Shipping in Canada

[#1]

So I am new here on etsy. I have a small soap-making business, but I am finding it hard to sell in an online market because of the high shipping rates. I was wondering what everyone does to combat the crazy shipping rates that Canada has in order to offer cheaper shipping to customers. Is there a secret to this? What postal service do you think is best? Is the only cheap shipping method via letter mail?

Thanks for help in advance!

[Former_Member]

Hey. I am not quite near Markham or Mississauga ( in bradford/newmarket area) but I will check out that company. thanks!

[Splurge]

I have an older version of this kitchen scale bought at Can Tire on sale for $10. It's worked well for me in calculating shipping costs so far

http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045/0424076P/no-starfrit-5-kg-digital-kitchen-scale-reviews/reviews....

[Former_Member]

I got my scale at Princess Auto earlier this year. It's not digital, but accurate and was only approx. $10

[Former_Member]

Thanks for sharing the tips on the scales! I will run to Staples and see what's available.

[VintageHotRocks]

What I hate is when the same size package costs me more money to send to a neighbouring province than it does to the USA. Hard to justify shipping a necklace to B.C for $12.00, and the same type of package to ship to Chicago, cost only $8.00. Ive eaten the extra cost many times! I think it may be easier to include the shipping costs in the price of the item, rather than to list the actual shipping cost, like Sam and Mary suggested in an earlier reply.

[Former_Member]

I am new and make knitted items. Not too heavy, can be squished into smaller packaging. But I nearly had a heart attack at the Canada Post counter when told that tracking for a pair of socks would cost .... hold into your seats.... $46.
How can I possibly incorporate that into a pair of socks? So I have opted to change my policies to not tracked and depend on the basic goodness of people to not rip me off by saying they never received the parcel.
Any advice on other options is greatly appreciated.

[Former_Member]

Wow $46 is crazy pricey. Do you mind if I ask where the socks were going to?

[Former_Member]

YIKES! that is bananas !!
A postal worker told me not to ship parcels that were "too small". Apparently they are more expensive to track. I had shipped a large parcel to a very remote part of Ontario .. one of the reserves where mail is delivered by plane only once a week. It cost me about $53.00 with tracking. SO, 46 dollars to track sox is absurd!
If you have nice postal workers at your PO, don't be afraid to talk with them to see how you can bring your shipping cost down. Sometimes they will "try" different box sizes (as apposed to bubble mailers) and such in the system to see what would be best for you.

[Former_Member]

Yea standard shipping with added tracking is expensive...I can't track my packages unless I want to spend $10 more :/ so I too am taking a gamble. Hate this postal system.

[Former_Member]

Hi There,

I just wanted to pass along Canada Post's Shipping Deadlines:

2013 HOLIDAY SHIPPING CUT-OFF DATES

Within Canada - regular parcel: December 11th
To the US - air parcel/packets: December 10th
Europe - air parcel/packets: December 2nd
Asia - - air parcel/packets: December 2nd
Australia - air parcel/packets: December 2nd
New Zealand - air parcel/packets: December 2nd
Central / South America - air parcel/packets: November 22nd
Africa - air parcel/packets: November 22nd
Caribbean - air parcel/packets: December 2nd
Middle East - air parcel/packets: December 2nd

The dates listed above are for mailings between major urban centres. They are NOT guaranteed delivery dates in time for Christmas.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for sharing the deadlines. I have customers ask me if they will get it in time to sign and send it out for the holidays. The answer is usually no. :(

I don't use tracking either because it costs more than my product. It would cost me less to make another (very similar but not exact) card to send my customer if it went missing. I'll take my chances that the customer will accept an alternate replacement item rather than track a single greeting card.

[JacquieVintage]

For those of you who sell knitted/crocheted items, or other types of items that are light but thick and "lofty", some sellers use a vacuum sealing machine for their parcels. The kind made for sealing food into packets. It removes all the air and squishes everything down to a thickness that might fit the slot of doom. Just a tip :)

[EightMileVintage]

Just to add to Jacquie's tip about the vacuum sealer, I see them at thrift stores all the time so check out the local thrifts before buying one at full retail.

[Former_Member]

How do customers like their items arriving in vacu pack though? I make crochet hats and most of my items I can make fit through the "slot of doom" if I package it in a bag inside of a thin envelope. I keep reading varying opinions on packaging being important to buyers. I worry that vacu sealing my items will make them not look very nice when opened.

I would love to hear what others have to say on this.

[aboundingtreasures]

not sure if it's OK to post this, but here's the link to a thread on another team that is all about shipping world-wide with Canada Post -- it's extremely helpful -- https://www.etsy.com/teams/7654/etsy-international/discuss/6779956/page/1

[trowelandpaintbrush]

I'm curious if anyone is using Fedex. Apparently they offer a discount to Etsy shops.