Why ship by Canada Post?

[toolrackca]

Why ship through the post?

Besides printing Paypal/CP labels that are more then in store Venture costs.

I was commenting as follows on another PS sellers posting. Thought perhaps a wider forum would be of benefit.


I have had to make numerous claims to keep my customers happy. They have never lost anything I've shipped. They just can't track it and take sometimes a month to deliver it.

In my listings I post:

"TO THE CONTINENTAL U.S. IT AVERAGES 10 TO 12 BUSINESS DAYS. THIS IS THERE ESTIMATE, (canada post/usps) AND COULD TAKE LONGER DUE TO CUSTOMS DELAYS. TO THE U.S. TRACKING IS MORE OF A CONFIRMATION OF SHIPPING AS UNFORTUNATELY THE USPS DOESN'T UPDATE THE TRACKING INFO. UNTIL IT GETS TO YOUR LOCAL DELIVERY AREA. WE SHIP AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO REDUCE THE DELIVERY TIME."

Invariably I get an e-mail asking or threatening to reverse the transaction because they haven't received the item after 5 days.

I reply by quoting the listing info as well as that Paypal has confirmed to me that they have the provided the tracking info. to them. Which they have.


It takes a lot of explaining why 15 days later it is still in Canada getting sorted.

CP over the last 3 years have doubled there rates while decreasing there delivery times. i.e. California 4-6 days to 10-12 days by expedited post.

I suffered through that with my costumers so that they wouldn't have the erroneous charges of the couriers.

Recently it has come to my attention, which I have taken advantage of, that FedEx doesn't charge any fees on items valued at less then $200.00. Other couriers are probably the same.

In any case FedEx Ground charges pretty much the exactly the same rate as Expedited Post. With complete tracking and 1/3 the delivery time. They also offer next day pickup at no charge.

I started to ask my customers after they had purchased my items if they would like FedEx delivery instead of the post at the same fee. 100% said yes.

I am in the process of offering FedEx as the primary option to U.S. customers in all my listings.

This is for U.S. shipments. Within Canada the post is O.K.

[snoopwiz]

We dropped Canada Post as our main carrier a year and a half ago and it was the best move we could have made. For all the reasons you have stated above as well as the generous discount we managed to negotiate with them plus, the daily pick up they offer for the laughable sum of $6 a week. Heck, I cant drive to the Post Office once for $6, with my time and gas being where it is.

Most of what we ship is in the 20-40 lb range and I do NOT miss loading my car up, driving to the P.O and back, lining up, dealing with surly counter clerks, questionable tracking for Expedited (which, as we eventually found out is NOT a guaranteed service) and the list goes on.

We have shipped about 900 parcels with Fed-Ex, one was lost. They couldn't have been more apologetic. Did the claim and, not only did I get my FULL replacement value in a very reasonable amount of time but, they were kind enough to send along a gorgeous gift basket with letter of apologies.

Their on-line customer service is excellent. I could go on and on. I also use them for all my Canadian shipments, just to keep up my volume to inevitably help with my next round of negotiations for an even better rate.

Yes there are the down sides and to keep this posting fair, I will list them. They will offer same day pick up, if you phone in up until about 5 o'clock i believe. BUT, that's only for air shipments, not ground. Next day only for ground. Next, there is a $2 "residential delivery" surcharge" on all shipments going to a persons house. As 98% of our packages do go to residences, we have learned to accept this and add it in to our S&H charges. Still comes up a bit less the Canada Posts rates. The kicker is shipping to very rural addresses. Be careful here. They can and do charge an extra $2 up to an extra $10 for this "privilege" The reason they do is because they subcontract the final delivery out to DHL or whoever bests serves that particular area. Watch out for this when doing your on-line ship manager. Always use "courtesy quote" to avoid the sticker shock when your invoice arrives.

Canada Post has gone from getting 100% of our business to less than 2% now (small packet air). If they could offer me the rates, ship time, daily pick up at my place, I certainly would consider giving them another shot. Doesn't look like that's going to happen anytime soon.

[katiusciav]

We have shipped about 900 parcels with Fed-Ex, one was lost. They couldn't have been more apologetic. Did the claim and, not only did I get my FULL replacement value in a very reasonable amount of time but, they were kind enough to send along a gorgeous gift basket with letter of apologies

i hope i get a dozen roses from them soon AND a full refund...after putting my large package through what looked like to be a giant weedwacker and kindly returned it to me. i hope they're as agreeable to refunds as you say, i remember reading somewhere on these boards its a struggle sometimes getting back your refund with lost/damaged items...

[snoopwiz]

I am sorry to hear that happened to you. NO carrier will offer perfection. My suggestion is, to escalate your claim, don't leave it with the customer service rep but, call/write your rep and get a name of a c/s manager. Their managers have the authority to go way above and beyond what the phone clerks can. Its worked extremely well for me and I do hope it will for you. Remember, the courier business is extremely competitive and, should the occasion arise, kindly remind your rep or C/S manager that unless they bring this sad situation to an agreeable close, and soon, you will be left with no choice but to look into other carriers. Most often, that DOES get their attention. Good luck.

[snoopwiz]

katiusciav Not sure where you are or which office you deal with but, the C/S manager I have had the most success with can be emailed at esyriani@fedex.com His first name is Elias and he works out of the Toronto office. If he cant do anything directly, due to the geographical issues, my guess is he will refer you to someone that will help. Hope this info pans out for you.

[katiusciav]

What a nice person you are for sharing that with me...thanks a bunch, i just faxed in the claim last friday, and was going to call soon to find out the status, but will send him an email instead...how long does it generally take? one person told me a week, another told me 4-6 weeks?

[snoopwiz]

Only ever had to put one claim in for a lost package and that took about 8 days from the time I made the claim until I received my check. The other times I had contacted Elias was for late delivery or unexpected add-on charges of which he took care of them all within 72 hours. Let me know how you make out. Good luck.

[treasure-pot]

Kat, as a general rule of thumb, it is the responsibility of all postal and courier claims reps to poke holes in your ability to file a claim. All companies see their claims department as a cost that needs to be justified. Claims departments are always a drain on the company's profitability and the only way they can contribute to the bottom line is to weed out the claims that are borderline. Occasionally they will also bend the truth a little regarding company policy on claims. They are just doing what they are told to do. All carriers do not "want" to pay claims but snoopwiz's advise is good - escalate. The front line has very limited autonomy and you may often need to speak to a supervisor or sales rep to get anything done. It's just the way they all do business.

Bill treasure-pot

[katiusciav]

Occasionally they will also bend the truth a little regarding company policy on claims. They are just doing what they are told to do. All carriers do not "want" to pay claims but snoopwiz's advise is good - escalate

don't i know it. i've dealt with enough of these 'front liners who bend the truth a little' in my day...and escalation is my second name:-) this claim will be paid out in full...i'm not a little girl you can say no to that easily...B-)