Canada Post Survey

[2budds]

A while back eBay members had a chance to make suggestions to Canada Post. Most members suggested a book rate like US Post has and also a small packet rate for packages sent within Canada. Has anyone heard any more on this.

[surplusdealdude]

There used to be a book rate - they cancelled it.

Haven't heard a thing about anything else.

They do keep wanting me to buy their T-shirts, though. As if. -------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.
- Bertrand Russell

[sunnyvoip]

I went to USA and ship many small light item to my Canada buyers, which cost less than $4 USD vs $10 CAD. _______________________________
Buy/Sell VOIP hardware Overstock
http://www.SunnyVoIP.com

[surplusdealdude]

That doesn't surprise me at all.

As long as the item is under $20, it's a good idea. -------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.
- Bertrand Russell

[cottonwoodindustries]

"I went to USA and ship many small light item to my Canada buyers, which cost less than $4 USD vs $10 CAD. "

How come you are paying so much for your LIGHT ITEMS in CANADA, I PAY $1.24.

Have you checked the NEW CANADA POST WEB site?

The rates are right there, and I check constantly to make sure that I am paying the right amount......

0-100gm.....$1.24
over 100gms - 200gms......$2.06
over 200gms - 500gms......$2.89

Max. Dimensions
L................ W..................H
cm 38..........27.................2
in. 14.96.....10.62............0.79

BOY, have you been paying to much 😉

[dipmicro]

CanadaPost does not have any equivalent of First Class Mail Parcel. Lettermail would correspond to First Class Mail Envelope, which has even stricter limitation than Canadian lettermail (3/4", even surface - max 1/4" difference between thinnest and thickest point, bendable).

On Thursday I got 15 parcels bounced back because I naively selected "envelope" on the USPS machine. They would have been all lettermail in Canada, less than 20mm only were not even (bubble mailers have thin edge), and some had rigid object inside. Clerk upgraded them to "parcels" and mailed them. He told me that bubble mailers look like envelopes but are not for USPS.

[ameroindustries]

Ya well this is fine if its just a hobbie ... You cant run packages over and ship them from usa if doing a large business . You will get shut down so fast it will make your head spin .

I ship many items 3cm / 2.5 cm .. if i send say 100 per week about 10 pcs get returned then i resend so evenutally they get thur 😛


Canada post is a very crooked and MIS managed corporation .. its pretty bad when i can ship from China and save roughly 50% of what it would cost for me to ship domestically within canada !

[dipmicro]

You cant run packages over and ship them from usa if doing a large business

Dead wrong. Get a US broker like you were told many times before.

If what you say is true, there would be no truck traffic and everything would be going in minivans like mine. UPS and Fedex are in business of hauling packages over the border and they seem pretty large to me.

[sunnyvoip]

> You cant run packages over and ship them from usa if doing a large business .

Not really. I bought a 3000 square feet warehouse+office in USA side (1 hour drive from Ottawa) last month and I'm going to ship all my small items every week from USA. If you're ebay seller in Ottawa and want rent an office in Ogdensburg, please contact me.

[jakeeangel]

You might want to be careful with that Sunnyvoip. Now that you're renting warehouse space & storing & shipping goods from the US I believe that the US gov't now considers you to be a US business and as such have to pay taxes etc.

Have you looked into that at all to make sure you're ok?



Cottonwood - most of us ship items that are thicker than 2cm so do not qualify for lettermail rates regardless of the actual weight of the item.

My antenna topper balls are the perfect example of such lunacy. With a 6 x 9 bubble envelope & label they weigh 2 oz yet to ship inside Canada I have to charge a customer $8 - $12. I don't think so! I ship it from the US for them.

[surplusdealdude]

sunnyvoip ,

I think there's a Lee Valley warehouse in Ogdensburg - might be worth approaching them for shared transportation costs/ see if they need more space, etc.

And I agree with Jackee - you're now a company operating in the USA - not only are you going to have to collect NY State taxes, but you might also have to collect taxes for some other states - look into it with a CPA. -------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.
- Bertrand Russell

[dipmicro]

not only are you going to have to collect NY State taxes

Hmm, what's wrong with following?

1) Customers purchase goods from Ontario1234 Ltd. No sales tax.

2) Ontario1234 Ltd delivers goods to NewYork5678 LLC.

3) NewYork5678 LLC ships goods to Ontario1234 Ltd's customers and invoices Ontario1234 Ltd. No sales tax.

[surplusdealdude]

What's wrong may be that the State of New York says that, if you are doing business in the State, which 5678 is, then you must collect State retail sales tax.

You might find that out after a couple of years and owe megabucks to them.

There's a whole fooferall going on in the States right now about this - California has even gone so far as to say that, if you have affiliates in California, then you are deemed to be doing business there.

The River cut off all their affiliates in several states because of this. -------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.
- Bertrand Russell

[dipmicro]

Hmm, in my example Ontario1234 Ltd and NewYork5678 LLC are different legal entities. Ontario1234 Ltd is buying the logistics service from NewYork5678 LLC, who delegates the delivery to USPS.

NewYork5678 LLC has nothing to do with the end customer. Instead of dealing with USPS directly, NewYork5678 LLC will become Ontario1234 Ltd's shipper.

If what you say is true, then it does not make any difference if Ontario1234 Ltd purchases the service from USPS or NewYork5678 LLC, and should collect tax from US buyers anyway, but that is not the case.

[surplusdealdude]

The problem with that argument is that the corporations are not dealing "at arms length" with each other.

It's an obvious dodge and the Courts and governments are recognizing this.

In Canada, it comes under the auspices of a "personal service corporation" and the tax department essentially ignores the fact of the incorporation.

Now, if 5678 could pick up some other customers so it is carrying on business as a legitimate, separate entity, then that would be a different story. But New York would still have to be paid nState taxes and the IRS will want a cut as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were in the world today any large number of people who desired their own happiness more than they desired the unhappiness of others, we could have paradise in a few years.
- Bertrand Russell