Are you outraged by the shipping increase of Canada Post ?

[lany666]

I live in Québec, postage went sky high today, I am so mad !!! here is an example: as of today to ship a oversized letter between 200 to 499 grams cost $ 20.60 !!! last week the cost was 15.20 talk about an increase !!!

I have over 400 items listed, I need to change all my shipping fees, local, Usa & International.  Canada Post did not advise us untill last friday what the increase would be.  I am so  so discouraged, what do you THINK ????

[dgour98]

My 2 cents...

USA letter post Over 200 g up to 500 g is now $10.30.

1 comic book in a plastic bag, taped to a cardboard backing so as not to bend costs $10.30 to ship to the USA regular lettermail.

The ladies behind the counter at the PO had been hearing it from people all day. Not their fault.

Bottom line is, how can Canadian ebay sellers compete with US sellers. (and don't give me that $$ exchange **bleep**, 1 NHL Hockey

Guide book from California cost $8 to ship to me, me to California is about $22)

I am expecting other items tomorrow and i will compare a received package to see what actual cost is to resend it back...

Just venting, dont feel better. lol

[pjcdn2005]

What is the weight of the average comic book + packaging?

[toff3]

Recped wrote:

Perhaps toff knows for sure but I don't remember a Canada Post application for an increase ever being denied by ANY government. There was some yelling back and forth when CP proposed raising a standard letter to 17 cents (but the increase was approved in the end).

Dozens of national postal services have been privatized over the past 20+ years, not sure if a single one of them resulted in lower rates or expanded service, certainly not in the UK or Germany or ?????

Ben (recped) got it right in his first sentence. Then he went off the rails.

Domestic letter postage rose to 30 cents from 17 cents in January 1982 when the transformation of the government Post Office department to the crown corporation Canada Post took effect.

Here's a table reproduced from the Montreal Economic Institute's Economic Note of May 2011 (authored by V. Geloso & Y. Chassin).

Change in the price of a stamp for sending a 20 g letter ten years after the adoption of reform in various countries

                                                  Liberalization      Privatization        Stamp price

Canada                                           No                            No                     +41%

Sweden                                           Yes                          No                     +51%

New Zealand                                  Yes                          No                     +30%

Austria                                              Yes                         Yes                    -11%

Netherlands                                    Yes                         Yes                    -15%

Germany                                          Yes                         Yes                    -17%

Ben further wrote:

If/when the feds do decide to unload Canada Post I hope they do a better job than in the UK.

http://postandparcel.info/60692/news/companies/nao-says-uk-government-lost-hundreds-of-millions-on-r...

The central point of this article is that the UK government wildly underestimated the success of the sell-off of the Royal Mail and seriously undervalued the share price, resulting in several major investors making a killing by re-selling the shares they'd just bought at a bargain basement price. Had the government set a higher price, they would have recouped some of the £9.5 bn (that's getting on for $15 bn) they spent on picking up RM's pension deficit.

Tom 

[i*m-still-here]

I am also becoming increasingly annoyed with the decline in services for incoming mail.

I've had no packages delivered all week and I have over 2 dozen coming.

A few are over the 30 day mark already and starting to be cause for concern.

There has been a notable decline in services and I'm very very patient but  this is pushing it to the limit especially when coupled with the increase in fees.

[dgour98]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

What is the weight of the average comic book + packaging?

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Well it can vary.. older comics are lighter paper but today's books are more magazine style glossy and heavier.

A few i sent monday were 246, 218, and yes..204 grams.   I understand just 1 page weighs a few grams...

But here's the thing... if they didn't need to put 15 stamps on the envelope it would be under 200 grams. lol!

[thecryptoshop_canada]

In Toronto there was a company that pick up your parcels and ship via US Post from Buffalo.. I moved to Quebec recently, anyone knows a similar service in Montreal?

Would be far cheaper..

[pocomocomputing]

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@dgour98 wrote:

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

What is the weight of the average comic book + packaging?

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Well it can vary.. older comics are lighter paper but today's books are more magazine style glossy and heavier.

A few i sent monday were 246, 218, and yes..204 grams.   I understand just 1 page weighs a few grams...

But here's the thing... if they didn't need to put 15 stamps on the envelope it would be under 200 grams. lol!

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15 stamps would weigh only 1-2 grams at most even if larger commemorative stamps.

[cumos55]

Are you outraged?  Why?   Will Canada Post hear us?

Postal rates are adjusted yearly.

Sellers make adjustments.

Buyers make adjustments.

And the world continues its daily routine.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

In Winnipeg we have 10 months of winter and two months of tough sledding.

We move forward, no matter what....

There will come a day....when.........  (fill in the blanks)

Only thing I would like to have is for that day to come after my last sale on eBay...

[i*m-still-here]

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@cumos55 wrote:

In Winnipeg we have 10 months of winter and two months of tough sledding.

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I'm not quite sure what that means, but it makes me wonder why anyone would live in Winnipeg.  

The CPO really seems to be messing up.

This recent increase isn't the kind of increase that we usually see and is easily absorbed.

It's not a baby step.

It's a sudden leap that will too much for some to absorb and likely enough to drive more than a few sellers out of business.  

I'm also increasingly concerned about service.

My outgoing mail is arriving on time, but my incoming mail is suffering.

I'm in the position of having to open a wad of cases for non-arrival.

If that keeps up sellers won't want to ship to Canada any longer because our CPO can't deliver on time.

Hopefully it's just a fluke and not the "new normal."

[ricarmic]

dgour: A suggestion, if it is in fact the stamps that are putting it over, make sure you or they weigh it before the stamps are on and put the stamps on afterward..... I do this for packages that are within a couple grams of the limit...but I deal with a wee, very helpful post office, not sure of your situation there. (PS Pocomo is right it would take a lot of stamps to equal even 4 grams - my problem is I use souvenir sheets which are much bigger than just the stamps, and even they don't weigh all that much unless there are a few of them on the package)

[i*m-still-here]

I just read this headline in the Star by Mallick

""""Canada Post finds its customers inconvenient"""

That is Bang On:

That struck such a chord with me.  

I often find myself apologizing to the carriers for all the extra work I'm causing them.

There is always a subtle under tone to their deliveries and a few have even commented on the extra work I cause them because I'm known for receiving more parcels than anyone else in the area.

Unlike my neighbours who receive an envelope or two, I'm a PITA customer because I get a lot of packages.

In short:  An inconvenience to the CPO.

[cumos55]

In Winnipeg we have 10 months of winter and two months of tough sledding.

Winter

Summer... training for winter

More of a saying than a reality.

-----------------------------------------

Do not blink too often.... You just may miss summer.

Summer occurs at 12:00 noon, July 12...

In Winnipeg .....

In winter we look forward to summer.

In summer we look forward to winter.

There are many places to live.....

But there is only ONE Winnipeg..... 

and More explanation is need... spend a year in Winnipeg.

Right now ... very early April.....there are many who look at the calendar and dress accordingly... However, they should be looking at the thermometer... That is Winnipegers for you... eternally optimistic.

[bb_cool_stuff]

That is Winnipegers for you...eternally optimistic.

We have no choice with the Bombers, I just don't think they can sink any lower.

Still my team, but my patience does where thin with them at times.

On a positive note, the Jays have won two in a row.

[i*m-still-here]

My BEST friend (BFF) lives in Winnipeg and I get daily weather reports.

She has always loved that city and vowed never to leave, but last winter did her in.

Finally: We have a plan and agreement to move to a warm climate, for the winters at least.

I guess that last winter wasn't the worst thing that could have happened after all.

[dipmicro]

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Something only the PO can away with.

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They are not, this is just a cadaveric spasm.

They are "restructuring" our main PO, the clerk told me they don't want customers to come there anymore, they want us to go to Shoppers. This is only PO in 80k town.

Real Estate is the only cashable assets CanadaPost has, if they are getting rid of that, they are in trouble. CanadaPost is done.

[rose-dee]

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@dipmicro wrote:

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They are not, this is just a cadaveric spasm.

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Well put, and I agree with you.  Any corporation that is obligated to hike its service rates up by 25% to 35% in one season is letting its desperation show. 

Not only that, but their moribund weight is dragging small online business owners down with them.  Still, I would rather see someone else (private company?) take on the mess and reduce service than lose a national postal service altogether. 

There's little alternative if you're a seller who doesn't live in a large population centre or close to the US border.

[pierrelebel]

Over two years ago, the Royal Mail in the UK announced seminar fee increases (30%-39%) for its domestic postal service:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-mail/9169281/Royal-Mail-increases-price-of-first-class-...

It is worth remembering that the CEO of Royal Mail was previously the CEO of Canada Post.

Following that huge fee increase, leading to a better financial structure, Royal Mail became a public company with shares offered on the market. And yes, postal fees are still going up (3%-6%) in the UK: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/28/first-class-stamp-price-rise-2p-royal-mail

Is Canada Post planning a similar future?

[pierrelebel]

With the new increases in both Canada and the UK, it is worth noting that it will cost 62 pence (Cdn$ 1.13) to mail a letter domestically first class in the UK - substantially more than $0.85 in Canada, a country much larger.

[i*m-still-here]

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@dipmicro wrote:

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Something only the PO can away with.

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They are not, this is just a cadaveric spasm.

They are "restructuring" our main PO, the clerk told me they don't want customers to come there anymore, they want us to go to Shoppers. This is only PO in 80k town.

Real Estate is the only cashable assets CanadaPost has, if they are getting rid of that, they are in trouble. CanadaPost is done.

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Something has clearly happened in my town.

A month ago it was rare to see a line up at the outlet I use.

Now, there is always a line up regardless of the time of day.

Also, they just added a second station and cash register for processing mail.

I use pre-payed shipping so I just drop my stuff off, but those people standing in those lines are clearly not happy campers.

[i*m-still-here]

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@recped wrote:

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If/when the feds do decide to unload Canada Post I hope they do a better job than in the UK.

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I receive a lot of packages from the UK.

I don't know anything about the financial situation of the PO, but I do know a thing or two about the service.

They have shipping options available to them with unbelievably reasonable pricing.

However, most UK sellers opt for signed for services because the cost is not that high.

Regardless of the shipping method chosen, the service is always excellent and much faster than USPS shipping in spite of the fact that there is an ocean separating us.

I often pass on an American item because of shipping costs, but that has never been an issue with UK costs.

From where I stand:  They're doing something right!