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

[rose_productions]

Canada Post and eBay/Paypal need to work together better.

[pompono]

I have written to a few american sellers and the suggestion that comes most often is the following: "...get your legislators to loosen up on your postal restrictions between USA and Canada."

On this side as Canadian sellers, we are frustated for so many reasons but on the american side, it would be a very good idea to know what they are thinking of our postal system. And then, wishful thinking!, we could meet and try to solve part of the problems.

It's important to see the problem from many avenues!

[woofer61]

I would like to know whom at Canada post can be contacted to complain about the amount of parcels that mysteriously disappear. My last claim was for 2 US express post parcels (posted the same day) that were scanned into the local outlet and got "lost" from there ie. never made it to the main sorting centre. Their answer is to pay the claim but quite frankly someone (and it couldn't be too hard to find who)is taking these parcels. I lose credibility with my USA and international customers even though I refund and since I deal in one of a kinds don't even have an option to replace. Please help.
woofer61

[rose_productions]

I lose credibility with my USA and international customers even though I refund and since I deal in one of a kinds don't even have an option to replace.

I hear you on that one. I sell antiques for a local antiques mall and when those shipments go missing I can only refund the buyer and refund the whole amount! I only make 20% commission on the item and then I have to refund the whole amount paid - including shipping!

That REALLY can and almost did put me OUT OF BUSINESS!

[getgiz]

CP won't cut rates? Well....how about introducing a couple of NEW Rates? For very small packets (bubble envelopes) under 100 grams and under 50 grams and under even 30 grams. Why do I have to pay the same amount for my slightly oversized envelope that weighs under 30 grams as a parcel with much larger dimentions that weighs 500 grams?!
Also....In the past I was able to weigh, stamp and label (customs green form) and mail myself. Now...(or after Sept. 19th)I have to wait in line every day to get my new forms stamped!
Also....writing out those new forms for every packet gives me writer's cramp.
Also....have you stopped to think about the long line-ups as Christmas approaches?

[st_michelfan]

Dear fellow eBayers

I have been reading with interest the posts in this forum and it seems to me that Canada Post is well aware of the hardships they are causing their customers by providing their crummy service and excessive rates. I, too, have heard the robot-like, uncaring rhetoric and standard replies from CP many times - as an individual who sporadically sends small parcels, as well, I used to work in customer service for a subcontractor of CP which delivered their parcels. (I’m very thankful I don’t work there any longer!)

I like to speculate on the real reasons for which things happen. Please allow me to hypothesize on what might be happening with this whole CP thing. By the way, I did not read all of the posts here - I stopped at around #57 so if someone has already considered the following I apologise for repeating.

First, Canada has a * substantially * smaller population than the either the US, Europe or Asia so that may be one reason why our postal rates are so much higher. If we had more citizens CP would have more customers, which would then naturally lead to lower rates.
Second, it seems to me that CP employees are quite indifferent to all the complaints they’re receiving. Perhaps because their superiors have been told by upper management that unhappy customers are really what they’re after. Why you ask? Perhaps it’s because their hidden agenda is to make Canadians so ticked off with not only Canada Post service but most other Canadian government services as well, so that eventually, when the Prime Minister of Canada proposes that we become one with the US so that we can bask in the superior services that they receive, we will be falling over ourselves to get to the polling stations to cast our “yes” vote.

Just something to think about.... 😐

[misterbeaver]

I want to be an american.

[synchronia]

With all due respect, I think its important to remember that this is a forum to field suggestions and concerns to a Canada Post representative. In order to get the most bang for our buck we should avoid watering the impact of the information fielded here with gossip, conjecture and repetition. Statements and questions should be direct and factual.

Regards,
Dean

[pierrelebel]

I would like to offer the Canada Post representative a week to research my relatively simple (multiple choice) question and bring us a definitive, factual and comprehensive answer.

Background

The CP Philatelic Centre is one of Canada Post's largest customers, selling and sending Canadian postage stamps and philatelic items to customers worldwide. Thousands of small, medium and large envelopes are mailed daily.

Until now, envelopes shipped outside Canada by the Philatelic Centre have been franked at the "lettermail" rate although they do contain "goods".

Question

Will Canada Post change the practice and request that the Philatelic Centre pay "parcel" or "small packet" rates (like everyone else), requiring them to raise the price charged to their customers in the USA and overseas?

Or will Canada Post make an exception for itself, placing all other Canadians exporting similar goods at a tremendous and unfair competitive disadvantage?

Or will Canada Post modify the new rules and consider all philatelic materials to be "documents" (not goods) and continue their eligibility to be rated as "lettermail" for destination to the USA and overseas?

Comment

For your information, a quick look at over one hundred postal authorities around the world indicates that all of them export their philatelic materials using a "lettermail" (or equivalent) rate.

[sffan2001]

My question is the same as that asked by many other people.

My local post office clerk showed me a page from a Canada Post newsletter InfoOperations to its employees. The gist of it was that (as noted by many others) CP will "rigidly enforce" their regulation that diskettes and CDs are unacceptable as First Class mail to the US. CDs and diskettes will have to travel as small packets at three times the price.


The "logic" involved here is a Canada Post regulation that says only paper and printed documents can be considered as "first class mail".

The only logical answer is that Canada Post has to change its antiquated regulation! The dinosaurs at CP have to realise that in this day and age, a CD or a data diskette is a document. If CP's only excuse is the regulation, then change the regulation!



A true story: in December 1901, Marconi made world headlines when he received the first trans-Atlantic radio signal. The signal originated in the southwest of England, and Marconi had built a small station on the coast of Newfoundland.

Several days later, Marconi received a visit from lawyers representing the Anglo-Newfoundland Telegraph Company. Marconi was informed that he was in violation of the Telegraph Company's monopoly on signals received in Newfoundland, and so he had to pack up his equipment and move it to the friendlier shores of Nova Scotia.

I suspect that the people enforcing the rules at Canada Post must be descendents of the lawyers from the Anglo-Newfoundland Telegraph Company.

A true story, and I trust that the people from Canada Post can draw the logical conclusion from this historical analogy.

[tjsneedfulthings]

I ship mostly oversize items, usually expensive and need to be insured and confirmed.
I realize most of the complaints here are about the new restrictions on lettermail, although I think that most of you should be pushing for delivery confirmation at a reasonable increase vs lettermail as EVERYTHING

[tjsneedfulthings]

needs to be confirmed so paypal doesn't chargeback
My issue is with international shipments.The outrageous rates coupled with the lack of a dc number unless you spend a hundred dollars to send an item express, I would appreciate something in the middle with tracking!!Is that too much to ask in this day and age?

[tobyshitzu]

The recent response from CP president states the letterpsot change is not new, it has laways been that way, it was jsut some outlets with the wrong inforamtion.

Really?

Can Kim commnet on this reply from Canada Post received just before the wording change in the postal guide? IF this is also dismissed as one wrong reply I can dig up a number of virtually identical replies received from Cnaada Post over the past year or so(including some afterthe wording change!)

The question was specifically each time"can a cd or dvd that meets the size specifications be mailed letterspost to the USA"
------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for your message to Canada Post.

As long as your mail item is within the size and
weight requirements of Letterpost -USA, you will be
able to send it as such. To find out more information
on the specifications of this service, please follow
the
link provided below:

http://www.canadapost.ca/personal/tools/pg/manual/d08-e.asp#c004


Regards,

Simon Lalonde
Customer Service
---------------------------------------------------------

Is Canada Psot still going to claim that the "paper only" has always been the case?

[ferret-mom]

Good point, Pierre. I believe the question could be expanded to cover some of the other goods that are sold and shipped by Canada Post (see reference to "Tickelopes" in a previous post.) Do they intend to make exceptions for the Corporation, and only for the Corporation?

With respect to tracking, in my humble opinion, it is unreasonable to expect any postal service to supply a tracking feature for all categories of mail. I realize that eBay sellers who depend on PayPal for their transaction payments have a special concern with respect to lost parcels and chargebacks. I suspect that large mail-order companies find it more cost-effective to simply replace lost or damaged goods than to increase their overall postage costs to cover such contingencies -- a cost that would have to be passed on to all customers.

As a previous poster said, while tracking would be nice, some of us are not prepared to pay the added postage costs (which would surely follow...)

[thomasj7342]

After conversation over the phone with a Canada Post rep.,stamps,magazines,books are paper items and can be send by internationnal letter-post as long as they do not exceed the maximum dimensions.
I even called two other times to make sure it wasn't someone confused.

[tobyshitzu]

I have multiple responses from Canada Post confirming Kim's previous statement that magazines are not paper 😉 For sure they claim books cannot go as paper
-----------------------------------------
Hello,

Thank you for your message to Canada Post.

Magazines cannot go through letterpost.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Regards,

Matt Gibbs

[tobyshitzu]

Hello,

Thank you for your message to Canada Post.

What is meant by “paper or characteristics of paper”, is strictly documents or letters.(i.e. legal documents, letters, photos, cards, passport, pretty much anything that is paper based)

Magazines and books can no longer go letterpost because they cannot fit into a regular sized envelope! Photos are accepted as letterpost, these can be sent by regular lettermail.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Regards,

Matt Gibbs

Customer Service

[skminus]

Hi Kim,

Just looked at the 'Click-and-Ship' option you're offering, for anyone (not just business people) to use their computer to print a package label, and pay for it on-line. It says:

Up to $100 liability coverage for loss or damage is included.

Are we now insured for damage? Or is it only ordinary folks, mailing private packages? Doesn't seem fair, if that's so!

[ridgeesales]

Just a few points on cross border mailings, When you cross the border for any reason one of the questions they ask you at the border is will you be leaving anything in the USA? Of course if your planning on doing a mailing from a US post office the true answer would be yes? Now they will want to inspect it all and tally up the duties etc if need be. To answer no to this question and they decide to check, your into a hornets nest. When ever you cross the border with goods you intend to leave, a waybill needs to be documented and customs has the right to check your cargo against it.
Simplest and most economical way to handle the issue of letter mail vs package rate is to ship a larger package to a remailer in the USA and have them break the package open and put it in the mail stream for you. This will mean having a supply of US postage on hand. The only downside is it may take a day or two longer, and Canada Post would charge you double for any returned items.

Herb

[tobyshitzu]

"Are we now insured for damage?"

All services canada Post offers insurance on are insured for loss AND damage (glass and ceramics not covered for damage)
Every reference to insurance on canadapost is "loss and damage". The exceptions, rules and disclaimers are in the online postal guide.