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

[addobbi]

Just in case it hasn't already been made clear enough: The people posting questions for this ebay Workshop with Canada Post are almost all here to complain, and for very good reason. Canada Post shouldn't expect anything different given the current situation. Just imagine how productive this session could have been if Canada Post actually cared about helping small businesses in Canada stay competive with their American counterparts. The only way to get their attention through action.

[getgiz]

Hello Kim:
1) Will Venture One customers get a discount on new Small Packet Rates?
2) Is Canada Post considering introducing rates for 30 grams, 50 grams & 100 grams? Ten or more of mine would fit in one at the maximum weight, as it is.
3) Is it ok to apply the CN22 Form onto the back of a bubble envelope? It's too large for the front.
4) Is there a way that I can post these without lining up at the post office? I am especially dreading the thought of the Christmas season line-ups.

[getgiz]

Re my above post:
Please do not suggest that I use the CN22 form for the address. It is much too small an area for that.

[robert6186]

When I Sell a bottle of shampoo and conditioner on eBay and ship to the US do I have to do extra paper work for customs what is the correct way to do this.

[block36]

Dear Kim,
Please forget for a minute about your executive position with Canada Post, and please pretend that you are just a good friend of mine and of some other small sellers. And let's say, we are asking you for the friendly advise how to make our business most competitive on the world's Ebay market, so the shipping expence will not scare our potential buyers. This is my question! Please answer to this question! And also I would like to say, that I can send now a little pamphlet type book to USA with the shipping cost under $2, I may not be able to send the same with the cost of $5 or higher... The book will not be sold and I will not get my little profit, but Canada Post will not get $2 either... For this package, and for next one, and for many others... So, the inconvenience Canada Post has experienced with uninsured packages will not be even close in comparisson with forecasted lost business. Is it really a real goal of Canada Post?

[block36]

Dear Kim,
Please forget for a minute about your executive position with Canada Post, and please pretend that you are just a good friend of mine and of some other small sellers. And let's say, we are asking you for the friendly advise how to maintain our competitive business on the world's Ebay market, so the shipping expense will not scare our potential buyers? This is my question! Please answer to this question! Can Canada Post introduce some kind of book rates? And also I would like to say, that I can send now a little pamphlet type book to USA with the shipping cost under $2, I may not be able to send the same with the cost of $5 or higher... The book will not be sold and I will not get my little profit, but Canada Post will not get $2 either... For this package, and for next one, and for many others... So, the inconvenience Canada Post has experienced with uninsured packages will not be even close in comparison with forecasted lost business. Is it a real goal of Canada Post?

[dnc_ont]

Since Canada Post says that using Tickelopes is OK, and they're made of foam, what they're really saying is that it's the contents that really count.

So, using their logic, if a foam envelope is OK, which hardly has the characteristics of paper, no more or less than a CD or even goods made of paper, a solution for all the CD sellers might be to tape two CD's together and put the invoice in between. Ie. Make your envelope out of CD's.

That would seem to be acceptable using CP's new logic.
:^O

[rkathleenf]

One question that I have is whether or not there is any type of insurance on parcels sent surface within Canada. I was told before by a Canada Post employee that all packages come standard with $100 insurance. Another employee told me that there's automatically $100 insurance ONLY if it's mailed outside of Canada (U.S. or internationally) -- ironically it's also cheaper, but that within Canada, there's no coverage at all. Also, why don't Canada Post employees ask if the sender wants a receipt? I was told before that if I didn't have the receipt, I could never make a claim if it was lost yet I am constantly having to ask for a receipt (though with all the paperwork that I have to fill out, I often forget. For the sake of Ebay sellers (and buyers), please do something about the cost of mailing within Canada especially small items (i.e., pins, shoelaces, etc.), so often the shipping is so much that the items won't sell even for way less than they are worth.

[nickie*nine*doors]

it'd greatly improve things for me if I could just drop it all off into the mailbox next to my house

It's virtually impossible for many Canadian Citizens to drop of ANY package in their mailbox, because of the use of those "SuperMailBoxes". The slots in those things are only big enough to accept a regular sized envelope. Anything larger will have to be driven to a postal outlet, making the convenience of EST redundant.

As part of our product support, we ship hundreds of CD's, which contain "documentation" only. These CD's have no commercial value, but are necessary in order to provide our customers with product updates and guides. Just because it's in a different format (plastic vs paper), doesn't make the actual contents different. I don't need $100 small packet insurance. I just need to get this to its destination for under $2. Why is that so difficult?


I, too, spend thousands of $$ each month with CP. My small business simply cannot afford to spend 3X that much, for virtually the same (inferior) service. If CP starts refusing CD's in oversize envelopes, it will mean another small business will shut down, another mother having to go on social assistance just in order to survive and feed her children. I have personally contacted people with US Customs/Homeland Security, and they have confirmed that this new directive from CP DID NOT originate from them. In their view, the information on the green customs sticker is more than sufficient for US Customs to process and inspect items shipped via letterpost service. Kim: please comment on why several CP employees have pointed to US Customs regulations as the reason for the policy change. While other employees give completely different and conflicting reasons?

I am hoping "Kim" can answer each and every question in this thread. It's the least we all deserve. However, I suspect that it will be nothing more than a generic copy and paste session.

[nickie*nine*doors]

What also makes me really sick, is that I have tried to be pro-active in my business, and project Christmas-time sales, which is my busiest time. To be prepared for that, I purchased stock in advance (thousands of items), so that I would have sufficient supply for the holiday demand. If I am unable to ship these (small, under 50g) items to the US for under $2, then I won't be able to sell them at all, which means $15,000 invested in stock which I cannot sell.

I am a venture-one account holder, and use it regularly for packages that qualify for venture one. However, Canada Post has never sent me information about the "new" letterpost changes. If it wasn't for this ebay board, I would never have known.

So, I do question if this new rule is really written in stone. What about all the other mail-order businesses who DO NOT operate on ebay. Currently, they will have no clue what's about to take place.

[tizzytapties]

If we can no longer send small items we sent via Letterpost or Lettermail, CP should introduce a new "Tiny Package" service with the same rates and size requirements as Lettermail. The green Customs Declaration would be required and the sender would understand that there would be no insurance. If insurance required, then the sender could opt for "Small Packet" service.

[patinage4ever]

Note for tizzy & others...

There is no problem sending small items within Canada by other lettermail which is Canada Post's domestic service for items no larger than 380mm x 270mm x 20mm.

Regrettably many people - including Canada Post Customer Service Reps - are not using the correct terms which adds to the mass confusion.

Other Letter-post applies when sending items (same dimensions as above) to the US or to any other destination outside of Canada.

There have not been any content restrictions on any of the above until a Canada Post website change of April 19, 2004. No one will admit responsibility for that website revision. The office of the Pres & CEO of Canada Post states,

""""""The Regulations to the Canada Post Corporation Act specify that a letter-post item cannot contain any "goods" like a small gift, book, CD or similar item. It appears that some retail outlets misinterpreted the Regulations & were accepting letter-post items in error. All outlets have now been reminded of the correct application of the Regulations.

It was to clarify this point that we recently updated out web site to indicate that US & International letter-post has content regulations that we must observe, while domestic lettermail is based on the size of the item. The content regulations apply to your pins, & the Small Packet rate must be used for mailing them outside Canada. Within Canada, however, they may be sent as lettermail.""""""""""""""

Blaming some retail outlets is ridiculous when

1. the US & International Letter-post pages of Canada Post's publication T455161 (05-01) clearly allow goods. See the Customs Requirements section,

2. also consider the actual allowable dimensions. Paper documents in a quantity not even close to maximum dimensions weigh more than the 500grams allowed.

[patinage4ever]

OOPS! A typo in the date in above post....the CPC site revision is April 19, 2005

[pitouu17]

Hi,
I have a question about shipping in another country like : USA to Canada. How is the full shipping fees for .. by example : send Dc Sports Headers for Acura Integra (360$ US) from California to Montreal? I know that more the weight is big, more than the price will be high for the things.

I don't know if you understand my english because I speak always French.
Thank you to answer me!! 🙂

[newoldnew]

Kim, this is not a question, but a fact. Canadapost is sqeezing ebay users out of business. As global trade on the internet gets bigger so will business in Canada. I know Canada's system is not subsidsed like in the USA but how can Canadians compete with that, when we have no Book rates, higher rates overall, more restrictions, ie cds as letter mail Should be allowed! Also how about giving all your reps at the counter a training course so that rates are the same as in Standardised, they aren't no matter what you say. Like in Sooke, B.C they told me no sir too big, so I drove to Victoria and mailed it there at my cost in fuel rather than repack the item. I could go on but as Canadians have no choice in this monopoly why bother. Tip, we are a big volumne of your sales either you want us to be in business or you don't. Time and your actions will determine this. I have 1 million items to ship. Can you handle it at a fair cost that is competive?, that is your goal.

[dnc_ont]

"I know Canada's system is not subsidsed like in the USA"

Sad thing is, the USPS is NOT subsidized by the US government at all - that ended in 1982. They also turn a profit.

[dnc_ont]

"Periodically, I survey what's happening on Capitol Hill and I've not detected any noticeable interest in this idea. Perhaps that's because, as you note, the Postal Service is trying "to be efficient." I'll say it is! The Postal Service concluded fiscal year 2004 and 2003 comfortably in the black. Our expenses have remained relatively constant since 2001 and we've not increased prices since 2002."

"In addition, our on-time delivery scores and customer satisfaction index are at all time highs, as measured independently by IBM Consulting Services and the Gallup organization, respectively. "


Extracted from an editorial letter from the USPS, dated June 2005. Quite a different story from how Canada Post is operating lately, eh?

[newoldnew]

USA not subsidised? OK I'll believe you over CP employes that are hidding the truth when they say : Quote, well sir they are subsided we aren't. YOU SEE Train those kids, unless you just want to see Canadians out of business, no standards = Canadapost a corporate monoploly living in a democracy. I'm so confused like most Canadians. The dictionary discribes a democracy as something different.

[gocanam]

It's time for someone to set up a business for Canadian ebayer's to ship for less.
I have my teenagers ship once a week from Upstate NY once a week with USPS.
I am located between Ottawa and Montreal.
Maybe my kids can ship other ebayer's items across the border for less than Canada Post with quicker delivery.
If interested, email me at ebay@gocanam.com
Thanks
Andy

[secondsilver]

I would like Canada Post to justify to my buyers the following shipping cost increase for an audio book, (could also be a dvd, cd etc) as a result of the New enforcement of Other Letter mail restrictions:
L(7.75")W(4.25")H(1") weight: 200g
Previously shipping costs using Other letter mail: All US states: $2.90, All Canada: $1.70
With the new restrictions
IN CANADA: Toronto: $5.80, Peterborough: $7.50, Alberta $10.65, Nova Scotia $8.78
IN the US: Air $5.60, Surface $3.95
All prices are quoted in Canadian funds.
Why does Canada Post insist on biting the hand the feeds the economy with outrageous pricing.
Secondsilver