eBay

tlrs71 · ‎09-29-2023

Hi,

I've been selling trading cards for years and since the last month I have a specific problem with Canada Post where all my bubble mailer send like regular mail to the USA is return to me. There's a mention on it that it's merchandise and need to send using the small packet system. It's only medium value card send without tracking. It's been working for the last couple of years so don't know what's the problem now. Anybody else have been experiencing that problem lately with Canada Post to the USA or it's just a problem with the Montreal distrubition center?

toronto_tuttle · ‎09-29-2023

Canada Post allows merchandise to be sent standard sized Lettermail up to 0.5 cm. thickness or Oversize Lettermail up to 2 cm. thickness. for destinations in Canada.

However, merchandise cannot be sent that way to USA or International. For USA and International destinations, all Lettermail and Oversize Lettermail must contain only printed material (paper).

If you send only the card with paper, that might qualify. If the card has a plastic case or envelope, then it would not qualify to be sent Lettermail to USA or International.

Often you may get away with sending merchandise, but if it's caught and returned then they are simply enforcing Canada Post (and possibly USPS) rules.

fh991586 · ‎09-29-2023

This subject has been discussed in many other posts here! Even if you got away with this scheme in the past, it wasn't legal.

Paper is acceptable, but only as document. Not as goods, which trading cards are. Anything with a commercial value is considered as goods, while documents don't have a commercial value.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/letter-post/acceptable-items.page?

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/letter-post/unacceptable-items.page?

One of their example is prone to discussion: photographs.

It can be a document (family pictures), and also have a commercial value as a good (historical item or memorabilia). The main thing to consider is it's not acceptable if the reason for shipping is a commercial transaction.

pjcdn2005 · ‎09-29-2023

That rule that @toronto_tuttle is referring to has been the rule for CP for many years but they just started enforcing it in the last year. I believe that it is a rule for the Universal Postal Union as well. Some who sell stamps, coins and trading cards have been able to bypass the 'no merchandise with international lettermail' because they are using plain envelopes that don't appear to contain merchandise. But bubble mailers are often being sent back to the sender. Those using merchandise in plain envelopes are still not following the rules but are willing to take a chance that their envelopes will get through.

ilikehockeyjerseys · ‎09-29-2023

The issue is that it is merchandise, and as of a few years ago you are not allowed to send merchandise without the proper customs declaration. There is no way to do that with lettermail. There is no Canada Post service that bridges the gap between lettermail and parcel. Unless you're selling higher-priced cards that have the margins to support a shipping cost of 7-8 CAD, you're out of luck.

They haven't always enforced it, which might be why you haven't noticed.

It seems like eBay has been working with Canada Post to get exclusive services or discounts that are tailored to the needs of their sellers. It's too bad that they don't have some sort of Small Packet Air style service for letter-sized packages under 30g.

rocketscollectibles · ‎09-30-2023

I have the same issue! I'm shipping letterpost since 2 years without issues and past month they started rejecting everything. Very luckily for the moment i only dealt with understanding buyers. They started bending all my packages like crazies and i receive them all back damaged. Personally i can notice (or suspect) that it's the same employee everytime. It's always bent the same way and in a savage way. The last returned he even pierced my package with a pencil. Another time i had $1.29 of stamps applied (accepable as $1.30), and he added a note 'wrong postage '$1.19''. The guy can't even count.

it's just a problem with the Montreal distrubition center?

We're both from quebec maybe we face the same one employee LOL.

I have tips i'll share in private since we're not competitors.

mrdutch1001 · ‎09-30-2023

perhaps it's a matter of "you get what you pay for."..you paid for letter mail rate to the USA, but your so-called "printed matter" does not qualify for lettermail as it is not an actual letter and it's not documents...the sale of goods/merchandise is NOT lettermail and as per the Canada Post guidelines cannot be sent as lettermail to USA or International destinations>so then Canada Post says "aha! another one guising goods/merchandise as lettermail!...no you shall not be doing that and we are now going to make you pay for what this really is! your name and address is now on our "naughty list" and we have eyes on you"

So many sellers of cards have been guising their goods/merchandise sent to USA/International destinations as "lettermail" and are now getting caught in the act. This is not unique to any specific postal outlet, not unique to any specific city or province ...this is Canada Post doing their job, this is Canada Post applying their rules and policies wherever they see the violations...

tlrs71 · ‎09-30-2023

by looking to the responses it make me sounds like someone who's been trying to get away with something and it's far from the thruth lol I've been shipping directly at a Canada Postal Office in my region and the employees that's been there for decades knows what I'm shipping never hide it and always told me that cards counted as paper so it's ok to send it. Even the bosses there said the same thing. So that's why I always ship that way. The last 8 + years no problem with that except last month for bubble mailer only. I'll adjust to that but there's seems to be a double-standard for interpretation within Canada Post about that.

mrdutch1001 · ‎09-30-2023

I totally agree with what you are saying...I too was told by long time Canada Post employees that my "Printed Matter" materials(crochet patterns, knitting patterns craft magazines,etc) were acceptable for lettermail rate...until they weren't and Canada Post started returning them(and no, these were not sent in bubble mailers, but were sent in poly envelopes with contents encased in rigid lightweight cardboard to prevent bending). Rather than risk further issues, I accepted the need to abide by Canada Post guidelines regarding "Printed Matter" Goods/Merchandise to USA. Unfortunately 90% of my competitors are still "risking it" and enjoying those low cost rates by using lettermail and thereby I am at the great disadvantage with my higher prices = less sales to USA. Yes, Canadian buyers are still out there but few and far between. However, soon I shall no longer need to concern myself with that disadvantage, as I slowly donate locally ALL my "printed matter" materials. There is more to life than the frustrations being dealt with here.

C'est la vie!

Que sera, sera...

toronto_tuttle · ‎09-30-2023

@tlrs71 wrote:
there's seems to be a double-standard for interpretation within Canada Post about that.

I don't see a double standard. What I see is that they now enforce a rule that was often previously ignored. Or perhaps they now do more random checking so that envelopes are more likely to be caught if they don't abide by the rules. It's analagous to you getting a speeding ticket on the same stretch of road where your friend was speeding earlier. The fact that you got a ticket and your friend didn't is the luck of the draw that police were checking speed when you drove there and weren't when your friend drove, not a double standard.

Like you, in the past I often sent stuff lettermail that now may get returned. Now if it's important that it reach its destination in a timely manner without any return, I'll send it as a package and not lettermail.

flipistics · ‎09-30-2023

@mrdutch1001 wrote:
However, soon I shall no longer need to concern myself with that disadvantage, as I slowly donate locally ALL my "printed matter" materials. There is more to life than the frustrations being dealt with here.
C'est la vie!
Que sera, sera...

Why not create some large bundles?

mrdutch1001 · ‎09-30-2023

tried that on a few occasions with small bundles... zilch= some of these weigh up greatly to prohibitive postal costs ...and if I have to resort to "give away" item prices to compensate, well why bother with the hassle of shipping? ... simply not worth the bother. I am quite certain my "donations" will be more appreciated by local crafters as opposed to would-be/potential elusive online buyers.