CanadaPost is not shipping via surface to Australia right now (since Aug. 31)! Just found out.

[dhslk]

Hello. I just sold my first surface mail order to Australia (on another venue) since Aug. 31. I was shocked to find out that surface mail options are not available to Australia via Canada Post right now (suspended since Aug. 31 due to staffing shortages in Australia). I have a Canada Post account and received no notice of the service interruption.

I checked my ebay listings and they are still showing CanadaPost surface mail options to Australia. Surely ebay should be blocking that option. For sellers to do so would be ridiculously time consuming, especially since this is a temporary situation. ebay should be able to do so site-wide with a few minutes of work.

Has anyone heard anything? I'll call them tomorrow, but was hoping someone already had some info.

[femmefan1946]

I was shocked to find out that surface mail options are not available to Australia via Canada Post right now

This should be less of a worry than you might think, since Surface shipping is a Very Bad Idea.

The low price attracts naive sellers, who think they are doing their customers a favour, but it ends up that when the shipment doesn't arrive by the last estimated date, the impatient buyer opens and wins an Item Not Received dispute.

And gets to keep their free gift when it arrives months later.

USPS actually stopped offering International Surface service entirely a few years ago. Canada Post should do right by their small business customers by ending it too.

Just take the option off your listings.

If the buyer wants it, he will buy it anyway.

If the "buyer" is using the INR scam, you just cut him off at the knees.

By the way, if you phone "eBay" about this you will get a bored sub-contractor somewhere in Utah who will agree with you, 86 your complaint, and go on with trying to meet their quota.

[dhslk]

I have been shipping via Canada Post surface mail to Australia for almost 20 years (I usually also offer airmail). Not once have I had a problem (have had to do some hand holding, but never have I lost any money).  99% of my Australian sales would not occur if I didn't offer surface mail. Even surface mail for most of the items that I sell is fairly expensive to Australia.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@dhslk wrote:

I have been shipping via Canada Post surface mail to Australia for almost 20 years (I usually also offer airmail). Not once have I had a problem (have had to do some hand holding, but never have I lost any money).  99% of my Australian sales would not occur if I didn't offer surface mail. Even surface mail for most of the items that I sell is fairly expensive to Australia.

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Similar to @femmefan1946 I haven't used small packet surface to anywhere in years. Maybe more than 5.  Just too dog goned unreliable. I check the attached link from time to time. Saved in my shortcuts on my Sellers Hub page. Noticed a few weeks ago when I had a few orders to Australia that there "may" be delays. Unsure if eBay has anything in place to actually monitor all delays.They occasionally make announcements when there has been some sort of storm or forest fire situation in N. A.  If you did have an issue you could pass on to  customer that there may be delays/hang tight and/or advise ebay... if there was a strike applied to your account. 

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

-Lotz

[byto253]

Not a market for me, but that is unfortunate to hear.  I can't say I am surprised ebay shipping is not updated though.   Good luck with the shipments. 

[dhslk]

FYI. This isn't just a delay due to a storm or something. This is a complete discontinuation of incoming surface mail from ANYWHERE into Australia until March 2023 due to huge COVID (and a few other reasons) - related backlogs in Australia. NO CARRIER (not just CanadaPost) can ship there via surface mail for at least 6 more months.

Re Small Packets, I understand the sentiment but, in almost 20 years, I have 'lost' maybe 2 or 3 Small Packet INRs to the tune of maybe $150. However, I have sold hundreds of Small Packet surface mail items in that time---therefore, a reasonable risk; and I ship worldwide with no exceptions (except for the ones imposed site-wide). (I shipped 2 out this week already).

[dhslk]

Hi. I don't post very often. My most recent post was supposed to be a general post, not directed to a particular response. Sorry if it sounds like I'm rebutting someone's reply. I appreciated all of them.

[femmefan1946]

Those who do use Small Packet Surface can deal with the problem easily.

When Shipping Internationally is being filled on the Sell Your Item form, it is possible to add a second service Small Packet Air for Australia only, while still using Small Packet Surface for the rest of the world.