Whack-a-Mole is spot on. Sometimes it just isn’t cost-effective to trade with foreign countries for a myriad of reasons. Strangely, it often seems like large corporations have more problems setting up international business and trade than small ones.
I’ve been buying and selling on Ebay for over two years now, and I regularly ship to and receive from locations outside the US. And not just Canada either- I get a lot of business in Asia. I use PayPal, and never once have I had a problem. Shipping rates don’t seem to be too exhorbitatnt for things like books, DVDs, and small items. Clothing from Hong Kong usually has ultra cheap shipping.
Similarly, I often buy books and DVDs from amazon UK, and it’s never been a problem shipping to the US for them. (Although they won’t ship certain electronic goods outside the UK- I wanted to buy a DVD player from them, but they couldn’t ship it. Oddly enough, I had no trouble getting the exact same model player shipped from India.) I also often buy goods from Japanese retailers, and the shipping isn’t too high, although depending on how much you’re paying, it can take up to a month to get your stuff. Australia also seems to be really good with this- everything I’ve ever bought that was shipped from Australia came in less than two weeks and the shipping was pretty low.
Small businesses located outside the US sometimes won’t take US credit cards, but most of the time the proprietors are happy to receive a bank transfer in their local currency. Sure, it’s a minor pain to go to your bank, and some banks charge fees for the service, but what the hell? It’s also a good way to maybe save a bit, because banks tend to get better exchange rates. I’ve also received bank transfers in US dollars from foreign countries, and my bank has never given me trouble over it.
International trade has always been fraught with problems, but I’m convinced it’s easier for individuals to trade internationally now than it has ever been.