XpressPost vs Priority

[sylviebee]

I'm preparing a shipment to Taiwan and trying to choose between Xpresspost and Priority.  I need a signature.  The cost is almost the same and they seem to be indentical services.  Does anyone here know if one is better than the other.  They seem virtually indenticle but sometimes there are hidden caveats.

[recped]

Priority Worldwide is actually FedEx. It should be faster than Xpresspost but it would be handled by FedEx not Taiwan Post.

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/business/shipping/international/compare.page#!navtabd1...

[sylviebee]

Thanks.  That's helpful.  (How do you know this stuff?  :-). )

Yes, I used that chart by way of comparison and the only differnece I could see there that matters to me is that via Priorty the signature is a given but it's a little wishy washy what happens with XPresspost.

I think you're saying that via Priorty at some point en route the package is passed from Canada Post over to the courier.    Did I get that right?  

Priority would seem to be the better choice then.

[dinomitesales]

Yea, as recped mentioned, international Priority shipments through Canada Post are handed off to FedEx for fast delivery. If the price is similar then I would go with Priority as it will get there MUCH faster than Canada Post's Xpresspost International service. Just note that sending with Priority international comes with all the potential headaches associated with courier customs/import fees; I would probably confirm with the buyer that they're fine having their item delivered via FedEx as they're likely to be mor knowledgable on any fees they may have to pay.

That being said, if they're fine with FedEx I would highly recommend getting a quote through third-party shipping websites such as NetParcel or FreightCom - they should be able to beat Canada Post's Priority International rate by a fair margin (likely through UPS or DHL).

[sylviebee]

I'm not sure if parcels that are shipped via CPO get dinged for courier fees upon arrival.   I've shipped parcels that were passed to couriers in the past and they were not subject to the usualy headache courier fees upon arrival.  (But I have to admit I worried all the way when I realized that the package would be delivered by courier.)

If that's even a possibility I'll avoid Priority and go with XPressPost but I wish they'd be clear about the signature.  I'm using Shippo.

[dinomitesales]

When shipping with Priority Worldwide the package gets handed off to FedEx within one business day of mailing, while it's still in Canada. The reason they can get it delivered so quickly is because they do their own customs clearance and it doesn't need to go through the destination country's customs office. For all intents and purposes, it's a FedEx shipment, not a Canada Post shipment.

If Xpresspost is an option to the country you're shipping to then there should be an option to add a signature. Xpresspost is Canada Post's designated EMS service so it will be delivered via the equivalent EMS service at the destination country and a signature should be captured.

[sylviebee]

Thanks for all the help redped and dino.   Decided to go with Xpresspost as opposed to Priority even though Priority was the better service on the surface (cheaper, faster, and clear about the signature).  It really helped to know that the hand-over is done in Canada.

A while ago I shipped an item to Australia and saw that it was handed over to a courier.  Worried all the way that buyer would get dinged for brokerage fees.  Australia has killer taxes for imported packages.

[recped]

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@sylviebee wrote:

 Australia has killer taxes for imported packages.

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Not really, they have GST just like Canada and eBay collects that up front. Duties if any don't kick in until AU$1000 (CA$1140).