When sending clothing, fashion accessories or children’s toys packed in plastic bags to e-commerce warehouses in Canada such as TikTok Shop or Amazon, many Vietnamese shop owners get fined or have goods returned because of one small detail: a missing suffocation warning label. This isn’t red tape invented to make life difficult. It is a mandatory requirement under Canadian law to protect children’s safety.
This article shows you how to label correctly yourself, or how to use a goods handling service to save time when shipping to Canada.
Why do you need suffocation warning labels in Canada?
Under the requirements of Health Canada and the major e-commerce platforms, any plastic bag with an opening of 7 inches (about 17.8 cm) or more when laid flat must carry a warning about the suffocation risk to young children.
If you ship to Canada without complying:
- TikTok Shop or Amazon Canada warehouses will refuse the goods.
- Goods may be stored indefinitely or returned to the sender at great expense.
- Your seller account may be fined or temporarily suspended for breaching safety policies.
Suffocation warning label standards under Canadian rules
You can’t just handwrite a few words on the bag. You must follow strict rules on language, font size and content.
1. Required languages
Canada has two official languages, so the warning must be printed in both English and French.
Standard wording commonly used:
- English: “WARNING: To avoid danger of suffocation, keep this plastic bag away from babies and children. Do not use this bag in cribs, beds, carriages, or playpens. This bag is not a toy.”
- French: “AVERTISSEMENT: Pour éviter le danger de suffocation, gardez ce sac de plastique hors de la portée des bébés et des enfants. Ne pas utiliser ce sac dans les berceaux, lits, poussettes ou parcs à bébé. Ce sac n’est pas un jouet.”
2. Font size by bag size
The size of the warning text depends on the overall size of the plastic bag used to pack the product:
- Bags with a perimeter under 30 inches: minimum 10 pt font.
- Bags with a perimeter of 30 to 40 inches: minimum 14 pt font.
- Bags with a perimeter of 40 to 60 inches: minimum 18 pt font.
- Bags with a perimeter over 60 inches: minimum 24 pt font.
The warning must be printed or applied where it is most visible on the flat side of the bag, not covered by other shipping labels.
How labelling and packing work at Soleil Transportation
If you sell from Vietnam and don’t have staff in Canada to handle this, printing and labelling in Vietnam can sometimes go wrong and miss the standard. The best solution is to use the fulfillment service at our local warehouse in Ontario.
Step 1: Ship goods from Vietnam to the warehouse in Canada
Goods from Vietnam are consolidated and flown to Canada. Average transit time is 7–14 days. Two-way door-to-door air shipping to Canada starts at $16/kg (import duties included). For small gift parcels or light goods, you can choose ePacket from just $8.50 CAD per parcel.
Step 2: Receiving and stock check
After clearance, the goods go straight to our warehouse at 2446 Cawthra Road, B1U8, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5A 3K6. Warehouse staff count the quantities against your list.
Step 3: Print and apply suffocation warning labels
Based on the size of your clothing bags, we design and print bilingual warning stickers that meet the standard. Staff carefully apply a label to each product, making sure it is smooth and straight.
Step 4: Pack the cartons and apply domestic shipping labels
Once labelled, the products are packed in standard cartons (basic packing free). We apply the TikTok Shop or domestic carrier shipping labels ready for dispatch.
Step 5: Delivery to the TikTok Shop warehouse
The goods are shipped within Canada directly to the platform’s warehouses at a very low cost, from just $35 per parcel.
Labelling and fulfillment costs in Canada
We offer an all-in-one solution to support small and medium-sized shops starting to sell into North America. Fulfillment in Canada (including receiving, storage, warning labels, packing and delivery for e-commerce orders) starts at just $5 CAD per order.
Tracking is also very easy. You can follow your parcel online with your order or booking number, and our system sends detailed status updates by email, SMS or Zalo so you can keep track from Vietnam.
If you are preparing a fashion shipment for Canada and aren’t sure which label your bag size needs, contact us on +1 888-998-5199 or email the details to info@soleiltransportation.com. Our team in Mississauga is always ready to measure, advise on the correct label and keep your shipping costs as low as possible.
