eBay Workshop with Canada Post: Thursday, August 25, 1:00-2:00 PM ET

[carly@ebay.com]

Please join us on Thursday, August 25, from 1-2 PM ET for a workshop with Canada Post. Kim from Canada Post will be here to answer all of your questions about Canada Post letterpost service and what the regulations are for using this type of service.

If you are not able to attend, you can leave your questions here in advance of the workshop and they will be answered during the workshop, and you can come back in and check the answers.

Hope you can join us!

Carly

[tobyshitzu]

AGAIN, as mentioned piles of times on this thread, there is NO CHANGE for domestic lettermail

[ferret-mom]

AGAIN, as mentioned piles of times on this thread, there is NO CHANGE for domestic lettermail

--yet...

[ciderantiques]

Hello Canadian ebay sellers! I believe I have the answers, re: International letter-rate issues within CanadaPost. In my opinion, the real reason CP won't allow anything other than a document to go in the over-sized letter category is because the other countries want to know what the content of the package is. It has nothing to do with insurance claim issues. If Canadapost would let us put a customs label on our International envelopes that are under 100 grams, and less than 2 cm in thickness, we would be fine. Did you know that the US International letter-rate can be up to 4 pounds and includes packages that are less than 36" total (length + height + width) !!! Than can be one very large parcel that meets the US requirements for International letter-rate! It seems that the US doesn't have a "small packet" category, but has an extremely generous International Letter-rate category. Once again, the USPS wants a customs label on anything that is not a document. Canadapost won't let us put customs labels on letter-rate mail, therefore we are stuck paying way too much to mail a tiny item as a small packet. I sell vintage hankies that are thin and feather weight. I will continue to buy the postage (in stamps) and mail them as International letter-rate anyways ! Why should my US customers have to pay almost $6 for a small packet that I can send for $1.70. Good luck everyone ! Sincerely, Ciderantiques

[bookstotheborder]

ciderantiques :

USA Letter Post IS their Small Packet---plus being their Letter Post

[ciderantiques]

Hi, me again. The mail clerk at my post office (in Ottawa) confirmed that she was told the real reason we can't send anything other than a document as letter-rate (Internationally) is because it will be sent back by the USPS (US Postal Service)if it doesn't have a customs sticker. That is the key !!! Since Canadapost doesn't put customs stickers on letter mail, we are being told to use the small packet rates. As I stated previously, the US mail system permits large items to go as International letter-rate. Lucky them. If you wish to view and compare the USPS International LETTER-rate category (from the US to Canada) it can be viewed on www.usps.com. You will see that it includes packages that are less than 36" in size (total length, plus, width, plus height) and weigh less than 4 pounds (64 ounces). A whopping 36" and 4 pounds! The US system is much better than our Canadian system for International mail. The US system doesn't have a "small packet" cateogory, but does have a very generous "letter-rate." Once again, it all comes down to that little green customs sticker. If Canadapost would let us use the customs sticker on over-sized letters, we would be fine. Please pass this info on to "Kim". Thank you, Ciderantiques.

[tobyshitzu]

"Once again, it all comes down to that little green customs sticker. If Canadapost would let us use the customs sticker on over-sized letters"

Nothing to do with anything. Canada Post not only permits, they REQUIRE custom stickers on oversize intl letterpsot of dutiable items. They items just have to be paper(now). Pease see customs requirements section of the postal guide.

[tobyshitzu]

http://www.canadapost.ca/personal/tools/pg/manual/b06-e.asp
scroll down to the chart and find letterpost

[nickie*nine*doors]

because the other countries want to know what the content of the package is

WE CURRENTLY DO PUT A GREEN CUSTOMS STICKER ON our oversize/other lettermail items that are essential bubble envelopes with small lightweight items. The sticker indicates the exact contents of the package, whether it's a gift, sample, or other, the value of the item, and the weight of the item. So, if other countries require this information, it's already being provided.

[ciderantiques]

When I put a customs label on an oversized letter (to keep the USPS happy) the clerk at Canadapost rips it off. I have had the same experience with several clerks, at several different post offices. They always say "only the small packets require a customs form." If you put a customs sticker on an envelope it will be sent back for insufficient postage (the customs sticker implies it is a small packet and should have the small packet postage). Canadapost is making us use the small packet service (with a customs sticker) to keep the USPS happy. If we could ID our oversized letters with a customs form it wouldn't be a problem Internationally. This is all a big scam by Canadapost to make us pay more, when it isn't necessary.

[sunraycity]

If there is someone out there who is willing to make the trip to the US a few times a week to ship stuff I would be happy to send my packages with the. Alternatively I could do the same as long as the shipping is done on a weekend. Feel free to contact me at moshe@sunraycity.com I am in the Toronto area.

Moshe

[tobyshitzu]

"." If you put a customs sticker on an envelope it will be sent back for insufficient postage (the customs sticker implies it is a small packet and should have the small packet postage). Canadapost is making us use the small packet service (with a customs sticker) to keep the USPS happy."

No,no,no. WHITE customs form is small packet. Green CN22 is letterpost (was also used for small apcket before white ones introduced). The only thing green ones are to be used for now is letterpost. Link above already provided on custom form requirement for letterpost. It does not appear the "paper only" has anything at all to do with USPS.

[thomasj7342]

Looks like that chart wasn't uptdated since "Articles up to $500 in value" still figures in the other letter-post section.

[tobyshitzu]

You can still send artilces up to $500, as long as they're paper. If you send a $400 collectable stamp or baseball card you need to (or are supposed to) use the right customs form. The green forms are for letterpost only.

[dnc_ont]

Notice that it says INCLUDES LITERATURE FOR THE BLIND.

There's your out. A CD could be an audio book, which is literature for the blind.

[dnc_ont]

Let's face it - this is a poorly executed cash grab by CP and they've missed a million details.

This is going to end up coming down to a lawsuit, no doubt about it.

[ferret-mom]

The green forms are for letterpost only.

Are they still available? I was under the impression that we could use them until the outlets ran out of them, but there would be no more of them printed.

As for a lawsuit -- have you ever tried to sue the government?

[tobyshitzu]

Green cn22 are available, can be ordered online Product Number: 543074076 Product Description: GREEN CUSTOMS STICKERS

[ferret-mom]

Okay, so if the green customs stickers are already being used with letter-post, why can't the practice just continue after the deadline?

[tobyshitzu]

Because they announces its "paper only" - take your choice of reasons proposed:

- people making insurance claims when sending items letterpost[response from csr matt]

-terrorism/us homeland security[supposedly waht some outlets say]

-its always been that way, just some outles were allowing non paper to go letter [response from CP president]

-sorting/machinery[ebay board speculation]

- Saw an opportunity to bring in more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$[most logical explanation]

[ferret-mom]

Okay, so if it is "paper only", then things like stamps and sports cards should qualify. Yet in post #372, ciderantiques states that the postal employees remove customs stickers from letter-post envelopes. She did not specify that they were the white ones, which is what was assumed in reply #374. So it would seem that even the "paper only" rule seems to be applied rather unevenly by the folks at Canada Post.

And if it is indeed "paper only", then I see no reason why things like sewing patterns or quilting magazines would be excluded.

I'm not being obtuse, just trying to understand exactly how these rules are going to be applied in the future, when the current policies are not followed with any kind of logic or cohesion.