Huge Increases in Some Canada Post Rates and Service Cuts

[widgetc]

I just heard on CBC radio that early in 2014 the letter rate will go from 63 cents to $1.00 or $0.85 if you buy stamps in bulk. Nothing was said about the heavier letters or U.S. and international rates but they are likely to drastically rise too.

Also over the next 5 years home delivery will end completely being replaced by super-group mail boxes and 8,000 jobs will be eliminated.

[pierrelebel]

"The printed stickers if is what I use for Lettermail .. The store clerk prints the sticker postage which means I only have to deal with a minor increase ..."

???

I checked at the Post Office this morning.

When the clerk affixes a postage label or a stamp, the price is the same. The changes effective March 31st do not change that.  Whether the postal clerk affix a label or stamps - the new rates apply.

The lower rate for "metered mail" does not apply to purchase of postage at the post office.  It is only valid for businesses with a permit from Canada Post.

[ricarmic]

It will be interesting to see what they charge me for the Souvenir Sheets I buy. I buy them in pads of 50. Because I sell to stamp collectors I try to put a nice modern souvenir sheet on each pack. It will be unfortunate if they charge the "p" stamps in them x$1.00 each instead of 85c each. I know my postmaster will fight for me to try to get the lower rate, I put a lot of $$$ through our wee PO each year....time will tell!!!!

[chitchatsexpress]

I love Canada post 

Been saying this for years.

An article in the globe and mail tells my story best, I think.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-curious-convoluted-route-a-package-takes-to-be...

[pocomocomputing]

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@chitchatsexpress wrote:

I love Canada post 

Been saying this for years.

An article in the globe and mail tells my story best, I think.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/the-curious-convoluted-route-a-package-takes-to-be...

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I read the article and wonder why the seller of flavored toothpicks did not use Canada Post Lettermail at $3.75 CAN + tax for 500 grams and under. Paying $7.35 US for the same. The article mentions the item was the size of a pack of playing cards which is very close to the 2 cm thickness limit.. A simple resign of that item retail packaging to fit the 2 cm thickness would have cut his costs possible down to $3.75 or less. Since toothpicks are very light, maybe less than $3.75.

[chitchatsexpress]

I don't think he could have shipped for $3.75 even is it was 2 CM and got tracking. I don't ship any of my online sales without tracking, and for most sellers its an important consideration.

Even so, as it says in the article, I don't recommend sellers ship from the US to Canada. There are customs and time to take into consideration and neither of them benefit the seller in the long run.

He does have one thing going for his online sales. A US address . That makes a huge difference to a Canadian sellers US sales.

[rose-dee]

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@pocomocomputing wrote:

I wonder how PayPal shipping for Canada Post options as programmed by Pitney Bowes will do this year. 

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Right -- it only took them almost to the end of 2013 to get things working properly.  Let's hope we don't have the same fiasco in 2014. 

Merry Christmas to all, I'm signing off for a few days!  

[femmefan1946]

And congratulations on the free publicity ChitChat. It was also good to learn that there is life after bookselling.

[chitchatsexpress]

Yes there is life after book selling.

Its a shame to see book selling becoming extinct. So many wholesalers and stores have closed over the last year, and publishers don't print as many books as they did a couple of years ago.. Much harder to get the inventory I used to get.

In the Toronto area we lost  Fairmount books this year. and I have heard the book depot will close next year. Ebooks have more or less done us in.

[zee-chan]

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@ypdc_dennis wrote:

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@widgetc wrote:

I just heard on CBC radio that early in 2014 the letter rate will go from 63 cents to $1.00 or $0.85 if you buy stamps in bulk. Nothing was said about the heavier letters or U.S. and international rates but they are likely to drastically rise too.

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Cost of using stamps will rise around 35% for most weight classes of lettermail.

Letters are to get a stamp rate and a metered rate.

There will be no rate change in January as originally planned.
Instead the new lettermail rates start March 31, 2014

First rate shown is if you use stamps, second rate shown is for using metered mail, last is the
2013 cost with percentage increase if you use stamps.

Canada
30g  - 0.85  / 0.75 from 0.63  (up 35%)
50g  - 1.20  / 1.15 from 1.10  (up  9%)
100g - 1.80 / 1.60 from 1.34  (up 34%)
200g - 2.95 / 2.60 from 2.20  (up 34%)
300g - 4.10 / 3.65 from 3.05  (up 35%)
400g - 4.70 / 4.15 from 3.50  (up 34%)
500g - 5.05 / 4.45 from 3.75  (up 35%)

USA
30g  - 1.20  / 1.15 from 1.10  (up  9%)
50g  - 1.80  / 1.60 from 1.34  (up 34%)
100g - 2.95 / 2.50 from 2.20  (up 34%)
200g - 5.15 / 4.52 from 4.36  (up 18%)
500g - 10.30 / 9.05 from 7.60  (up 35%)

International
30g  - 2.50 / 2.20 from 1.85   (up 35%)
50g  - 3.60 / 3.19 from 2.68   (up 35%)
100g - 5.90 / 5.19 from 4.36  (up 35%)
200g - 10.30 / 9.05 from 7.60  (up 35%)
500g - 20.60 / 18.10 from 15.20  (up 35%)

Info source: Canada Post website

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...wow. I think I can probably stop selling by then lol. 

I guess what I'm gonna do in March is to put my stuff into lots, and sell them as auction... get whatever I can get from them and be with it.

[cumos55]

Bump it up for everyone to see....

[thebeadcomber]

I wish Canada Post would implement flat rate shipping options like the USA...size not weight. Their new rates are going to hurt small business.

[thebeadcomber]

majority of mine are also under 100 g. Not sure why they are saying increase is 25 to 35% when an increase on the small packet from $2.65 to $3.79 is actually 43%!!

[cjacki]

Has anyone seen the list of cities / areas that will get dinged with the $5.00 surcharge?  Anywhere on-line?

[femmefan1946]

as I can not use lettermail as my post office does not allow it so I have to use light packet.

The Post Office introduced an interesting product some time ago (around 1859, I believe) that may help you out. These are prepaid gummed labels in various denominations, that you can buy in advance and add to your parcels before going to the PO. In fact you can them drop the parcels in the nearest PO box and never enter the PO.

PO boxes are emptied by a different staff and the contents go directly to the terminal.

Using these stickers has several advantages.

You may not have to drive so far to ship ( Does your little town have red postboxes or do you all have to drive to that outlet to send and pick up mail?)

You decide what is the appropriate rate.

The Dominion of Canada has never demonetized those labels, which they call stamps, and it is possible to buy them at a discount on eBay and from other venues. (Ahem.. waves hand in air.)

[recped]

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@cjacki wrote:

Has anyone seen the list of cities / areas that will get dinged with the $5.00 surcharge?  Anywhere on-line?

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You can find the list of Postal Codes which are CURRENTLY considered "remote and northern locations" for Delivery Standards purposes (meaning these locations require extra time for delivery) at the link below.

I don't think an official list of locations where the surcharge will apply has been released yet but it's probably going to be a similar list.

http://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/manual/PGservstds-e.asp#1762598

In all the time I've been selling on eBay I think I may had made one sale that would qualify for the surcharge. Maybe if you have a big customer base in remote First Nation reserves or NWT/NU but I don't think this is something most sellers will need to worry about.