Canada post "USA surface small packet" takes forever! HELP

[sweet.suki]

I am in canada and sold something to a buyer in the US.

i ordered a paypal shipping label "USA surface small packet" on Jan 6th, and dropped the package in a canadapost office on Jan 7th.

The label contains tracking number but no bar code.

today i check on candapost website, it still shows "order information received" same with all other packages i sent out after Jan 6, using " USA surface small packet".

i called canadapost call centre, the girl who answered the call has no idea what she was talking about...i called paypal but obviously they have nothing to do with it....

anyone can help me explain what is going on?

thanks in advance~

[femmefan1946]

It's not a tracking number.

It can't be tracked. It cannot be Delivery Confirmed.

Don't panic.

The number is used by Canada Post as bookkeeping and also for insurance claims. The parcel is automatically covered up to $100 against loss or damage in transit.

So.

You mailed on a Saturday. The parcel went to the terminal on Monday, probably.

It has been in transit for 10 working days.

Just wait until your customer leaves feedback.

It probably will arrive today (Friday) or on Monday, depending on whether Martin Luther King Day (Monday the 16th) is a postal holiday.

FWIW, I try to put that shipping invoice number in my feedback. It is reassuring to customers, even when it does not even cover insurance (as in Light Packet)

[sweet.suki]

hello Femmefan, that s smart! thanks for the tips! now i know how to explain this to my customers!

🙂

[cumos55]

When I send an email to the buyer  when payment has been received, I respond to the Paypal payment... email goes to the buyer.

Tells them payment has been received,,, and how long it might take.

The email is .....

Thanks for purchasing this book

Your purchase will be in the mail on  Monday, January 16.

Should take about 10  to 14 days, and sometimes longer if it gets caught up in the postal system or in customs....

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

I live in Winnipeg....good estimate for California... and may take a bit longer to New York and to Florida...  simply because of the distance  and the population density in the Eastern US.

No mention of business days.

and if there is extra days for holidays as in this past Christmas  I will make a note of that as well

[sweet.suki]

thanks for the tips.

when i ordered the label on paypal. it clearly stated "tracking number: blah blach". i thought i paid for something trackable..but it really is just an order ID....

Now, one 0 rating buyer is worried and keeps messaging me on her package"tracking "status....where there is NO tracking and paypal shipping shows the Order ID is the tracking number!!

what if my package is actually delivered and the buyer claimed it is never delivered. i guess 99% paypal will refund the buyer and leave with with a lose and maybe a -ve feedback?!

so far the buyer hasn't open any case on me. any suggest on how to prevent it from happening?

thanks a bunch!

[femmefan1946]

what if my package is actually delivered and the buyer claimed it is never delivered.

Don't let it get that far. A PP claim is far more damaging to you than any loss of money.

If your buyer is concerned, give a reasonable date for delivery and ask if she can wait til then. Say Friday 27th.

If she doesn't want to wait, refund immediately.

If she agrees , on Thursday evening, message her and ask if the parcel has arrived. If she says no, refund her and ask that when the parcel does arrive, that she refund the refund through Paypal.

Most will. (Happened to me on Wednesday, actually)

Now, Small Packet is insured up to $100 against loss in transit. And apparently (because most people are honest, even if they get antsy) this parcel is lost in transit.

PHONE Canada Post and ask about the insurance. Have the shipping date and the invoice number handy. You will probably be told to phone back. Note the date on your calendar, phone again (if the customer has not repaid the refund) and make your claim. Some of the clerks can cut you a cheque on the spot.

If you feel suspicious of the customer, after you have been paid on the claim, let her know that you made it, and ask her to cooperate with the USPS postal inspectors. They can be nasty . Let her sweat. Mwah-ha-ha-ha!

[sweet.suki]

femmefan! you are awsome! B-) thanks!!

[zarzuella]

and may take a bit longer to New York and to Florida...  simply because of the distance  and the population density in the Eastern US.

😄   Passed hand to hand?

[theseedhouse]

It is my understanding when I go to post office that there is no such thing as small packet with a tracking number.  It has to be expedited.  Although, you can insure a small packet, there is no way off tracking through Canada Post Site.  I use small packet air mainly for the speed of delivery and cost is not that much different.

I am totally unfamiliar with Paypal labels, use my own, but I am getting the impression that Canada Post scans the tracking number somehow so you can track it?  The problem I have ran into very few times is that if each Depot does not record package there is no way of actually being 100% sure where it is.

I am wondering if Canada Post employees are not real knowledgeable on these kind of Paypal labels.  I think I would stick to dealing with Canada Post only that way their system can pick up all tracking they supply.

Good luck with it  🙂

[zarzuella]

It is my understanding when I go to post office that there is no such thing as small packet with a tracking number.  It has to be expedited.  Although, you can insure a small packet, there is no way off tracking through Canada Post Site.  I use small packet air mainly for the speed of delivery and cost is not that much different.

I am totally unfamiliar with Paypal labels, use my own, but I am getting the impression that Canada Post scans the tracking number somehow so you can track it?  The problem I have ran into very few times is that if each Depot does not record package there is no way of actually being 100% sure where it is.

I am wondering if Canada Post employees are not real knowledgeable on these kind of Paypal labels.  I think I would stick to dealing with Canada Post only that way their system can pick up all tracking they supply.

Good luck with it  🙂

Paypal/eBay shipping is simply an interface to allow you to access Canada Post online, and purchase some postage at a discount.

[femmefan1946]

Small Packet is neither tracked nor Delivery Confirmed.

It is not necessary to insure Small Packet as it automatically is insured for up to $100 against loss or damage in transit. (You can add more insurance if you want it.)

Expedited is not tracked. It is Delivery Confirmed.

For tracked shipping you would have to move up to ExpressPost or PriorityPost.

Neither is necessary nor required in a Dispute. Delivery Confirmation is fine--add Signature Confirmation if the buyer paid over $250 including postage.

Paypal labels give you a small discount on most services and a whopping 20% on Expedited.  Well worth it.

I also find that keeping my half of the PP label makes my bookkeeping easier.