Service & risk disclosure.

Effective: January 1, 2026.

This summary brings the main commercial risks of international freight into one place so you can make informed decisions before you ship. It is a convenience, not the contract. Your shipment is governed by our Standard Trading Conditions ("STCs"). Where this summary and the STCs differ, the STCs govern.

1. Estimates and quotes are not guarantees

Rates, transit times, and sailing or flight schedules are estimates based on information available at the time. They are not guaranteed. Quotations are valid only for the period stated and may be revised for changes beyond our control, including carrier rate changes, fuel and security surcharges, exchange-rate movements, and port, terminal, and customs charges. A figure shown by our online quote tool is an indicative estimate, not a binding quote; the firm, all-in rate is the one we confirm in writing. Transit times exclude delays at customs, ports, and borders, which are outside our control.

2. A carrier's liability is capped, and the cap is usually far below your cargo value

By international convention, the amount you can recover from the carrier that physically moves your goods is limited, regardless of what the goods are worth:

• Ocean (Hague-Visby Rules): roughly 666.67 SDR per package or 2 SDR per kilogram, whichever is higher — about USD 2 to 3 per kilogram.
• Air (Montreal Convention): about 22 SDR per kilogram — higher than ocean, but still a fraction of most high-value cargo.
• Road (the applicable national regime): a comparable per-kilogram limit.

This means that if a container of goods worth CAD 200,000 is lost or damaged, the carrier may owe you only a few thousand dollars. Our own liability is limited in the same way under clauses 17 to 19 of the STCs.

3. Cargo insurance is your decision, and declining it means self-insuring the gap

Cargo insurance is optional and is the Customer's responsibility. We arrange all-risk marine cargo cover only when you instruct us to in writing, in advance. If you decline insurance, you carry the full risk of loss or damage above the carrier's capped liability, whether or not the loss was anyone's fault. We are not an insurer; where we arrange a policy, we place it as agent and the policy's own terms, exclusions, and deductibles apply. See Cargo insurance for what is and is not covered.

4. Customs duties, taxes, and classification are the importer's responsibility

Duties, taxes (GST, HST, QST), and other government charges are payable by the importer of record, not by Setara. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information used for customs entries, including tariff classification, country of origin, valuation, and any free-trade-agreement claim. Setara coordinates customs clearance through a licensed customs broker partner and is not itself a licensed customs broker unless we state otherwise in writing. Any duty or tax figure we or our tools provide is an estimate for planning; the binding amount is the assessment made by the Canada Border Services Agency or U.S. Customs and Border Protection on the entry.

5. Our online tools are estimates, not advice

The duty and tax calculator, dimensional-weight calculator, CO₂e estimator, and Incoterms picker on this site are planning aids that use typical rates and standard formulas. They do not account for the specifics of your shipment, are not a customs ruling, and are not legal, tax, or accounting advice. Confirm any figure that matters with us before you rely on it.

6. Your responsibilities affect whether things go wrong

You warrant that the information you give us about the Goods is accurate, that the Goods are properly packed and labelled for the intended carriage, that the verified gross mass of any container is correct, that dangerous goods are declared in advance with the required documentation, and that you, the parties, and the Goods comply with applicable sanctions and export-control law. Inaccurate, late, or missing information is one of the most common causes of delay, penalty, and uninsured loss. Full detail is in clauses 7 to 12 and 25 of the STCs.

7. Delay and events beyond our control

We are not liable for loss, damage, or delay caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including weather, port or terminal congestion, strikes, customs holds, war, sanctions, and infrastructure failures. If a shipment is time-critical, tell us in writing in advance so we can record it as a special instruction; absent that, we do not guarantee delivery by any particular date. See clause 21 of the STCs.

8. Limits on liability and the time you have to claim

Even where we are at fault, our liability is capped and subject to time limits set out in the STCs: a financial limit per kilogram, per package, and per transaction (clause 17); a requirement to notify a claim in writing within set windows — within 7 days for loss or damage, and within 45 days for delay or non-delivery (clause 18); and a hard time bar requiring any suit to be brought within 9 months, or the shorter period set by an applicable convention (clause 19). We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss such as lost profit, lost sales, or downtime. These limits are central to the price of our services.

9. Where to read the binding terms

This page is a summary. The documents that actually govern your shipment and your data are:

• Standard Trading Conditions — the full contract, aligned with the CIFFA Standard Trading Conditions.
• Cargo insurance — coverage, exclusions, and how to claim.
• Privacy Policy — how we handle personal information under PIPEDA and Quebec Law 25.

Questions about any of this? Talk to our team before you book.