Which is the Least Expensive Shipping Service to US?
Summary: sylviebee is seeking advice on affordable courier options for shipping from Canada to the US amidst a Canada Post strike. mrdutch1001 and others suggest different couriers, including Chitchats, Stallion, and Sendle, considering their potential to match Canada Post prices. reallynicestamps and others note the competitive nature of these couriers, but raise concerns about service reliability, especially during high-volume periods. sylviebee explores Chitchats and considers using Easy Ship, which offers competitive rates and integrates with several courier services. There is a discussion about the reliability of these services, especially during a postal strike, with varying opinions on trying new courier options versus waiting for Canada Post to resolve its issues.
I wasn't paying much attention, but I've just re-opened my store and not realize that CPO is in full on strike mode and not rotating this time. Can someone tell me the least expensive courier to the US? I've sold a few things and have an offer I'd like to accept but the couriers I've checked out so far are really pricey. There must be some service that competes with CPO prices?
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoThe Globe and Mail Report on Business has an update on the postal strike with some new background.
Like CPO which had a Q2 profit (before tax) if $46million had a Q3 loss of $319million (taxes not mentioned).
The Q3 report was Friday, just in time for the strike deadline, eh?
And as we already knew, while lettermail has dropped off, parcel mail has tripled.
And there is a sentence comparing the costs for delivery between CPO and one of the big couriers, which interestingly overlap.
And the reporter did not mention that CPO covers the entire country, including Old Crow and Joe Batt's Arm, while the couriers only work where it is profitable.
The article also mentions something that makes sense of why Intelcom is so ...erratic? Apparently there's no there there. The company subcontracts their management which in turns hires gig workers when and as needed and available.
I'd link to the article but the site is paywalled. Even with a print subscription I can't read the online articles.
sylviebee
OP1 year ago:-). Thank You. I didn't fully understand how Easy Ship works and that helps.
sylviebee
OP1 year agoStallion is here but I've avoided buying a car until I move and cabbing it there would be at a cost of about $60 (before the tip) so that won't work. But thank you.
mrdutch1001
·1 year agoI sell on Etsy as well as eBay and one of the couriers that keeps getting mentioned by Etsy sellers is Sendle...
I personally know nothing about them and have not checked them out as I am unwilling to go with one of these other couriers as I am skeptical about the lesser known couriers(Like...are they going to be able to handle these additional volumes of mail? were they or are they prepared to handle the masses' demands on them ... or are they going to eventually become overwhelmed with the increase volumes of mail? )
Personally, if the need arises, I will resort to UPS
sylviebee
OP1 year agoI checked Sendle out and I might give them a try. They have reasonable rates but horrible reviews on Trust Pilot.
Also considering taking and Uber to Stallion.
Or maybe CPO will get ordered back to work? Coming to complete stop right before Christmas might force that option.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·1 year ago@sylviebee
@mrdutch1001
Have you checked out Easy Ship? It's integrated with many carriers including Sendle. Was unable to confirm details regarding location offices. There are free (50 shipments in a month) and subscription plans with larger discounts. You can test using the 14 day trial. Built in shipping rules tool.
https://www.easyship.com/en-ca/couriers?utm_term=canada+post+discount&utm_campaign=NonBrand+|+US+|+EN+|+Couriers&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=7636187900&hsa_cam=20564629907&hsa_grp=159324342368&hsa_ad=674430870149&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-370582049684&hsa_kw=canada+post+discount&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fu5BhDQARIsAMXUBOJuPNAJNhaXlW_5GdDwLnqd3eG-fogWoN-UibzaJqvZNTJINtCCl5EaAiVaEALw_wcB
Easyship App for availability plus Expert help
https://app.easyship.com/signup?_gl=1*ujy03a*_gcl_aw*R0NMLjE3MzIyMTgzNTUuQ2owS0NRaUEwZnU1QmhEUUFSSXNBTVhVQk9KdVBOQUpOaGFYbFdfNUdkRHdMbnFkM2VHLWZvZ1dvTi1VaWJ6YUpxdlpOVEpJTnRDQ2w1RWFBaVZhRUFMd193Y0I.*_up*MQ..*_gs*MQ..*_ga*MTYxOTU1NDk0NC4xNzMyMjE3ODE1*_ga_4L5FF6Q4EY*MTczMjIxNzgxMi4xLjEuMTczMjIxODM2NS4zNC4wLjA.&gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fu5BhDQARIsAMXUBOJuPNAJNhaXlW_5GdDwLnqd3eG-fogWoN-UibzaJqvZNTJINtCCl5EaAiVaEALw_wcB
sylviebee
OP1 year agoYes, I did check out Easy Ship and they just called me as well. I think I'll look a little closer. I'm thinking if they include Sendle when they do comparisons that's a nod to Sendle.
lotzofuniquegoodies
·1 year agoMy best worse case scenario would be to find a workable workaround, spend hours on end updating my listings and then have the strike be over. Stress I really don't need.
mrdutch1001
·1 year agoI guess with Easy Ship/Sendle it would be trial and error... especially when it comes to their pickup service> for reliability of pickup times ...that plus knowing the actual routes they service...
For myself, I am on a wait and see what happens with CP before I plunge into an unknown...
sylviebee
OP1 year agoI agree. I'm going to give it a few days. Not really worried about a few late shipments.
Easy Ship provides rates and the rate it gives for UPS are really excellent and competitive with CPO.......... BUT the rates Easy Ship spits out are about half of the rates I get on the UPS site.
dinomitesales
·1 year agoThe rates you get directly through the UPS site are always going to be pretty high - the reason you can get cheaper rates through EasyShip is that they're passing along fairly significant volume discounts that they negotiated.
The UPS rates directly through eBay Labels should be significantly cheaper than directly with UPS; NetParcel through PayPal is another site I use regularly which gives me even better rates than eBay Labels.
mrdutch1001
·1 year agoI have found that UPS rates through eBay for any of my currently listed items simply are not doable, and plunging into a relationship with one of those alternate couriers for which I have no prior knowledge or experience, is simply not something I wish to gamble with, so I will maintain "Time Away" and continue to wait it out until CP gets itself sorted...
sylviebee
OP1 year agoChitchat doesn't come to Kitchener. I'll check Stallion out. Purolator might be the lowest I've found but shipping is still about $50/purse compared to half that for CPO.
byto253
·1 year agoChitchats is in Kitchner, it has a drop spot at Intelcom (Dragonfly now). I use the Ottawa drop spot and it works fine. There are Chitchat bins to put your labelled shipments into.
https://chitchats.com/locations
sylviebee
OP1 year agoThank You. I'm going to try ChitChat. That drop is very close to me and I appreciate the tip because that didn't show up on the site. I remember when ChitChat used to post here (a lot). Hence the name ChitChat. He's done a great job building that business.
sylviebee
OP1 year agoI've heard nothing but good about him here, but those reviews? Not so good.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agoAnd where are you?
Chitchat and Stallion both carry shipments to the USPS for a small fee, mostly offset by the lower postal rates there.
I just learned that couriers become competitive with Canada Post at 900 grams but I suspect your purses are well below that weight.
recped
·1 year agoUSPS rate are no longer low, when you factor in currency exchange the difference goes from minimal to almost nothing. The only real "bargain" is Media Mail over 1lb.
For sure, USPS rates from the US to Canada are the same or more than going from Canada to the US.
sylviebee
OP1 year agoI've tried all of the biggies.
Was hoping maybe someone knew of a more obscure shipping service that I haven't heard of.
mrdutch1001
·1 year agoWhich carriers have you already checked out?...might help to know that before the community offers any suggestions ...