i am currently using Canda post to ship things to my customer. Recently I recieve a bigger volume order in Toronto. (I am located in BC)
Any Good suggestion if i am going to send 10 cellular phone from BC to ON?
I was Just checking out the Greyhound website on the Canadian and American Side and you cant get a quote for cross boarding shipping and when i tried to they gave me this message stated cross boarding shipping is unavailable.
"Best alphabetical match for "VICTORIA."
Cross-border service between Canada and the United States is not available. For information on shipping within Canada, visit Greyhound Courier Express at Greyhound Canada."
I also remember trying to ask about this with my rep breifly back when I first opened my comercial account and I think they told me there was no cross boarder shipping.
Just thought I would let you know this incase you new some way around it, I will still be contacting my Rep tomorrow.
DB
You just arent looking far enough on the web site.
I have the pricing/shipping book and I asked about it at the Greyhound station in Ottawa and they confirmed they ship to the US as well as to any country in the world and will pick up at your house or business. It also states the 'transit time' to each destination
I was given the Ottawa Sales Rep's hone number to set up an account but havent yet.
Here is the link on the web site about shipping internationally: http://www.shipgreyhound.ca/en/services/international.shtml
You are referred to their pricing guide set out by Province (rather than a rate calculator) which is in a PDF format. This pricing guide is the same as the pricing book any Greyhound location can provide you.
Again, I am not saying it is the best way to go for International shipping as I believe that they cube your shipments to get the weight whereas they dont cube for shipping within Canada.
I believe that they may be an excellent alternative for shipping within Canada however (they go by actual weight), will pick up for free and their rates are very attractive.
Further, the rates I am looking at are NOT discounted because of volume. They are the 'over-the-counter" rates so I would expect to see some savings through regular shipping with them.
Hi! I live on Vancouver Island in BC and have been using Canada Post online 'Electronic Shipping Tools'. It is better than Venture one which I had before they came out with this program especially for shipping within Canada.
I also noticed that one of you was using the Commercial Expedited! I got caught with that one at first and ended up paying all the duty!! OUCH! They just charged the extra cost to my credit card! Number 1,2 or 3 doesn't make much difference. I changed to Expedited Parcel USA or Small Packet depending on the parcel. Canada is always 'Expedited' and all parcels are insured, free, for the first $100.00.
Also, with the Electronic Shipping Tools, you print out your own labels (no need for the manifests as of a couple months ago). This is great as you just drop off your parcels at the post office, ready to go, no standing in line and waiting for them to weigh and measure every parcel. I love it! I SHOULD BE WORKING FOR THE POST OFFICE!! :>) Hope this helps.
~Denise
Denise... these Electronic Shipping Tools... do they allow you to state your own dimension, weights, etc., and print out the cost? And then what do the CP counter personnel do? How do you pay?
I'm curious, because I get all the customs slips, small packet stickers, airmail stickers, etc from my Canada Post Counter Personnel, and and apply them myself. But they still need to enter in the packages in the computer to have me pay...?
Just like to say I very much appreciate your help this is excellent. I talked to the greyhound rep and they do international shipping all by air and your right its not that good of a rate becuase its all express Air no ground service. So I will stick with my FedEx ground account for the US shipments.
Canada Post Electronic Shipping Tools do allow you to get in and out of the Post Office quicker, but the desk-top version is so clunky that any time saved dropping off boxes is lost doing the key-punching on C.P.'s behalf. And although I only used the on-line version once, I don't think it is much faster for the keypunching.
Denise (post 22). Beware of the online E.S.T. by Canada Post. You make reference that you don't have to bother with a manifest (because the on-line version does not produce one). This will save you time, but of course you realize the use of the manifest is also if audited by Rev. Canada you can prove that the goods you sold and didn't collect GST or PST on left the country. Without a manifest, you cannot prove this.... When Electronic Shipping tools came out, I used the on-line version once and found that it didn't produce a manifest. I contacted Canada Post and the help desk guy indicated that this was an error in the program and the program was really designed for people shipping mostly personal goods and not requiring manifests for proof of shipping. However he expected there would be a rewrite that did generate a manifest in the future. I guess it is still in the works.
(Check with your accountant to see how important a manifest will be in the event of an audit).
The other problem with the on-line version is that you cannot use your Canada Post account (it has to be charged to a credit card) and for every parcel, an individual charge is made against your credit card.
At least the on-line version although slow to generate shipments, it does apply multiple shipments to a single manifest and then a single bill and you can charge against your Canada Post account....
But the savings for doing Canada Posts key-punching, and the savings of a minute or two of the postal clerk not having to weigh outbound parcels hardly warrants the extra time waiting for this crappy program to process the data and spit out a label....
Jeff Good Points
Also, when using the automated shipping tools for cross-border sales, you are the one that can be held financially responsible for US duties on Expedited shipments as they go through a Customs Broker.
Ship a $400 item and watch your $20 shipping charge go up to $150 that is charged to you.
If you are using the automated shipping tools, prepare a manual manifest for all your US Expedited shipments and avoid the surprises some Cdn PSers have had the unfortunate occasion to experience.
Jeff
Why can't you use an automated one for non-expedited and a manual for expedited then you are only charged once.
Just dont produce an automated one for your expedited shipments.
Malcolm, what you are saying is use it for non-expedited, but do not use the shipping tools, instead do a manual manifest for expedited.....I misinterpreted when you said do both an automated and manual manifest. I thought you meant do it on-line and then also give the postmaster a manual manifest for the same item...
