How Common Goods Works
What is Common Goods?
Common Goods is Canada's discovery platform connecting you with Canadian-owned businesses. We make it easy to find quality Canadian products across categories like clothing, footwear, home goods, and gifts—all in one searchable place.
"How Canadian" are the products on Common Goods?
Most Canadian companies source their goods or raw materials from various sources - some in Canada, many imported.
Each item on Common Goods is described as one of the three following categories:
- "Made in Canada" as in the legal requirement of Canada's product labelling policies - meaning a product must have undergone its last substantial transformation in Canada and have at least 51% of its total direct production costs incurred in Canada.
- "Partially made in Canada," meaning they have some Canadian ingredients but not enough to fully qualify for "Made in Canada" status,
- "Designed in Canada, made elsewhere,"
Any product without one of the above tags is not made in Canada but supplied and distributed by a Canadian-owned and operated company.
You can browse according to these 3 "Made in Canada" segments by filtering them in the left hand menu on any collection page.
Do you prioritize "Made in Canada"?
Yes. The "Made in Canada" filter is our #1 top used feature, so we already know that Canadians want to shop this way. However, sometimes this means the price of goods becomes out of reach or the selection in certain categories ends up near zero.
Our hierarchy of brands we're keen to work with is: Canadian brand made in Canada > Canadian brand partially made in Canada > Canadian brand made elsewhere > Canadian distributor of non-US products not available from a Canadian brand (yet)
Below is the current distribution of the 400+ vendors on our platform. We are always working to prioritize Canadian-made.
Canadian brands made in Canada: 40%
Canadian brands made partially in Canada: 16%
Canadian brands made elsewhere: 43%
Canadian distributors of international brands: 1%
How do I keep track of products I like?
Click the little maple leaf icon on any product to add it to your Wish List. This makes it easy to come back to items later, especially helpful when browsing multiple brands before making a decision. You'll need to sign in or create an account to save your wish lists. Bonus: you can share your wish lists with friends and family—perfect for gift-giving!
About Our Brands
What makes a brand eligible for Common Goods?
All brands on our platform are Canadian-owned businesses. We verify ownership and prioritize makers, manufacturers, and brands with authentic Canadian roots.
How do you verify brands are actually Canadian?
We review business registration, ownership structure, and production details during our application process. When in doubt, we dig deeper. Our community also helps flag concerns. We reserve the right to delist any vendor who misrepresents their application details.
Do you feature large Canadian brands?
We work with brands of all sizes, from solo makers to established companies. Our focus is on the quality of product and service, and Canadian ownership, not revenue size.
Orders and Shipping
Can I change or cancel my order?
We can attempt to cancel orders within 4 hours of checkout. Please email help@commongoods.ca to do so. It is outside our control whether our brand partners have already fulfilled all or part of your order in that time frame.
For change requests outside this time frame, we advise you to place a new order and return the incorrect items. Return shipping typically incurs a charge but can be waived in cases of order errors.
Where do items ship from?
Products ship from our fulfillment partners across Canada. If you order from multiple brands, your order may be sent in multiple shipments.
When will I receive my order?
Most orders arrive within 5-10 business days. You'll receive tracking information once your order ships.
What are the shipping costs?
We offer flat rate shipping of $15 nationwide, with free shipping on orders over $140.
How can I track my order?
You'll receive tracking information via email once your order ships. You can also find your order status by logging in (top right icon) and visiting your Orders tab.
Issues & Support
What if something arrives damaged or incorrect?
Email us at help@commongoods.ca with your order number and photos if applicable. We'll work directly with the brand to get you a replacement or refund. You shouldn't have to chase anyone down.
What's your return policy?
Each brand sets their own return policy, which you'll see on product pages and order confirmations.
Most brands offer a full refund on unused, unopened goods within 30 days of delivery. Typical exclusions include: undergarments, personal care and cosmetics, foods, and sale items. Some may charge for return shipping. Check the product page for the policy that applies to your product.
Contact us at help@commongoods.ca to start a return—we'll coordinate with the brand and guide you through the process.
I have a question about a specific product, who do I ask?
Email us at help@commongoods.ca. For product-specific questions (sizing, materials, care instructions), we'll get you accurate answers. For order issues, we handle it directly.
How quickly will I hear back?
We aim to respond within 24 hours on business days.
Payment & Security
Is my payment information secure?
Yes. All transactions are processed through Shopify's secure payment system, which is used by millions of businesses worldwide. We never see or store your payment details.
Will I see multiple charges on my card?
For direct checkout orders, you'll see one charge from Common Goods even when ordering from multiple brands. For affiliate purchases, you'll be charged directly by each brand's website.
The Platform
How is Common Goods different from other marketplaces?
We're Canadian-owned, community-built infrastructure. We don't sell advertising to brands or manipulate search results based on who pays more. Our goal is to make Canadian commerce work better for everyone—makers and shoppers alike.
How do you make money?
We earn revenue two ways: a small commission on direct sales (similar to other marketplaces) and affiliate commissions from our Canadian Buying Guides.
Can I save my favourite items?
Yes! Create a wishlist by clicking the maple leaf icon on products. You can share your wishlist with friends and family, making gift-giving easier.
You'll need to sign in or create an account to save your wishlists. To access your wish list (once logged in), click the maple leaf icon at the top of the page.
How can I suggest new brands?
We love community suggestions! Use the suggestion box on our site or email us at help@commongoods.ca with Canadian brands you'd like to see featured.
Transparency and Disclosure
Do you share my personal information with any 3rd parties or partners?
No. Your contact details are only shared with Common Goods and your shipping details are prohibited from any use outside of essential delivery by our Vendors, as per our Terms and Conditions.
Can businesses opt-out of being listed on your platform?
Yes. Any business can request removal from our platform by emailing vendorsupport@commongoods.ca We process all removal requests within 5 business days.
Who runs Common Goods?
Hi, I'm Val Crisp, Founder and Head of Product at Common Goods. As a third-generation entrepreneur from Aurora, Ontario, with a Ryerson University degree in Fashion Design and Communications, I've built my own made-in-Canada accessories brand and deployed marketplaces in the UK and US.
My mission is simple: fix product discovery so incredible Canadian small businesses and consumers can find each other easily and precisely. Together with a community of passionate Canadian businesses, we're creating a single destination that celebrates and supports local entrepreneurship. Common Goods is our collective response to connecting Canadian brands from coast to coast to coast.
I couldn't do any of this without a very talented and driven team. Visit our About page learn more about our mission and team.
There's concern about Shopify's leadership, what's your take?
Let's talk about this. We understand the concern about any large company's leadership's political views. But boycotting Shopify would actively harm the Canadian small businesses we're trying to help.
Here's why:
Shopify is essential infrastructure for most Canadian brands. (As are Meta, Google, Amazon, and more). It's like telling people not to use cars because they're bad for the environment, while offering no alternative infrastructure. The only people who lose in that scenario are the ones who give up their cars.
The reality is that Shopify powers the largest share of successful independent Canadian online stores for a reason - it's genuinely the best tool by a huge margin. From small businesses to major Canadian retailers, it's the backbone of Canadian e-commerce because no other platform comes close to matching its capabilities.
When people suggest "just switch to WooCommerce or Ecwid" or other platforms, they don't understand the depth of what they're asking. While some stores can make the switch, for most others Shopify isn't just a website builder - it's an entire ecosystem of inventory management, shipping optimization, tax compliance, sales channel integration, and developer tools that work seamlessly together.
This very marketplace would be 10x slower, more expensive, and harder to build on another platform. It is our view that our projected impact is 100x important than the small monthly fee going to Shopify.
More importantly, collective influence is more effective at generating change than individual boycotts. Shopify employs over 8,000 Canadians. They power over a million small businesses and over 130,000 in Canada. As this community of merchants grows, so does our collective voice to influence positive change. Building successful, influential Canadian businesses on the platform gives us more leverage to push for better leadership decisions, not less.
The goal isn't to make Shopify smaller - it's to make it better - to hold leadership accountable to Canadians so that we can be proud of this hugely successful, innovative company. That happens through engagement, not abandonment. And while Shopify is in the spotlight right now due to the political cycle, the reality is that problematic billionaires profit from almost every piece of infrastructure we use. Rather than impossible individual purity tests, we need collective action to push for systemic change.