With a few exceptions, Canada Post is still the most reliable and cheapest shipping service.
Check the service options.
If your items are less than 500 grams and 2 cm thick, they can go Letter/Light Packet. This is relatively cheap and Air Mail. But it has no insurance, nor is it Delivery Confirmed. Be prepared for the odd non-arrival claim. Many sellers who use this "self-insure" by adding a few pennies to every handling charge and using these "premiums' to pay the very occasional claim, before Paypal gets involved.
Small Packet does have $100 insurance included. Again if there is a claim, pay out and go to Canada Post for your reimbursement.
Regular and Expedited include $100 insurance and Delivery Confirmation. Worth it for more valuable items and nervous buyers. Expedited has a 25% discount from PO counter prices when printed through Paypal.
The alternatives:
UPS and other couriers: Usually more expensive and they offload parcels to rural and isolated destinations to Canada Post. But may be worthwhile for items that require true tracking and shipments are insured. Useful mostly within Canada.
chitchatexpress and bookstothe border are eBay sellers who run Canadian packages to the US for shipping by USPS. CCE is in Toronto and BTTB is in Vancouver.
You may also find buying discount postage from stamp dealers worthwhile. I won't talk about this more because it would be a conflict of interest.
