High Shipping Charges To Different Parts Of Ontario

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Can someone explain how the shipping to different areas of Ontario can be so high? I just sent a heavy box weighing almost 2 kg to Hamilton Ont. for around $24.00. That seemed reasonable. But I also sent a very light package weighing 50 grams to Baden Ont. for around $23.00. That doesn't make any sense to me. Both were sent Expedited. 

[marnotom!]

Check your receipt.  There should be volumetric weight calculations for those items, and the package to Baden may have ended up being calculated using a much higher calculated cubed weight.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/abcs-of-mailing/how-to-cube-an-item-a...

[dinomitesales]

It's hard to know for sure without knowing the exact dimensions, weight, and origin/destination postal codes, but in general Hamilton would be considered a "Major Urban Centre", which are always cheaper to mail to than small towns that don't have their own processing/sorting centre. Don't correlate the weight/size of the package to the amount you pay; the majority of what your paying is based on the distance the parcel has to travel, and then an additional surcharge for the dimensional weight. Compare a 2 kg package going to Hamilton to the same 2 kg package going to Baden and you'll see the "extra" amount you're paying to get it from Hamilton to Baden.

That being said, for a small item you should never pay more than $18.49 via Canada Post which is the cost of a small flat rate box that will go anywhere in the country. I suspect you could beat that price using other carriers, but if you have to use Canada Post that's about as cheap as it gets.

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

The package to Baden was just a small bubble wrap envelope. I printed up the label online so have no receipt. And I don't think volumetric weight would apply to this.

[msau4301]

As far as I know most of the cost is based on how close they are to a major city. I'm not sure where Baden is but I don't know the name...probably a little more rural and less items heading that way than Hamilton so the cost would be more regardless of size and weight. 

Ontario is so massive the costs for sending the same size item can vary by as much as $8 difference (at least I've found in my own mailings). I'm in Oakville Ontario and know the first time I sent a package to ThunderBay I was shocked at the price. ThunderBay may be someowhat more known but it's a heck of a treck up there!

I know it's about $8 cheaper to send package to Montreal Quebec than some further out locations here in Ontario. Because of this I use the Calculated shipping option here since many of my items are lower priced (under $30) and the wide price range could hurt if I'm not careful!

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

I asked the buyer if she was in a small rural area & she said no. She lives within the Tri City Area (Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge area) of Toronto!  A 50gr bubble wrap envelope should not cost the same as a 2kg box.

[regs43]

Baden is closer to London Ontario and thats a different rate category. I live in Ontario near Ottawa. To mail a tracked package to London its more then to the GTA, I experienced that a few months back. That would be why it cost more the if you mailed the small 50gram bubble mailer to the GTA, it s a distance thing.

I did a quick test from Ottawa to Baden and GTA for comparisson

Baden shows 13.88 + 2.43 fuel + 2.12 HST for a total of 18.43 (would be less if isigned into the site for discounts)

Toronto shows 12.53 + 2.19 fuel + 1.91 HST for a total of 16.63

I usually just do the registered letter if mailing bubble mailers less then 2cm anywhere in the country as its only $9.75 + $1.94 postage. If its thicker then that I have to pay the package rates unfortunatley

[femmefan1946]

When I print a label half of the page is a receipt.

[msau4301]

Mystery to me then! I would agree with you, that doesn't sound right, so not sure what happened.

It's too bad you don't have the receipt. It's possible if you print labels online it picked up previous sizes and/or weights?

[triber]

I have found that size is more important than weight. I have experimented on CP with "find a rate" and on Paypal and each time it costs less with smaller size package. I never use a padded mailer for expedited Canada because you get the dimensions including the borders. I try to find the smallest size box that my item will fit in and the measurements can be more accurate, and almost every time the shipping is less because the size is less.

[msau4301]

Yes! Since the bulk of my items are the same size, I found the smallest, lightest box (33 x 9 x 9) and it is what I use 85% of the time and order them in bulk (well couple hundred anyways if I'm feeling lucky!)

This is why I know (to some degree anyways) what my items will cost to the most common shipping destinations anyways. I've taken a couple of weeks off for Christmas, procrastinating still on starting up again with everything going on.

You are certainly right, the packaging itself makes a difference!

[ricarmic]

@2nd-time-around-jewelry  The problem with expedited shipping is that the BASE (first, initial, lowest) weight is 750g so if you send something expedited weighing 5g it costs the same as items weighing 745g. (nothing to do with volumetric unless the size makes it bigger than 750g)

Because I'm a "stamps on the box" kinda guy, I live by the postal tables as I figure all the charges out manually. All of the Expediteds tables start at 750g.

Note that Expresspost and international air starts at 500g so the same problem exists there too. 

Extra note, the first 750g is the most expensive so something weighing 2 KG is only "marginally" more expensive than something sent at 750g.

[ricarmic]

Oops I realized this too late to edit:

The 750g minimum is ONLY for Canada Expedited and Expresspost.

The 500g minimum is for US and international Expedited, Expresspost and International Air.

CP boosted the miniumum to 750g for Canadian stuff a couple years ago to "save us money" apparently.

[richardcm]

Expedited Parcel Canada minimum has been 750 gm for years. At least 2010 when I started selling. Not a recent change.

When I use this service I use up my heavier boxes and bubble bags that I normally can’t use for my 100 gram items. Of course I make sure the volumetric weight is under 750 grams.

I use discount postage so I get to use up more of the under 20 cents stamps on the larger surface area.

[byto253]

If you have a chitchats near you, I have found from Ottawa to southern ontario there are some very large savings.  I think that is also because they truck shipments to Toronto themselves and is only handed off to Canada Post in Toronto.  Combined with large volume rates and it is worth checking into. 

[pansy19]

It is unexplainable and no one expain from Canada Post  just take money how they want  .

The Mail inside Canada sitting 3 days in PO not moving , no Tracking information .

I sent Parcel to BC weight  1.850gr with $ 700 Insurance it was $ 28.75 .

I sent Envelope to the same person  weight 50gr with $ 100 Insurance it was 23.85.

The same adress .

[fh991586]

I don't know where you guys get your 750 gr threshold for Expedited parcels, but I get it starting at 500 from my part (that's the breaking point after lettermail), and in Canada...
I often use it instead of registered within local area when sending letters in a bubble mailer (under 100 gr), because it's cheaper this way!
Sending the same stuff (weight & size) from Montreal to Quebec City (or Ottawa) is cheaper than sending it to Joliette, which is way closer in km!  But it's out of the main transit areas so rates are charged accordingly...

[ricarmic]

Yes the "maximum" weight for oversized lettermail in Canada is 500 grams.

The "minimum" weight for Expedited and Expresspost in Canada is 750 grams.

[fh991586]

If that was right, then there would be no way to ship something between 500 & 750 gr outside of the regular untracked parcel, which doesn't compute at all...
Check again on the official website; it actually starts at 100 gr!
https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/articles/parcel-services-shipping-in-canada/si...

[dinomitesales]

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@ricarmic wrote:

Yes the "maximum" weight for oversized lettermail in Canada is 500 grams.

The "minimum" weight for Expedited and Expresspost in Canada is 750 grams.

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In my many years working as a retail clerk I've never seen a parcel turned away by the computer for a minimum weight requirement.

Canada Post indicates the minimum weight for all parcel services is 50 g, but even if it was under that there's nothing stopping you from mailing it. I've definitely had people mail a single piece of paper in a standard letter-sized envelope and purchase Expedited/Xpresspost shipping for it.