Canadians: Ask me about Canada Post and shipping - I work there!

[#1]

On top of my "real" job and my etsy shops, I also work part-time at a Canada Post outlet, for 4 years now. I'm very knowledgeable about all things related to shipping. I can be your resident expert! Ask away and I will do my best to answer clearly.

jackie ♥

Here's the original post from a forum thread I started before etsy did the shut-down to teams :( It describes CP's rate increases for 2011, which took effect on January 17th.

Like clockwork, Canada Post is raising their rates as of January 17th. I work at the post office part-time so I thought I would give my fellow Canadians a head's up. Here's a link to the complete list of new rates including all the price tables you could ever want (a very helpful sleep aid for insomniacs!).

http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/ (click on the red "new prices" button)

I'm not sure how bad the increase is for domestic and US Expedited parcel rates, but here are the new Lettermail, Oversize Lettermail, Light Packet, and Small Packet rates.

Lettermail (max 24.5 X 15.6 X .5cm):
Canada >>
0.59 (0-30g)
1.03 (31-50g)
USA >>
1.03 (0-30g)
1.25 (31-50g)
International >>
1.75 (0-30g)
2.50 (31-50g)

Oversize Lettermail (max 38 X 27 X 2cm):
Canada >>
1.25 (0-100g)
2.06 (101-200g)
2.85 (201-300g)
3.25 (301-400g)
3.50 (401-500g)
USA >> (printed matter only)
2.06 (0-100g)
3.60 (101-200g)
7.20 (201-500g)
International >> (printed matter only)
4.10 (0-100g)
7.20 (101-200g)
14.40 (201-500g)

Light Packet (max 38 X 27 X 2cm):
USA >> 4% increase over 2010
2.36 (0-100g)
4.92 (101-250g)
7.91 (251-500g)
International >> 3.5% increase over 2010!
4.60 (0-100g)
9.25 (101-250g)
15.80 (251-500g)

Small Packet (max L + W + H = 90cm)
USA >> 7.5% increase over 2010!
Surface 5.85 (0-250g)
Airmail 7.46
Surface 8.35 (251-500g)
Airmail 9.90
Surface 12.41 (501g-1kg)
Airmail 15.36
International >> (rates vary according to the country.. please see zone and rate tables through the link above. Amounts below are for shipments to the United Kingdom, zone 02 - surface rates are 10% higher than 2010, airmail rates are 8% higher, except in the 1-2kg category)
Surface 6.54 (0-250g)
Airmail 8.53
Surface 8.95 (251-500g)
Airmail 17.06
Surface 15.02 (501g-1kg)
Airmail 33.45
Surface 21.07 (1-2kg)
Airmail 50.26

I don't know about you, but I am really bummed about this. Increases of 7 and 10% are really going to hurt!

Convo me if you have any questions.
(Posted at 2:55 am, January 3, 2011 EST)

[TigersandDragons]

Jenny, I can only answer your last question. There is no proof of acceptance unless you are buying a trackable service. Some members bring a copy of their online receipt to the post office, and have it stamped with the current date, so they have proof of sending.

[JacquieVintage]

Jenny,
Technically, the clerk should have done a "post-void" for the first transaction, but I can understand why they didn't. It's a pain to do. I'm assuming that the correct destination resulted in the same postage cost as the incorrect destination, correct? ie the 2 destinations had similar postal codes? I'm not 100% sure what would have happened if the incorrect parcel had gone on its way. If the postal code embedded in the label was similar to the one written on the parcel, then it likely would have made it to the correct place. In creating the 2nd label the clerk probably did it by "pretending" that the parcel already had stamps on it.... called "pre-affixed postage". This would result in a $0 value receipt with a new barcode. I'm not sure if or how this shows up on the till receipt. It may show $15.00 and then ($15.00). If it does, then you would be ok when filing a claim. Just say you used your own postage stamps. Let me know exactly what it says on the receipt.

[JacquieVintage]

Julia,
I don't think there would be any harm in using the receipt number for multiple parcels in the same transaction. Alternatively, you could ask them to do separate transactions at the p.o. I don't really think it would be necessary though.

[JacquieVintage]

CP announcement today:

At the end of August, CP will move "some" of the mail-processing from the plants in London and Hamilton ON to Toronto, and "some" from Ottawa plant to Montreal.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-post-to-cut-180-jobs-in-ottawa-london-and-hamilton-1.1819561

[fabriquefantastique]

quick question, my first here.
Does my venture card discount apply when I use etsy shipping?

[JacquieVintage]

Jan,
The Venture One 5% discount is already included in the price using Etsy shipping labels. In fact, the total discount is actually 8% ... which is the same as you would get if you used CP's online EST system. However, the discount on Paypal is always higher than that. (just a reminder: in all cases, there is no discount for Small/Light Packet and Oversize Lettermail).

[fabriquefantastique]

thanks Jacquie,I have the feeling that is the first of many questions.

[EightMileVintage]

Anyone having trouble printing Paypal Canada Post shipping labels today? I'm getting an error message. I'm going to try later and hopefully it will be fixed.

[TimeInFantasy]

Hi Jacquie, thank you for sharing the London and Hamilton mail-processing changes announcement!

From the CNN news, it seems that letter mail processing will moved. But will parcels still be processed at the old facilities in London and Hamilton after the changes is in effect?

Thanks a lot!

[HandmadeTrend]

Jackie,
Help please,
I am getting ready to ship for the first time a large order to Australia. I was not prepared for this custom order and I charged my customer only $25. I am planning to send it as a large document with weight under 300gr.
This would be the first time when I would consider insurance and tracking. According to estimate from Canada post, this would cost me around $40, covering only up to $60 value. What to do? How long in the worst case to reach this destination with this shipment?
What about PayPal tracking and insurance and how does that work?
I live close to American border and I am considering checking out their post services...
Any help or advice greatly appreciated.

[KnitsByNat]

VT,

I sent a large package to Australia last month. I sent it Small Packet Air and insured it with InsurePost. I mailed it April 28th and she was posting a photo of herself on FB May 9th wearing the scarf she received the day before.

Just make sure to have an invoice on the outside of the package for customs.

[HandmadeTrend]

Thank you so much Natalie. Can you please tell me how much does it cost for shipping and coverage. I used Canada post estimate online and it seems very expensive.

[KnitsByNat]

I looked at 350 grams and it came to about $22 and InsurePost is $1,50 for every $100 you want to insure. I went on PayPal to calculate shipping.

[HandmadeTrend]

Thanks again.

[GlimpseGlass]

Hi,

Sorry if this question has been asked before. I have a parcel that was mailed light air to the UK. It was sent on March 31 and has yet to arrive. Of course this parcel doesn't have tracking. I used Etsy shipping labels and have a photo of the parcel.

Is there a timeframe I am allowed to wait before sending another parcel or refunding the purchase?

Thanks!

[TigersandDragons]

Have you asked your customer to:
A) Type their address and confirm that it is the one you shipped to?
It's surprising how many people do not update their addresses when then move and don't notice until weeks later when the parcel hasn't arrived.

B) Have your customer talk to their neighbours, their postman, their local post office and their Royal Mail Customs office to check if anyone has received it or seen it? This effort on your customers part may bring the package to light.

If the value was over 15 Pounds, than it is very likely that it is sitting and waiting for them to pick it up and pay customs fees. They are supposed to receive a notice about this, but sometimes it doesn't happen. Also some people claim they don't receive them, because they do not want to pay the charges, and the parcel eventually is sent back to you.

It's been 34 Business days since it was shipped. I usually wait until 45 business days before considering a refund or reshipping. There is no "required" timeframe by Etsy or Paypal. However many customers will file a case at Etsy and or Paypal before the deadline passes, if they are worried that you will not provide either the item or a refund, and they want to protect themselves.

[TigersandDragons]

Natalie,
An invoice isn't usually needed on the outside of a parcel going to Australia as long as you have a clearly filled out customs form. Australia's import limit is very high, $1000, so a shipment may wait to be cleared through customs, but it won't be brokered for tax and duty.

[GlimpseGlass]

Thanks so much Tigers... I'll look into those options!

[KnitsByNat]

Tiger,

It's true. I just got in the habit of sending everything except US and Canada with an invoice outside.

[ElfinWorks]

I have to wonder about the efficiency of USPS sending almost everything going anywhere to San Francisco first. I ordered something from Oregon which was supposed to be coming to BC, and instead it went in the opposite direction to SF to be sorted for the first 7 days of it's journey. And I recently saw the same thing with an Expedited parcel sent to WA from BC. It was first shipped to SF. Hundreds of miles past where it needed to go. And I just saw a Tracked Packet a customer paid extra for, in hopes of it maybe getting delivered to NY from BC close to Mothers Day take 11 days to be delivered and according to scanning spend almost a week in SF.

I am glad I did not encourage this customer to expect faster delivery, and warned them I think Canada Post uses a dog sled sometimes, but I left out the part that USPS often ships mail hundreds of miles in the wrong direction before sending it in the right direction... after the dog sled.....

I am not sure why someone thinks this is more efficient.

Lately the things I have sent to Europe are arriving a lot faster and a lot more directly than things in the US.

[TigersandDragons]

Elfin, you're right, it isn't efficient, it is stupid. However USPS has closed some of their sorting stations and now there are only a few where they sort International mail, SF being a major one.
Have been reading more and more complaints in the general threads lately about USPS by American sellers and I don't think all the problems can be blamed on the long unusually cold winter. Apparently Chicago has become a black hole for mail.

[KnitsByNat]

I'm so glad my packages go through New York.

[StudioMilika]

Elfin, you made me laugh out loud with your dog sled ;)

[cindylouwho2]

I agree on checking the address, telling them to ask around etc. I have had many problems solved that way!

I refund/replace US packages after a month & international before 6 weeks, as I don't expect customers to lose their Paypal/Etsy case rights while waiting for things to show up. In my experience with light packets, if they don't show up in those time frames, they are lost. I have heard other size packages can take longer, however. Also, I do make Americans wait longer during the holiday season.

[cindylouwho2]

Wondering if anyone has used the online barcode for packages yet?
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/cdc?execution=e3s1

I just got my Venture One email today & it had a link, but it still doesn't give a lot of info on how this works. Most of my stuff is light packet, but I do send the odd Xpresspost to the US & would like to be prepared ahead of time.