Canada Post shipping questions

[Former_Member]

Hi, I am a new etsy seller in Surrey,B.C,Canada, and just got 2 orders returned due the small packet requirement. They scratched across the stamps and in the sticker space where its supposed to say how much I have to pay was blank on both items. went back to the post office to remail 1 tumbled crystal for $7.80(U.S) and another for 11.10 (International). im really new at this and am finding it a bit confusing. I sell tumbled crystals which can vary in weight (but all under 50 grams) and people are buying them indevidually. I was packing them in a small padded envelope with extra bubblewrap and puting 2 stamps on them. Are they still doing the "Slot of Doom" thing" or just going by weight dimentions? I want to get the right tools to minimize shipping-right now my prices aren't competitive with U.S. I have a small gram scale but i think maybe the packages were too thick. Im not sure because the boxes that indicate what the problem is was also left blank (great job canada post!) The clerk at the post office wasnt that helpful, Im wondering if there are any ways to safely ship tumbled crystals/stones without charging an arm and a leg. I cringe to think what postage could cost when I start selling bulk orders of stones. Ideally I want to send things by lettermail if thickness doesnt matter, would that work? Other options are for me to get unpadded envelopes and use less bubblewrap..or use padded envelopes but not any additional bubblewrap.

How should I list the shipping costs in my brand new shop to account for the new increase in postage please? Im trying to get an idea of how much to change the shipping to for Canada,U.S, and International. This is so frustrating, I will have to re-mail all the other orders I sent out too so it ends up I lost money on each order :( Thank you for any advice- feeling a bit discouraged about this, as my goal was to make unusual or quality crystals more accessable to people on a budget. I put my shop on vacation till I get ideas on what to readjust rates to.

Thank you everyone for advice,
farida

[Former_Member]

You've got to get your package as flat as possible for a lower rate - there are dimensions for the slot thing on the canada Post website and if you're doing a lot of packages that way you can buy the plexi-glass thing for about $35. I've shipped hats for over $10 but when I learned how to package it flat, it went down to $1.50 - that's a big difference. I understand that my items aren't fragile like yours are but see if you can figure out how to get them flatter. Go to the Canada Post website and play around with the price quotes so you can figure out how to ship. I lost big time on one of my first shipments to the US - I sold the item for $25 but spend $18 shipping it, and only charged $5 to the customer - so I've learned how to change my pricing and my shipping. Good luck Farida ~ Denise

[Former_Member]

The small packet is different from the light packet. When I asked the post office, they said the small packet starts at $5 and up. They didn't try it through the slot. Just measured and weighted. She also told me, light packet is only for paper and my package looks like not paper.
When you fill out the customs sheet, you need to write what is inside. when packing jewelry, some people use a little bit of polyester filling. One of the other forums I came to know that the package should be less than 2 mm thickness, which is very difficult. Then my research shows that people are covering the envelop with cellotape to make it more protective while making the whole package thinner.
Like to know other suggestions.

[GoldFlower]

1.1 Light Packet™

Light Packet is a line extension of Small Packet which is available to Customers at post offices and using the online eBay shipping platform. Light Packet is the most economical shipping service for sending small and lightweight non-document goods.

Prices are here http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/SBinter-e-05.pdf

[Refluff]

I have run into similar issues in Toronto. It boils down to who is ringing in your sale and if they decide to push it a bit harder to get it through the slot of doom or if they give up after the slightest bit of resistance when trying to run it through the slot of doom. I have discovered that different Canada post locations charge different fees and some are more willing to push it through the slot while others are really not inclined to try. It's sad that the Canada post standard isn't upheld across the country let alone a city. So what l do is go to the location that treats me nice and l chat up the person at the counter in a friendly manner (not flirting) and he/she is more inclined to work with me on a fair rate vs no friendly conversation and just passing them the package. It's amazing how far a "how are you doing today? How was your long weekend?" will get you.

My advice is try to be extra friendly and shop around to different locations. If you are limited to one postal office try to make friends with the men/women working there and see if that helps. My system isn't fool proof but it's working for me. I did notice that when l use a bubble mailer they almost always don't bother to push it through the slot of doom. Most customers expect bubble mailers so l'm kind of torn about the whole issue as l mainly mail out textiles that are sturdy.

Good luck and l hope this helps.

[PerfectVintageFlea]

Hi Farida,

I have found it's best to get a small postage scale (which it sounds like you already have) and put the dimensions/weight directly into the Canada Post site for an exact rate rather than just guessing with the number of stamps each time. I know it seems annoying to weigh and measure each package and get a rate from canadapost.com each time you list an item, but this will save you a lot of time and hassle on the other end, especially if stuff is being returned. Keep a spreadsheet of the dimensions and weights and this way you can print the shipping label directly from your paypal account when you make the sale without worrying about it.

Maybe package in felt, tissue paper or newsprint instead of bubble wrap if you are trying to cut down on the size of the envelope.

Best of luck :)

Lindsay