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Just before the United States coughed up the latest trade demands, President Donald Trump was fuming on TV about “predatory” foreign online retailers who, he further fulminated, are ripping off Americans.

That sounded typically goofy, considering that Canadians buy quite a lot these days from U.S. online marketers.

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But there’s actually a point buried in all of this. And, as with the dairy dispute, Trump’s pro-America position could benefit Canadian consumers.

Buy an item online from the States, and you’re liable for Canadian customs duty if the price is more than $20, explains trade and investment expert Carlo Dade of the Canada West Foundation.

Mexicans who buy online are duty-exempt up to $300. Americans don’t pay duty until the price of a purchase tops $800.

Americans are very free to buy without duty from Canada, within practical limits, while Canadians face a sharp disincentive to purchasing U.S. goods.