eBay

zee-chan · ‎04-03-2014

I made this chart for myself. Please feel free to use it as well (and please correct me if I put in wrong numbers for any of them)

2014 Canada Post Postage for Lettermail, Letter Post, Light Packet (LP), Small Packet Air (SP)
Maximum dimensions: 380 mm x 270 mm x 20 mm for lettermail, letter post, light packet

Weight	Canada	USA	International
≤30g	0.85 + tax	1.20 + tax	2.50 + tax
≤50g	1.20 + tax	1.80 + tax	3.60 + tax
≤100g	1.80 + tax	2.95 + tax	5.90
≤150g	-	3.79 + tax (LP)	6.51 (LP)
≤200g	2.95 + tax	5.15	10.30 9.37-11.72 (SP)
≤250g	-	6.37 (LP) 8.03 (SP)	10.46 (LP) 9.37-11.72 (SP)
≤300g	4.10 + tax	-	-
≤400g	4.70 + tax	-	-
≤500g	5.05 + tax	10.33 10.66 (LP/SP)	20.60 19.12 (LP) 18.75-21.72 (SP)
≤1000g	-	16.03 (SP)	36.76-44.68 (SP)
≤1500g	-	-	43.24-57.28 (SP)
≤2000g	-	-	48.57-69.85 (SP)

Note that if you are mailing something internationally that’s ≤250g or ≤500g, it’d be a good idea to look up the price for Small Packet Air as well. It might be cheaper depending on destination.

References

zee-chan · ‎04-03-2014

As you can see, for ≤ 200g, 250g, and 500g for international, there is a potential that small packet air would be cheaper than using letterpost or light packet, if you are mailing to Europe (such as Germany) etc. For these items you should use find-a-rate on canada post website to see what's your cheapest option. Good luck everyone with coping with Canada Post's new price hike!

I did not include small packet surface price because I rarely use it (I'd always look it up if I need to use it), and most of us know that we shouldn't be using it on eBay anyway due to risk of INR cases.

Attached is a jpg image version.

imbuzzy · ‎04-04-2014

Thank you - a very convenient and easy-to-read chart!

toff3 · ‎04-04-2014

a very convenient and easy-to-read chart!

I'm glad you think so, Imbuzzy. Personally, I find it a pig's breakfast but it's certainly not Zee-chan's fault. Zee-chan did the best she could, trying to construct a table out of the mare's nest that is Canada Post's pricing. The maximum dimensions at the top are incorrect for Standard Letters but of course you're not supposed to use these to send goods. The table also obscures such anomalies as the price difference between Other Letter-post and Light Packet in the weight range 200 g up to 250 g (physically identical mail pieces transmitted by air without any enhancements or features): 62% to USA, 97% to International destinations.

For comparison, check out the UK Royal Mail price sheet for letters, small packets and printed papers to international destinations by air (those are all the categories they use); currency is pounds sterling (1 pound = C$1.83):

Europe Rest of world

Letters up to 100 g

Up to 10 g 0.97 0.97

20 g 0.97 1.28

60 g 1.47 2.15

100 g 2.35 3.48

Small Parcels up to 100 g

3.20 3.80-4.00

Small Parcels & Printed Papers (incl. books) over 100 g

Up to 250 g 3.70 4.75-5.05

500 g 5.15 7.45-7.90

750 g 6.60 10.15-10.75

.... and so on. Prices go up in 250 g increments to

2000 g 13.85 23.65-25.00

There are also rates for Printed Papers up to 5 kg, which you can ship to most countries.

And if you want something even simpler, take a look at the German Deutsche Post's letter-post (including Small Packets) pricing to International destinations. There are just 5 categories of mail; currency is the euro (1 euro = C$1.51).

Postcards 0.75

Standard letter up to 20 g 0.75

Compact letter up to 50 g 1.50

Large letter up to 500 g 3.45

Maxi letter up to 1000 g 7.00

1000-2000 g 17.00

There are special rates for printed papers and books and M-bags are available.

A final note: The Royal Mail was privatized late last year, Deutsche Post in 2000.

Tom

zee-chan · ‎04-04-2014

Thank you imbuzzy for a simple appreciative response.

To Tom: There is no point comparing the differences between mail carriers in different countries and it's completely irrelevant to this post. We live in Canada and if we are gonna be stuck with *Canada Post* then this is what's relevant for those who use lettermail / letterpost / light packet / small packet. Who is going to look up what the Germans or how the British postal system prices are unless they are buying/shipping something from there? Please stay on topic and perhaps be less destructive and less toxic once in a little while please. How would you feel if you spent time working on something to share it with others, just to have it bashed by someone inconsiderate like you? Next time I won't even bother sharing my input and just keep everything to myself then. Is this the type of community environment you would prefer? Everyone bashing someone's effort down and be as discouraging as possible?

And yes, I forgot to note that the maximum dimensions should be for oversized and light packet, not for standard letter mail.

pjcdn2005 · ‎04-04-2014

I appreciate your efforts, thank you for posting the chart.

ricarmic · ‎04-04-2014

Zee: I would suggest don't forget about the positives like the folks who've said thanks for your efforts or have given you kudos for your efforts.... the more folks who take time to post stuff like you have, the better things will be for us all. I have been around for a long time and I am still regularly learning stuff from this board because none of us knows everything nor has the time to read up on all the things changing around us each day it seems....have a great weekend!

norrinradd1781 · ‎04-04-2014

Thanks! Thats an awesome chart!.

toff3 · ‎04-05-2014

Zee-chan,

Take it easy, relax. In my post I clearly gave you credit for trying to portray Canada Post's nightmare pricing schedule in a reasonably easy-to-understand format. As I wrote, you did the best you could. The very fact that you felt you should make the attempt indicates to me that you recognize that navigating Canada Post's pricing maze is not easy.

I didn't post the Royal Mail and Deutsche Post price charts as a guide for eBayers checking on how much they were charged for shipment of their orders from the UK and Germany. I posted them as examples of a fair and rational postal pricing chart for UPU-defined Letter-post.

If you're ready to accept a price schedule in which, for example,

you're charged $2.50 (Letter-post) or $6.51 (Light Packet) - a difference of 160% in favour of Letter-post - for an identical mail piece (Standard Letter format)

and

$20.60 (Other Letter-post) or $10.46 (Light Packet) - a difference of 97% in favour of Lt Pkt - for the same mail piece

and

for sending a letter to Germany, you're charged more than double what a German pays to send one to Canada,

then fine - it's your prerogative.

I consider Canada Post's pricing to be a form of gouging and try to document the evidence for it.

Tom

nan*55 · ‎04-05-2014

Thank You for sharing your chart 🙂

i*m-stilll-here · ‎04-05-2014

Others have probably noticed this long before I have, but I always used the breaks of 250.500, and 1,000 grams for shipping weight.

That' is, I didn't punch the weights in exactly and if an item weighed 299 grams I'd round up to 499 grams for small and light packet in case I wanted to throw some little tidbit in before shipping.

Those breaks have changed as well, but others are likely already aware of that