Canada Post not allowing shipment of anything but paper in letter mail?

[shooger]

Didn't see a current discussion about this topic so I started one.

The lady at the post office said that starting sometime in September I won't be allowed to ship anything except a piece of paper in envelopes anymore. Currently I ship my collectible cards in regular envelopes. What shipping method am I going to have to start using? Bubble mailers? Here's a typical current transaction of mine.

Item (10 collectible cards): $20 USD
My shipping fee: $0
PayPal fee: $1 USD
Packaging: 5c CND
Stamp (to US customer): 85c CND

If I have to go to a $1 bubble mailer with a $2 shipping charge (or more) it's going to squeeze me even further away from profitability.

Why are they doing this, anyway? I always paid extra if the envelope was thick or heavy. 😞

[muminlaw]

http://forums.ebay.ca/thread.jspa?threadID=300019585&tstart=0&mod=1124730129027

The short answer is "anything paper, or having the characteristics of paper" can still go letterpost to the US and Internationally. That, apparently includes, cards (postcards, sport cards, game cards, etc.) that DO NOT have attachments and are not enclosed in hard plastic holders. Soft plastic sleeves are apparently OK.

Anything else, no matter the size or weight, MUST go small packet - again to the US or Internationally. There are a lot of grey areas - for instance no attachments like spangles or cloth to postcards, but greeting cards CAN have cloth or googly eyes or whatever... There was a CP-eBay workshop on the Canada Town Square board. You might also want to read the last couple of pages of that if you're in the mood for an excercise in frustration!

None of this applies to mail staying in Canada!
. Glenda
To Golf or Not To Golf? What a stupid question!

[imagi.nation]

As far as I can tell, from that hodgepodge of a workshop that was held the other day, collectible cards *will* be permitted via letterpost as not only do they have the *characteristics of paper* but *are* paper.

If the lady at your post office gives you a hard time stand your ground and demand to see the CURRENT regulation on this. (It's been changed a few times in the last couple of months so make sure they have the latest regulations.

[phoebescollectables]

By the previeus posts (and the CPC Q@A session) I would assume that Comic Books and Magazines could still go letter mail even if they have a carboard backing.

[shooger]

Thanks very much muminlaw and imagination... I'm going to continue doing what I do, and just avoid overly thick stacks of cards, or using thick plastic card protectors, and see what happens. The cards are always wrapped in paper so there are no sharp edges that could catch in a machine or something, and I always put on an extra stamp for the heavy envelopes. My customers are happy with the packaging, and it's allowing me to offer free shipping, so I hope it keeps working. I'll post again (if I'm still a PowerSeller) if there's any update to this.

[muminlaw]

Shooger, I sell vintage postcards and I'm going to continue to send them by letterpost. It sounds, right now, like that's still allowed. I usually mail them in rigid photo-mailers as oversize letters and they always arrive safely.

phoebes - the way I read the rules, comic and magazines can still go letterpost as long as they fit the size restrictions. I would imagine a LIFE magazine would be too big, but comics should be OK.
. Glenda
To Golf or Not To Golf? What a stupid question!

[zarzuella]

Forgive me for not wading through the post office thread to see if this was answered, but do books qualify? Paperbacks in particular.

Ann

[muminlaw]

I don't think paperbacks were mentioned specifically but I would think so - they're paper and if the the packet is less than 2cm thick, I'd go for it until I was told to stop! And then I'd probably argue a little ...
. Glenda
To Golf or Not To Golf? What a stupid question!

[muminlaw]

By the way, I didn't plough through the whole PO thread either - I tried a few random pages until I came to posts with Canada Post responding and started there. Before that, it was just questions, and I'm sure most of them weren't answered!
. Glenda
To Golf or Not To Golf? What a stupid question!

[phoebescollectables]

Glenda,

Check out post 480 in the CPC thread. Apparently Softcover books are ok.

http://forums.ebay.ca/thread.jspa?threadID=300022011&start=480