It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost over and school is just around the corner. If you haven’t done your back to school shopping yet, you should consider doing your shopping in the U.S. this year.

You can find great deals in the U.S. on everything you need to start the school year, including school supplies, clothing, shoes, computers, electronics and more, often at significantly lower prices than you would pay in Canada.

End of season sales on clothing and shoes make now a particularly appealing time to shop in the U.S., providing for even more savings than usual.

If you stay overnight, you can also take advantage of the new higher duty free allowances.

We discussed cross border shopping, the new duty free allowances and why prices are cheaper in the U.S. than in Canada with CTV News Channel's Marcia MacMillan.

You can see the interview here.

Lately, we’ve been hearing from a lot of moms (and some dads) who make cross border shopping trips to the United States specifically to buy goods for their infants and young children.

Lower Prices and Better Selection on Baby Goods in the United States

The main reasons Canadian moms tell us they are shopping in the U.S. are lower prices and better selection on goods for babies and kids such as diapers, ointments, clothing, strollers, cribs, furniture, accessories and just about everything in between.

In addition to finding lower prices and better selection on goods for their children, many moms are treating their cross border shopping trips as fun group outings with their girlfriends, sometimes staying overnight in local hotels.

Moms who bring their children on these outings should be sure to bring a child travel consent letter with them if they are travelling alone with their children to avoid any issues they may encounter at the border (border officials usually ask for travel consent letters when a parent is travelling with their child without their spouse to ensure that they have consent to take their child across the border).

Think Twice about Buying Car Seats in the U.S.

If you’re considering cross border shopping for a car seat for your child in the U.S., you may want to think twice. The U.S. has different safety standards than Canada when it comes to child safety seats, and it is illegal to import car seats into Canada that do not have the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard label. You can find more information here.