The Last Mile Lens with Matt Earish, Co-Founder of Borderline Genius – PART 1

Conversations with the leaders transforming e-commerce, logistics, and the supply chain.

Shipping between Canada and the U.S. is anything but straightforward, especially for e-commerce and retail brands, and even more so for small- to midsized businesses growing internationally.

For this two-part installment of The Last Mile Lens, we connected with Matt Earish, the co-founder of Borderline Genius, Inc., a centralized hub for global trade compliance, to find out what it really takes for e-commerce and retail brands to get cross-border shipping right.  

Drawing on 20+ years of import/export experience, Matt shares how brands can navigate today’s global trade market while setting the strong foundations needed to grow globally. 

We know cross-border shipping is wildly complex. What do retail and e-commerce brands get wrong when it comes to shipping between the U.S. and Canada?

Matt: Since we commonly see shipping between Canada and the U.S., businesses often assume there’s a seamless process they don’t have to worry about. But over the last year, it’s become more apparent that these are two separate countries. Businesses now realize early on they can’t ship anything with total ease, and whether they’re sending from Canada to the U.S. or Southeast Asia, strict shipping regulations exist. 

Let’s dive into that. How have cross-border shipping complexities recently shifted? 

Matt: Cross-border shipping is now more complex than ever, and the past 12 to 14 months have been among the most volatile I’ve seen in my 24-year career. Regulations are shifting, tariffs are changing, and rules are evolving. Sometimes day by day. It’s hard to keep up. 

Take someone running a candle business, trying to follow the day-to-day of what’s happening in global trade. A 25% tariff can suddenly be 35% with some goods qualifying while others may not. That’s really challenging. It’s even challenging for our team of researchers and analysts who download and analyze data, read legislation, and make sure they understand how it applies.

What does it take for U.S. and Canadian brands to get cross-border shipping right today?

Matt: It comes down to understanding shipping requirements before you ship, not after. Sending a product into a country without this knowledge can lead to customer dissatisfaction, order delays, and additional fees that impact your margin. Nobody wants those types of surprises. 

The businesses doing it right are those with visibility up front. When you know what to expect, it takes the risk out of expanding into a new market. It’s limiting without that knowledge, especially for SMBs not used to taking new-market risks. Brands can remove that risk by knowing what they’re shipping, how to ship it, and what the impact is for both you and your customer.

Can you tell us what you think a good cross-border customer experience looks like?

Matt: In my experience, it’s about how brands can make the shipping experience seamless for their end customer. Customers aren’t worried about what’s happening behind the scenes. They want to go to a website, order a product, and don’t want to be surprised upon delivery, whether it’s an added delivery fee, a delivery hold up, or a missed delivery window.  

What do brands need in place operationally to deliver this seamless experience?

Matt: The retailers scaling successfully have strong product data, that is, a clean catalog with goods properly classified with a Harmonized System (HS) code applied. With that, the downstream pieces fall into place. When you have a solid HS code, duty rates, any special fees, and all of the regulatory requirements follow. The HS code also determines if there are FDA and USDA requirements, or any other government agencies regulating that commodity upon import. 

If you have that in place, it makes everything a lot easier. It’s not the most exciting part of the business, but getting it right up front makes the entire process much smoother.

When it comes to landed costs, what are the key things e-commerce brands and retailers need to have in place to get a clear and accurate picture before they ship?

Matt: It goes back to getting the basics right. Accurate classification is the start of everything, because if that’s incorrect, then everything that follows is incorrect. That impacts your landed cost and any PGA requirements that might apply. It’s not just about costs, but also regulatory impact. Delayed shipments come with costs, both operational and in terms of customer experience, which aren’t easy to quantify, but they affect conversion and repeat business.

From there, it’s about having a clear view of the total cost, not just shipping. 

There’s a lot that goes into that now. It used to be that under de minimis into the U.S., there weren’t really fees that applied when moving goods across the border, but that’s changing every single day. Regulations are shifting all the time and you don’t always know when changes are coming in the current environment. So, having the right tools and partners in place is critical. 

How can smaller brands access the same level of expertise as larger companies?

Matt: Ultimately, as an SMB owner, the last thing you want is to be worrying about constant news updates to understand your costs. But without the right partners, that’s unfortunately the reality some businesses face because of how quickly things are changing. 

If you look at the way that large Fortune 500 companies operate, they have longstanding relationships with trusted partners, global trade groups, trade attorneys, and customs brokers. That’s hard to replicate as a small to mid-sized business. Here at Borderline Genius, we’re enabling those businesses to access that same level of service and expertise.

Stick around for Part 2 of our conversation with Matt, where we cover compliance and how UniUni and Borderline Genius are making cross-border shipping more predictable. 

Check out more conversations in our The Last Mile Lens series that feature the industry-leading voices shaping the future of e-commerce, logistics, and supply chain. Curious about our last-mile delivery solutions? Get in touch at hello@uniuni.com.