long does delivery take in Canada?
Six business days is the usual target, ten if the piece is being made to your measurements, and three to five on express. Dispatch happens within one to two business days of the order.
Is shipping free?
Within Canada, above CAD $125. Below that it is CAD $25 standard. Express is CAD $29.99 flat regardless of order value.
What happens if I refuse the parcel?
A refused delivery with no prior notice carries a 75% restocking fee against the refund. Contact the shop before the delivery attempt if you need to turn an order away.
Can I return something that does not fit?
Within seven days of delivery, for store credit, if the piece is not on the exclusion list. Wrong size is treated as a change of mind, which means store credit rather than an exchange or a refund to your card. Return postage is yours.
Shipping rates, delivery targets and policy terms read from the published policies on 19 October 2026. Border thresholds are CBSA's and are subject to change; confirm against your own shipment before relying on them.
