More issues with canada post | Selling | eBay Canada EN

More issues with canada post | Selling | eBay Canada EN

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More issues with canada post

Summary: rocketscollectibles experienced multiple issues with Canada Post, including packages being improperly handled and damaged. They expressed frustration over packages being pierced and rerouted unnecessarily. ricarmic and recped suggested that the piercing might have been accidental due to writing on paper bubble envelopes, which are easily damaged. mrdutch1001 and lotzofuniquegoodies advised against dwelling on the issue, suggesting practical solutions like better packaging and printing addresses to avoid such problems. The discussion also touched upon general shipping challenges, with fh991586 and ilikehockeyjerseys sharing experiences of similar postal challenges and recommending better shipping practices. Tensions arose when brettjet38 criticized rocketscollectibles for complaining frequently and advised them to adapt their shipping methods. The thread was closed upon request by rocketscollectibles after several heated exchanges, highlighting ongoing frustrations with postal service issues.

I'm truly curious about others. Made a post past month, it's still such the jungle for me.

Received a lettermail package back today for undeliverable adress, i figured i forgot to put the apt #, my fault.

The issue is that they pierced my package for absolutly no reason with a pencil. I think it's the second time past 2 months that it happen. Sometimes i really feel recently that i'm personally aimed. It's really like the person tried to damage the content. I don't see why they would do that, there's literally no reason here. They took a pencil and hitted the package hard to cross the whole adress, you can see the big hole and the line of the pencil hit going down.

Then i look at a few packages i sent tracked:

Package gets delivered twice. Rerouted. Domestic handled by international carrier. So many weird things.

It's getting out of control even with tracked shipments. It's been issues over issues over issues over issues past 3 months. Multiple packages i purchased i did not receive too. I never seen that. I just don't understand what is going on.

rocketscollectibles

132 View listings

Posted 2 years ago · Edited 2 years ago·Last reply 2 years ago

25 comments

edubb101

·2 years ago

Hey everyone,

Thought this might be a good thread to get an answer. I got a return from Canada Post with the yellow sticker saying Postage Due? There is a Christmas Permanent Stamp that I used. The size of my letter is fine however when I weighed it on my scale it appears to be .31g. This must be the reason I presume? Normally they affix a sticker stating the additional amount owing with initials over the already used stamps. In this case a black marker was put through the stamp that I used with a request to return to sender.

I have to resend the item but I would like to know if there is anything more to this other than the item being

.1 gram over the limit. I haave to assume that is the issue unless someone can provided any further information.

Thank you for your time

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

rules are rules and Canada Post rules are thus: "Each Lettermail™ item must meet our size and weight specifications."

and no you cannot be even 1 g over the weight limit!

edubb101

·2 years ago

I wasn't complaining Dutchie, I was simply wondering why they didn't include a more detailed reason however Lotz provided a comprehensive answer which suffices. Perhaps it is a judgment call on if they let you know how much you are short. It has always been my experience in the past that they have given you a further sticker saying how much is owed. This was not the case. It's interesting it doesn't say insufficient postage but rather postage due. There was postage applied. Oh Well.

Regardless I will affix new postage and thanks for those who took the time to read the post and provide an answer as best they could

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@edubb101 wrote:
Hey everyone,

Thought this might be a good thread to get an answer. I got a return from Canada Post with the yellow sticker saying Postage Due? There is a Christmas Permanent Stamp that I used. The size of my letter is fine however when I weighed it on my scale it appears to be .31g. This must be the reason I presume? Normally they affix a sticker stating the additional amount owing with initials over the already used stamps. In this case a black marker was put through the stamp that I used with a request to return to sender.

I have to resend the item but I would like to know if there is anything more to this other than the item being
.1 gram over the limit. I haave to assume that is the issue unless someone can provided any further information.

Thank you for your time

@edubb101

@dinomitesales

Here is the full policy from Canada Post on the subject.

Why was my item returned to sender if the address exists?

The reason for the return is marked on your item. Items are returned to sender if:

The address does not exist.
The item does not bear a sufficient address.
The addressee has moved without providing a forwarding address.
The item is refused by the addressee.
The item contains insufficient postage.

Your item will require new postage before you resend it.

What you can do:

If the item was returned to sender in error, contact us to report the issue. While we may not be able to determine the cause of the error, your feedback helps us improve our services.
Not sure if the address exists? Look it up in Find a Postal Code.
If the item has a tracking number, find out when it was delivered or returned. Use Track.
Learn how to properly address your letters and parcels.

Re: Section in red. I have seen notes on returned items in the past just to add additional postage to make up any difference. Unsure if the official policy is written in stone or reasonable judgement is still used?

-Lotz

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/support/kb/receiving/delivery-faq/why-mail-is-returned-to-sender

brettjet38

·2 years ago

In regards to missing postage, you can remove the Canada Post label placed over the stamps (usually items under 20mm thick will get this sticker) it will leave a clear non-stick plastic.

You can add the additional stamps (postage) and remail the envelope.

If the stamps are postmarked then you have to repay the full postage, this usually happens when you try to ship something that should have gone by Parcel Post and was over 20mm thick, so you get dinged for cheating the system, for those of stubborn minds and refuse to follow postal guidelines.

Dangerous goods and illegal items are now being actively targeted by the posties directly and the word is do not deliver them, file a report...

All part of the 2025 implementation of the new global Universal Postal Union rules and plans for a 2 flow system for mail:

Lettermail (exactly that) Letters only with bar codes on the stamps.

and

Everything else, TRACKED, you are already beginning to see that get put in place with the cheap Tracked Packets to the USA and the release of Expedited Lite here in Canada.

This is the new standard and as for your discount stamps, you will be able to trade them in for the new barcode ones...

Just saying!

Some people like to bury their heads in the sand, others stay ahead of the game and actually look at the big picture. This was all laid out at the last meeting of the UPN

flipistics

·2 years ago

@edubb101 wrote:
Hey everyone,

Thought this might be a good thread to get an answer. I got a return from Canada Post with the yellow sticker saying Postage Due? There is a Christmas Permanent Stamp that I used. The size of my letter is fine however when I weighed it on my scale it appears to be .31g. This must be the reason I presume? Normally they affix a sticker stating the additional amount owing with initials over the already used stamps. In this case a black marker was put through the stamp that I used with a request to return to sender.

I have to resend the item but I would like to know if there is anything more to this other than the item being
.1 gram over the limit. I haave to assume that is the issue unless someone can provided any further information.

Thank you for your time

It could be the reason, but unless the staff are spot checking letters (which most don't have time for) it seems fairly unlikely to me for 1g over. Is it a bubble mailer or normal envelope, and is the thickness greater than 5mm? I know you said the size was fine, but what is the size?

edubb101

·2 years ago

Plain White Small Envelope, thin as a standard christmas card however there were 3 schedules in it which are of thicker paper material which is probably wear the weight descripancy comes from. It looked and felt fine so I didn't bother to weigh it. I've been doing this for 20 years lol

Is it possible that the carrier made a judgement at the door and tried to get the additional postage from the customer? The customer would refulse, hence the RTS with Postage Due as the reason? This is a regular customer of mine who is located in Quebec.

It's not a big deal interms of putting the correct postage on however all of my prior experiences with this have included an additional sticker outlining how much extra is due with initals over the stamps that have already been affixed. Since this didn't occur I was wondering if there could be another reason.

Take care everyone.

ilikehockeyjerseys

·2 years ago

My Brother printer cost me $57 in 2019 and has printed 5 figures of labels without conking out. The labels cost about a penny each. If you're very cost conscious, you can create a teamplate to get two addresses out of a single label, or 4 smaller return addresses.

Printing labels is much faster than writing, and it probably lowers false RTS or delays from mis-sorted mail. Since we're on the topic of writing vs printing labels, there is no real excuse not to use a label printer, unless you're a super casual seller who only ships a handful of items a month.

There is always a market for used printers as well. So that $57 I paid for my printer could be partially recouped if I no longer need it.

brettjet38

·2 years ago

Are you not making a mountain out of a molehill, cheap paper bubble envelopes get very easily pierced as stated by @recped with the tip of a pencil or pen or even another package, and as for you being "targeted" you always seem to have something to criticize, complain about, disagree with or name call, you seem to forget there are Canada Post people on these chats looking for "intel", maybe you have finally got that attention you wanted...

I have letter carrier buddies, so I know the postal regulations and rules, and yes, they are coming after the Lettermail and applying the rules and regulations as per the books. Here in Montreal, the Cremazie Center is currently where the action is...

I'm just saying!

As for your damaged package do as others have pointed out, print out the address and tape it to the package...

Never had this issue, it's just poor packaging and little knowledge of how things are handled in the system.

I ship out of Montreal, have done so for over 20 years, and never had issues like the endless list of yours, I ship letter mail (within Canada), Expedited Lite and Parcel, Small Package, Tracked or not, and never really have issues, like many others.

But, I do enjoy reading your posts, and the responses, it confirms we are doing things right at least.

rocketscollectibles

OP2 years ago

maybe you have finally got that attention you wanted...

I've been asking you, mrdutch2001, and fh991586, to leave me alone for like 1 year. How ironic. You guys harrass me and now you say i'm the one looking for attention. This community is so **bleep**ed now. Can't have a single thread without one of you coming and be toxic. Always need to do personal attacks randomly. I'm shipping 10x your volume and i'm 100% feedback BTW. It's mindblowing i'm alone to see how i am harassed and no mods to do anything about it. Those guys brings toxic vibe to my threads, every, single, time.

kh-leslie

·2 years ago

Hi everyone,

This thread has been closed at the request of the OP.

Thank you for understanding.

flipistics

·2 years ago

I print them out on Avery labels with a laser printer. I check all lettermail addresses using Canada Post's Address Complete (and I do catch a few with mistakes). This also allows me to make sure it's formatted in the manner that Canada Post wants which can help prevent delays or delivery mistakes.

Eventually I want to get a second thermal printer instead (laser printers get cranky when you're not printing out full sheets at a time). It works fairly well for me though.

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@flipistics wrote:
I print them out on Avery labels with a laser printer. I check all lettermail addresses using Canada Post's Address Complete (and I do catch a few with mistakes). This also allows me to make sure it's formatted in the manner that Canada Post wants which can help prevent delays or delivery mistakes.

Eventually I want to get a second thermal printer instead (laser printers get cranky when you're not printing out full sheets at a time). It works fairly well for me though.

@flipistics

@fh991586

@ricarmic

I was using avery labels with a laserjet but if you don't use all the time they tend to dry out. Now I print packlip at 80 % and turn paper over to print address labels at same 80 % vs using a 2nd page. Cut and apply. Unfortunately edit address does not update system to correct any typos or bad formatting.

If you choose to print the eBay label display of charges, strangely the automagic default is 4 identical copies. You have to remember to update page quantity. One gets the feeling when updates and tinkering happen there is little in the way of final testing.

-Lotz

fh991586

·2 years ago

I just noticed the "international carrier" line on my shipments recently (it started at least in October, but I can't check older items right now. Thing is, it's only through Pitney Bowes' interface (SendPro), in lieu of what what I can actually see on Canada Post's website [which is the usual], for the exact same hour stamps:

Electronic information submitted by shipper

The sender has created a shipping label for this item and has sent us electronic information. We’ll continue to update the delivery status as we process your item.

The delivery process was not disturbed by this in any way, so I don't understand why it's labeled as such since I'm in Montreal and it always stays in Quebec...

About the crossed address possibly damaging the enveloppe/content, it's usually done by the local delivery guy on foot, before it's back at the plant for yellow label sticking and return. Looks like they use whatever pencil or pen they have on hand, without a proper procedure to make it damage free. It happens...

ricarmic

·2 years ago

From what I see on the returned package, I don't think anyone was intentionally trying to injure the package, paper covered bubble packages are easily "poked" when writing on them with pen. I think the returning postie just went to draw a line through the incomplete address and where they started it poked through.

I know that if I'm writing an address on my paper faced bubble envelopes with a pen I have to be careful not to poke through the paper when I'm writing.

rocketscollectibles

OP2 years ago

But still there is no reason to cross the whole adress like this. Sticker applied already says adress is undeliverable. If its known that bubble mailers rip easily with a pen, carrier should not do this too. Even if it wasnt intentional it is still incompetence the way its handled.

recped

·2 years ago

The "incompetence" started with the incorrect address!

Crossing out the address is standard procedure, as @ricarmic said it's extremely easy to poke a hole in the outer layer of a kraft paper bubble envelope.

rocketscollectibles

OP2 years ago

The "incompetence" started with the incorrect address!

Return to sender is included in the service we pay for. Return to sender do not justify they damage packages...

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

There is no way to know who/what damaged the package, where or when the package was damaged...

It is what it is and unless you want to spend your life trying to track down the who/what/where/when/why...this is an exercise in futility...

B-U-T ... you can either continue banging your head on a brick wall or you can let it go and move on......

recped

·2 years ago

@mrdutch1001 wrote:
There is no way to know who/what damaged the package, where or when the package was damaged...
It is what it is and unless you want to spend your life trying to track down the who/what/where/when/why...this is an exercise in futility...
B-U-T ... you can either continue banging your head on a brick wall or you can let it go and move on......

I know exactly what happened, I use the same type of bubble envelope, I use a pen to wright the name of the buyer so that I know which label goes on which package.

If I'm not careful I'll punch through the kraft paper if I get a touch too agressive/sloppy, it looks just like the OP's image. Never happens with the poly bubbles that I also use (for domestic use because they are slightly thinner or International because they are slightly lighter).

marnotom!

·2 years ago

I can back up @recped's post with my own experiences accidentally piercing bubble envelopes with kraft paper exteriors.

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

BTW, I haven't used those cheap paper bubble envelopes in many years, as I never liked how they were so easily punctured. Because I want each and every package to arrive safely, securely and undamaged to the customer, no matter what the monetary value of the item, I do not use cheap, thin, or poorly made packaging...I prefer better quality which is easily sourced and well worth the investment.

mrdutch1001

·2 years ago

Knit picking over this isn't going to solve what has been done...what has been done cannot be undone..

Dwelling on this isn't going to change a thing...

It is what it is and if you want to complain take it up with the post office...

Best solution: simply change some of your shipping methods and move on...

lotzofuniquegoodies

·2 years ago

@rocketscollectibles wrote:
But still there is no reason to cross the whole adress like this. Sticker applied already says adress is undeliverable. Also if its known that bubble mailers rip easily with a pen, carrier should not do this. Even if it wasnt intentional, there is still incompetence there.

What may have happened is another parcel fell on top of it. That happens regularly to all kinds of parcels. Did you confirm if the inner contents were damaged? As for the pen through address...that could be a checksafe in case their RTS label were to falls off. And why it is always a good idea to extra protect with cb back and front of your item. If the new pattern is to charge the higher amount the extra cb will not affect that rate. Do you have access to a printer? As a side suggest just print out the address labels that are built into the order page. Cut and attach with tape. Much of the letter packages are read by computer readers. The returns "could potenially" be items being misread. Not saying for sure. Just that it is possible. Printed guarantees the info matches what is in the ebay system as accurate. On packages being returned for bad address are you confirming the address is valid with Google? I check whenever I think of it to do look ups. Basically the holiday in my mind I can't afford to go on.

-Lotz

As a side note, from personal experience, some bubble mailers are made better than others. Even tape over a label for the address will give another layer of protection to the contents enclosed.

Photo below from the USPS processing plant in Sweetgrass. The CP main sort centres process similar volumes. Damage to parcels can and will always happen. It's nothing personal to your parcels. Notice envelops in some of the bins?

ricarmic

·2 years ago

@lotzofuniquegoodies This is exactly what I've done for a very long time now, I just cut and paste all the addresses from the current "order details page" into a document, I increase it to font size 12 and then I simply print it out with the day's addresses and cut and tape them all onto the envelopes with packing tape. (PS this is a lot faster than writing them all by hand)

It was a very long time ago I started doing it but when I did, it dramatically reduced the RTS that I received back. I was very good at making 2376 into 2736 or 2367 when I wrote it out, that stopped that problem immediately.

I also agree that the additional tape on the package helps provide some extra "structure" and safety as well.