BEWARE OF CANPAR

[ichopshop]

I just got off the phone with Canpar.  I went to their website earlier today to see if they were a viable replacement for Canada Post.  I got an estimate to ship an item, the total was just a little over $22 cnd, very reasonable and cheaper than Canada Post.  I apply for an account, they contact me a short time later.  Simply put, if you're not shipping with them several times a week for a minimum of $1000 business a year, they're not going to open an account for you.  As a result you'll end up paying the full consumer rate, which in the case of my shipment is $38 cnd.  The only indication on the rate estimate page that the price may change is a little ** at the bottom saying rates MAY be higher for non account holders.

And if I did choose to open an account the process takes about a week.

Long story short, told them to sod off.

Into Canada Post it goes and it gets there whenever I guess.

[ichopshop]

As a side note I see Canada Post is still offering "Delivery Guarantees" despite my area being on strike today so anything I put in the mail won't end up at the local sort center until Monday evening.

[what-sales-direct]

Even with the delivery guarantee, you won't get refunded if they don't deliver on time. It's in there TOS. So the on-time delivery guarantee is basically void and package will be delivered when every they get to your shipment.

[momcqueen]

Huh. Thanks for the heads up.

Under normal circumstances, anything mailed via Expedited in Canada by dec 13 would have (will?) made it this year. Tracked or Small Packet International was Dec 1 and I think USA Tracked Packet was Dec 11 or 12. Domestic Xpresspst and Priorty had deliver-by deadlines a lot closer to Christmas.

Under ‘normal’ circumstances. There are no MoneyBack-Late Guarantee eligible due to the strikes. That is in the Terms and Conditions.

I still hold hope this can be turned around in time to save Christmas for Canadians small business and its online shoppers.

[hlmacdon]

If memory serves correct, there should be some freight consolidators/resellers that offer Canpar. That is usually the better route to go if you only have occasional volume as you can leverage their contracts for better rates and avoid minimums. You should be able to find plenty of discussion at deal sites like RFD. 

[travis7s]

You could look into registering with ShipTime, they have Canpar as one of their courier options although I have not used them specifically.  I've used them for a few Loomis shipments and it works pretty well. They also have 20% off coupons for first shipment and I just saw another one for Black Friday week. Although I well say the customer service from Loomis, and presumably Canpar because they are owned by the same parent, is rather lacking. (late pickups, long hold times on the phone)

[ypdc_dennis]

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@travis7s wrote:

 ... customer service from Loomis, and presumably Canpar because they are owned by the same parent, is rather lacking. (late pickups, long hold times on the phone)

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Parent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TFI_International

[travis7s]

I have to revoke my recommendation of Shiptime at this time. I just got some very sneaky notifications that I was charged ~30% more for carrier adjustment fees. I took all measurements carefully so I figure either Loomis is ripping us off, or Shiptime drastically underquotes. Also the Shiptime customer support page/email is either a dead 404 link or just errors out. I will report back if they resolve anything.

[momcqueen]

Yikes.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

If there is one thing we have learned from this recent Canadapost mail strike, for your average Canadian eBay seller there really are limited alternative affordable shipping options unless you are in one of a few major cities or close to the US border. Sad but true!!!

-CM

[femmefan1946]

It's also a warning that privatizing the postal service will not mean savings (private couriers have higher rates) or better service (private couriers are not required to cover the entire nation).

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Currently, the other thing that comes into play, is if you were to give your parcel to one of the other couriers, somewhere along the way they would hand it off to Canadapost for final delivery because they have no one to handle it past a certain point. It's just not clearly acknowledged in their websites. They do it because they want the rest of your business.

-CM

[travis7s]

Update on my Shiptime issue! Took them 4.5 months to get back to me to tell me Loomis refused my claim. Seeing as I am very certain I measured correctly and rounded dimensions up, I really can't ecommend Shiptime or Loomis / Canpar at all.

[evals0607]

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/the-risks-you-may-not-know-when-shipping-packages-1.4569511

about Canpar abd the nightmares//

[reallynicestamps]

There are often complaints about CanPar on these Boards, but to be fair, this particular case also involves UPS and apparently FedEx is not very helpful about insuring their shipments either.

What does come out of this, to me, is that third party insurance is a Good Thing.

And never lie about the value of a shipment on the Customs declaration, because the insurance will probably only cover the lower of the declared value or the selling price.

[rubou-9819]

I am so worried cuz i ordered and they are delivering

[clemowbooks]

ZOMBIE THREAD FROM 2018.

[kh-leslie]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies.  Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thanks for understanding!