Could be. But with with shipping at ~$6/kg they can't cost more than ~$20 to produce and ship.
DHL/UPS only charges 6$/kg in China? Stop reminding me I live in the wrong part of the world

shipping the S1 to canada cost bitmain about $120 if i recall. So by shipping only boards they might save ~$80 at most, and it would require virtually discarding your S1 (which is still profitable for several months)