Become importer of record as a foreign company, set up a US entity, or keep shipping parcel by parcel? Each path has different requirements, costs and break-even points. IORready models all three against your actual numbers before you commit to any of them.
Early access — we are onboarding a first cohort and reply to every enquiry within one business day.
What the model has to compare
The structure above is the comparison; the numbers are yours. The point of modelling is that the break-even is specific to your order volume, average order value and product mix.
The problem
There is a point where shipping every US order individually from Canada stops making sense: duty and brokerage on every parcel, no bulk entry, no US-side returns address, slow transit. The natural next step is to import in bulk and fulfil domestically.
But the question of how splits immediately. Can your Canadian company be the importer of record? Do you need a US entity, and if so what kind? What bond is required, and at what cost? Does a 3PL solve it, or does it just move the problem? And at what monthly volume does any of this pay for itself?
The answers depend on your numbers, and the people you ask each have a partial view. A customs broker answers the bond question. An accountant answers the entity question. A 3PL answers the fulfilment question. Nobody puts the three together and tells you the break-even.
In their own words
We did not invent this problem. These are the actual queries people type when they hit it.
Built for you if
If three or more of these are true, IORready will pay for itself. If none of them are, we will tell you so rather than sell you something.
How it works
The work happens whether or not you are watching. You get the output.
What you spend today per US order on duty, brokerage, freight and returns handling. Most brands do not have this number, and nothing can be compared without it.
What foreign importer of record status actually requires, what a US entity involves to establish and maintain, what a 3PL does and does not absorb, and what bonding each path needs.
Fixed setup, recurring compliance and per-order cost, modelled at your current volume and at two or three growth scenarios.
Not "it depends." A specific path, the volume at which it becomes correct, and what to do between now and then.
What you get
Whether your company can act as importer of record from Canada, what that requires in practice, and the obligations it carries.
What kind of bond each path needs and how the amount is determined, so the cost is a number rather than an unknown.
The practical differences between structures for an import-and-fulfil operation, including what each adds in ongoing filings.
A 3PL solves fulfilment. It does not automatically solve importer of record. Where the line sits is the part that confuses people.
Consolidated entry versus per-parcel entry at your volume — usually the largest single line in the comparison.
A US address changes your returns economics substantially, and it is routinely left out of these models.
Side by side
| Parcel by parcel | Foreign IOR | US entity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Setup cost | None | Bond + 3PL onboarding | Entity + bond + 3PL |
| Per-order customs cost | Highest | Low | Low |
| Ongoing compliance burden | Minimal | Moderate | Highest |
| US returns address | No | Yes | Yes |
| Right at | Low US volume | Mid volume | High volume or US-first |
Send us your situation and we will tell you plainly whether IORready would make a difference at your volume — before you commit to anything.
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Seven questions. We use them to work out whether IORready is actually the right fit for you — and to say so if it is not.
We are onboarding a first cohort of Canadian brands, so spots are limited and we would rather tell you early if you are not one of them.
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Written for the specific questions brands ask us. No gate, no email required.