News Summary

Shopify, a leading e-commerce platform based in Ottawa, has publicly endorsed ‘open trade’ amidst the uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policies under the Trump administration. Following President Donald Trump’s decision to temporarily delay ending a trade exemption for certain Chinese imports, Shopify has urged regulators to allow online merchants the freedom to expand without geopolitical constraints. The company has emphasized the importance of ‘de minimis’ protections, which exempt low-value shipments from taxes and duties, as crucial for small businesses in international trade. Shopify, which facilitates over $20 billion in annual cross-border sales, is preparing for potential policy changes by introducing features that allow merchants to display and collect duties during the checkout process and by simplifying international sales handling.