eBay

authomaton · ‎10-13-2023

Hello! First time posting here, long time lurker.

Used to send small items into the US through Canada Post Oversize Lettermail-- but no more! I had been doing this for many years to keep shipping costs low, but was recently made VERY aware that this is prohibited. Merchandise is not to be sent through lettermail to the states. I had a dozen or so orders to the states that I shipped out roughly in the same week, over a month ago. Every single buyer has opened a case or asked for refund, which I obliged!

Out of those 12 or so orders, one has been returned to me by Canada Post with a label explaining the situation. But the other 11? Nowhere to be found... ouch ouch ouch. I've since changed my shipping options to the US. No more lettermail! I put adequate postage and have a clearly written return shipping address...

Has anyone had something similar happen? Any idea if/when I or my buyers will ever see these packages ever again?

J

reallynicestamps · ‎10-13-2023

It may be a run of bad luck /bad buyers.

I am assuming that your "lettermail" items otherwise met the 500gr/2cm parameters?

Return to sender mail can be slow because it is never a priority for the carrier.

So some, maybe all, of those shipments may come back to you.

And some.... gamers gonna game.... may be gone forever.

You might also try changing the place you ship from.

I put most lettermail into the street mailbox, on the basis that it's not tracked anyway, and only take Tracked items (including Small Packet USA which is not tracked but has a label and barcode) in to the PO to get a receipt.

authomaton · ‎10-13-2023

Always adhering to the thickness and weight maximums!

Good to know it's a super low priority for the carrier. Fingers crossed I am not losing my stock. I would not be surprised either if buyers are taking advantage of the no tracking situation... ah well. I put my packages in the red maiboxes, tracked stuff goes to the PO. (Good idea on the receipt, it will hopefully help with future cases involving untracked packages.)

Thank you!

regs43 · ‎10-13-2023

This started happening February 2022 was the first blitz I heard about. I was affected in the July 2022 blitz and I just said not dealing with that and changed to the small packet/tracked package to the USA. People will buy the item if they really want it.

I have heard of other people complaining since then, some stuff will make it some wont its the risk.

Are you in Montreal by chance? curious if that's the new Blitz zone lol. I recall 2 people complaining in the past 3-4 weeks from Montreal that their lettermail had been returned and one persons the stuff had been bent to check the contents of the bubble mailer thus damaging the product inside.

mrdutch1001 · ‎10-13-2023

"..and I just said not dealing with that and changed to the small packet/tracked package to the USA. People will buy the item if they really want it."

Exactly!...I did likerwise, although I did start sending via Small Packet in March 2022...

It really matters not what the seller's location in Canada nor the location of the postal outlet...

Canada Post employees are doing what they are supposed to do=their job... and adhering to Canada Post rules and policies..

Honestly, there no excuse for any seller to not be following the Canada Post guideliens...this topic has been discussed at length in numerous threads over the past 18 months...

For those who continue to disguise the contents and continue sending their goods/merchandise to USA & International destinations via letter mail should expect their packagers to be returned and/or "lost" at some point and continuing "to risk it" is their own demise.

marnotom! · ‎10-13-2023

Something to keep in mind is that there's a chance these items may have been snagged on the US side, rather than the Canadian side. I'm not sure how they would have been dealt with if this is the case, though.

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/5167872/homeland-security-agents-inspect-mail-canada

rocketscollectibles · ‎10-13-2023

Most of my bubble mailers sent to US shipped past month returned to me. When this new tnedency started, i lost 2-3 packages too. I received multiple packages bent and damaged. The way those returns returned, it was disrepectfully handled. So i would not be surprised if they started this new norm by opening and throwing packages.

rocketscollectibles · ‎10-13-2023

Are you in Montreal by chance? curious if that's the new Blitz zone lol.

This is insane! He's from Quebec too!

This is really just a single guy messing up the whole province.

People will buy the item if they really want it.

This is something true when you have no competition. You cannot be competitive in competitive categories without letterpost on lower end items. You won't be competitive in the US market charging $15 when they can buy from the US paying 1/3 of the price, and if other canadians ships letterpost and you don't, same thing.

mrdutch1001 · ‎10-14-2023

ALL "cheaters"(those who defy Canada Post guidelines so they can "be competitive" with their competition will get caught...eventually...

as you can see from the trickle of threads over the past many months, slowly one by one, the cheaters are getting caught in their risky game of roulette with Canada Post.

rocketscollectibles · ‎10-14-2023

Cheaters are canada post charging $15 just to add tracking to ship in your own city.

mrdutch1001 · ‎10-14-2023

Choices: $15 to Canada Post or $15 in gas & time to hand deliver within one's own city &/or $0 via arrangement for buyer to pick up,and/or sell locally and save the hassle of shipping,etc,etc.= choices,choices,choices,choices...

flipistics · ‎10-14-2023

@rocketscollectibles wrote:
Cheaters are canada post charging $15 just to add tracking to ship in your own city.

What's even crazier is that it would cost me more to ship an item through Canada Post to a next door neighbour than to someone in Toronto or Montreal.

pjcdn2005 · ‎10-14-2023

That is crazy. You definitely get penalized cost wise if you are not in a major center.

I just looked at your listing for your location. I bet it is beautiful there.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎10-14-2023

@flipistics wrote:
@rocketscollectibles wrote:
Cheaters are canada post charging $15 just to add tracking to ship in your own city.
What's even crazier is that it would cost me more to ship an item through Canada Post to a next door neighbour than to someone in Toronto or Montreal.

@rocketscollectibles

It shouldn't be costing you more to ship to a next door neighbour vs Toronto or Mtl. A small under 500 gram package from Calgary to Belleville goes up approx. 4.00 with the discount...A bit farther than Toronto. (Routing)

A few more comparisons as follows:

Local vs Florida... 15.00 (Expedited) vs 10.12(Tracked with discount)

Calgary to Newfoundland. 28.50 to 26.00 (Expedited with the discount).

Calgary to Florida 16.10 to 14.75 (Small packet air with discount.)

Calgary to Florida 22.72 to 10.12 (Tracked with the discount).

I would use Fedex if home pick ups and residential deliveries weren't such a nightmare. The applicable discount is substantial if the service happens to be convenient for you.

-Lotz

flipistics · ‎10-14-2023

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
That is crazy. You definitely get penalized cost wise if you are not in a major center.

I just looked at your listing for your location. I bet it is beautiful there.

It is nice! Much harder to source though.

flipistics · ‎10-14-2023

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@flipistics wrote:
@rocketscollectibles wrote:
Cheaters are canada post charging $15 just to add tracking to ship in your own city.
What's even crazier is that it would cost me more to ship an item through Canada Post to a next door neighbour than to someone in Toronto or Montreal.
It shouldn't be costing you more to ship to a next door neighbour vs Toronto or Mtl. A small under 500 gram package from Calgary to Belleville goes up approx. 4.00 with the discount...A bit farther than Toronto. (Routing)

eBay's calculator is actually showing the same price for local vs Toronto, but that hasn't been the case in the past. I wonder if Canada Post juggled something? It is showing cheaper for Montreal than local though.

Hopefully we'll see better rates come in. The overall costs should lower with higher volume and the accompanied higher efficiency of the system. Proper small parcel rates (not just the eBay negotiated ones, although I'm very thankful for those) and diesel costs getting under control again would go a long way into helping a ton of small businesses in Canada.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎10-14-2023

@flipistics wrote:
@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:
@flipistics wrote:
@rocketscollectibles wrote:
Cheaters are canada post charging $15 just to add tracking to ship in your own city.
What's even crazier is that it would cost me more to ship an item through Canada Post to a next door neighbour than to someone in Toronto or Montreal.
It shouldn't be costing you more to ship to a next door neighbour vs Toronto or Mtl. A small under 500 gram package from Calgary to Belleville goes up approx. 4.00 with the discount...A bit farther than Toronto. (Routing)

eBay's calculator is actually showing the same price for local vs Toronto, but that hasn't been the case in the past. I wonder if Canada Post juggled something? It is showing cheaper for Montreal than local though.

Hopefully we'll see better rates come in. The overall costs should lower with higher volume and the accompanied higher efficiency of the system. Proper small parcel rates (not just the eBay negotiated ones, although I'm very thankful for those) and diesel costs getting under control again would go a long way into helping a ton of small businesses in Canada.

What you see seems to vary haphazardly depending on where you are. Similar to Expedited lite. Only difference is fuel and tax vs distance. From recent testing same for NWT as next door. Test again tomorrow and it might be different.

-Lotz

ilikehockeyjerseys · ‎10-15-2023

In 2020, a customer in Canada purchased a DVD from me. The DVD was shipped lettermail. They contacted me shortly after the item shipped to let me know that they accidentally used their previous address. Unfortunately, the item had already been shipped. The two of us came to an agreement about how to resolve it.

I never received a return package. I assumed that the person who was now living at that address may have kept the DVD or disposed of it.

In 2022, 2 years later, I received the return package from Canada Post. I have no idea why a return-to-sender would have taken 2 years. The point is, don't lose hope, maybe you will get those packages back by 2025 or 2026!

reallynicestamps · ‎10-15-2023

What's even crazier is that it would cost me more to ship an item through Canada Post to a next door neighbour than to someone in Toronto or Montreal.

Spoke and hub shipping has something to do with that.

If I ship to someone here in Victoria, it goes to Sydney for the ferry, to Vancouver on the mainland, to Richmond where the PO plant is, is processed, goes back to Vancouver, hops the ferry back to Sydney-by-the-Sea, to Victoria.

There is likely a formula telling Canada Post that this is cheaper than having a plant here to handle the mail for the million inhabitants of Vancouver Island. I'm not sure how they handle my BIL's mail on Texada Island.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎10-15-2023

@reallynicestamps wrote:
What's even crazier is that it would cost me more to ship an item through Canada Post to a next door neighbour than to someone in Toronto or Montreal.
Spoke and hub shipping has something to do with that.
If I ship to someone here in Victoria, it goes to Sydney for the ferry, to Vancouver on the mainland, to Richmond where the PO plant is, is processed, goes back to Vancouver, hops the ferry back to Sydney-by-the-Sea, to Victoria.
There is likely a formula telling Canada Post that this is cheaper than having a plant here to handle the mail for the million inhabitants of Vancouver Island. I'm not sure how they handle my BIL's mail on Texada Island.

Actually Victoria does have their own sort plant along with the 1 in Van. according the list of 21.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/delivery-standards/processing-facilit...