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]

I would consider doing it. I'm not in the Toronto area though, I'm in Cornwall.

[maryo1961]

I just used for the first time EST and printed out a label for my #000 (4 x 6) bubble envelope. I had to trim it a lot because the label is so big!! Do you expect me to buy larger envelopes on top of the cost of sending my $5.00 items by Small Packet??

[bookstotheborder]

maryo1961: Most printers have the ability to shrink what you are printing--but don't shrink the page too much---the postie still needs to be able to read the delivery address

[ferret-mom]

If I was a US ebayer, I would open a business to help Canadian sellers to mail their oversize lettermail in the states.

The idea has already been tried by an enterprising US eBayer who opened a parcel forwarding service for international shipping. Got in way over his head, parcels got lost, shipping delayed. It was one big mess.

A similar problem is being experienced with Bidpay (see US boards) because they can't figure out the postage to Canada, and have to re-direct outgoing Canada-bound mail to an office in another state to have the extra postage affixed.

Moral of the story -- if you want something done right, it's best to do it yourself...

[addobbi]

Exactly, because the only way to keep your costs down is to do it yourself. The moment you introduce more middlemen in the equation you will have to give them yet more of your already dwindling ebay profits.

[armando1954cars]

why does it cost almost twice as much to send something across canada as it does to go to the states. ie, small parcel 41 g. To BC $10.00 To LA $3.75.

[synchronia]

With respect to eBay Powerseller benefits offered by Canada Post - namely a 10% discount on parcel and expedited shipping, there are two problems that I'd like to see addressed:

1/ How about offering a small packet discount. Not only do a good percentage of items sold on-line fall within the small packet range, in order to avoid the high cost of shipping parcels, most of us have traditionaly tried to stay within the small packet allocation. Problem is now Canada Post has levelled their sites at small packet. As already mentioned, the price has gone up approx. $3.00 on average over the last two or three years. Frankly, the discounts being offered only for the higher cost services provides very small, if any, benefit to most on-line sellers.

2/ The discount is only available if sellers use the electonic mailing system. This system is a mess. I registered with Canada Post on the manifest system approx. three years ago and finally had to give up after being consistently overcharged, overbilled, and having to chase after Canada Post reps to cash my cheques and to stop sending "overdue account" notices for amounts that had already been paid. The electronic mailing system is still in the same or similar states of ill repute. As a for instance, I ordered several forms last week and was pleasantly surprised when they arrived within two days - and was equally dismayed to find they were not the forms I had ordered and some were even out of date - not even used any more.....

The system needs to be fixed and you need to give tangible benefits to small business.

[gocanam]

We have been selling on ebay for the past 5 years. Since moving back to Canada from USA, we were spending around $5000 CDN per month with Canada post. Due to the high shipping costs with Canada Post, we had to convert over to USPS for our shipments. To stay competitive, we had no choice, even though its a 3 hour turn a round trip. The main reasons why we switched over is that,shipping worldwide including back into Canada is half the price with USPS. They also offer a Global Air Mail service for a flat rate of $9 US max weight of 4 pounds. They have a flat rate system up to 70 pounds for around $7.50 anywhere in the United States. We also recieve free shipping boxes (shipping supplies) with USPS. Rental of a PO BOX in the States is only around $10 per year. USPS goes by weight not volume. It is sad that Canada post charges a surcharge for gas when we shipped items to the States especially when its USPS that is delivering the parcels. The post office that we ship from in Upstate NY receives 90% of their business from Canadians. I guess that I am not the only Canadian shipping with USPS.
Thanks
Andy

[big*als*records]

when is canada post ever going to get competative. with the us postal service you can get all the free boxes you like for shipping from them same as shipping tape and all other packing needs are free from the us postal service. and what do we get from canada post overpriced shipping cost slow service . i do not see why it should matter to canada post waht is in a package as long as its not illegal but if its a letter that is 2cm or under or a small toy figure that i sell thats under 2 cm really what is the difference there is no difference other than canada post wants to make more money . why is it that someone from the usa can send me the figure for a postage cost of 85 cents and it cost me 3.95 + gst for the same item .and dont give me this crap about people trying to claim lost item .i will say one thing good about canada post out of over 5000 items sent 0 lost and 2 were returned to me . so how do we selling in canada try to compete with people selling from the usa when our shipping cost are out to lunch so my shipping cost has to jump from 1.70 up to 3.95 and try to compete with us at .85 cents .CANADA POST HERE IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN OUR SALES WILL GO DOWN AND THAT MEANS YOUR SALES WILL GO DOWN THEN CANADAPOST WILL WHINE THAT ITS NOT GETTING ENOUGH BUISSNESS THEY ARE MAKING A KILLING OFF EBAY SELLERS. AND THEY WILL BE THE END OF EBAY SELLERS ONLY MAKES SENTS WE SELL MORE YOU MAKE MORE WE SELL LESS YOU WILL MAKE LESS GIVE US A BREAK AND GET COMPETATIVE AND LOOK AT THE MARKETPLACE THATS MY 2 CENTS +.50 FUEL CHARGS OH YEA + GST

[happyfarmer]

hi. i ship tons of paper items & many have a high dollar value - in the $100 + range. why can i not get insurance for an envelope / small packet with an item valued at $800 u.s.? why can i not get insurance for over $1000 if i am willing to pay for it?

why is there no such thing as book rate like the usps has? i ship many manuals & large books / brochures to the usa & elsewhere & the postal rates from canada post are killing my business - $14 to ship a 500 page manual? $12.50 to ship a 16 page oversize brochure that weighs less than 500g.?

canada post needs a flat rate ship to anywhere in the u.s.a. envelope / package available to their customers - if it fits in the package & meets a certain weight it goes for one rate...period.

i am disgusted by the lack of knowledge & uninformed canada post employees - one day an item ships as lettermail - the next it's a small packet - charges vary for items of the same size & weight - in all it's an unorganized bureaucratic nightmare where the dollar is the bottom line - not serving the customer better & giving fair value for their services.

[bookstotheborder]

happyfarmer: Stop looking to Canada Post if they can't provide what you need for insurance. There are a number of 3rd Party Insurance companies and I believe one of them works with packages (and letter Post) shipped by Canada Post
D.S.I. / Discount Shipping Insurance

www.u-pic.com

[ewrelitewrestlingrevolution]

hello

pouvez-vous m,expliqué pourquoi poste Canada a changé les prix pour le format lettre.

Pour moi et ma compagnie cela représente une perte de profit et de vente tres importante.

avec cette consigne vous allez empeché plusieurs vendeur et clients de ebay de pouvoir faire de la bunissses

je cherche une alternative a Poste canada

take care

ewr

[13llamas]

I for, one, agree with all the other business owners on several of the issues. Postage is so very high - I am often embarrassed to put the estimated shipping costs down on my listing as it is often as much as what the item is worth! People think I am trying to rip them off or something so I always clearly mark that they will be paying Exactly what we pay.

The other thing is, why DOES it take so bleedin' long for customers to receive our goods and, for that matter, for us to receive goods from other businesses? Why is it that a parcel coming from the US makes it though there in a couple of days and then takes the better part of a month to make it from the border to me? It's ridiculous! Not to mention the fees and what not for Canada Post to "handle" the parcel. I can't even get delivery to where we are - I have to drive 1/2 hour to get to where they decide my postal outlet should be (even though there is a rural one just 2 minutes away from me). There are problems galore with the service, the delivery, theft from the superboxes, you name it. Some staff are nice but very many just don't care. We're just supposed to shut up and hand over the money. Just "talking" about it now is starting to really burn me. Heck, from the sounds of it THEY should almost be paying ME to use their service, not the other way around!

Fellow business owners, I agree with the person who said we will gripe but not do anything about it. Well, let's try to do something about it then. I have a few spare email addresses still unused with our dial-up service - I am willing to donate one for this cause. Anyone who's interested can email cpostreform@earthlink.net. Tell me who you are and an email contact (in case I can't pick it off the header). I will set up a mailing list and we can all try to discuss what we can do to make our voices heard. Between the bunch of us we should be able to come up with some good ideas! I suppose we could start by sending a petition ...?

[greennascarfan]

HI i need to know an answer to this question. I sell alot of paperback novels and comic books alot of them go lettermail or letterpost to the usa are they still going to be aloud to go this route or are they going to have to go surface or airmail please reply not impressed at all. I am new to this and it is my only way of an income since i have had back surgery this is horrible if i have to charge more for my parcels people complain how much they have to pay already so whats up with this anyways why is there such grief. from what i know there is no insurance on letterpost anyways so if they want insurance you get the extra by them taking surface or airmail i just don't understand but please do answer my question will i still be able to send these books lettermail they are paper product and have i never had a problem before or with small hard cover children books please answer this question i need to know soon so i do not get ripped off next time i go to the post office and told the clients one price and then i am charged a higher price thanks

[so_nice4you]

I think it is time we had a Canada Post representative go visit USPS and see what USPS is doing that we can't! Our gas isn't more expensive, but yet our prices are. It is time to revamp our postal system and it looks like the USPS may be a good model to follow...

[bookstotheborder]

when you have over 100 times the population you can do things different and still make a profit

[addobbi]

I'm sure this isn't going to a popular suggestion among Canada Post reps...but what about merging with USPS...offer the same rates on a lot of services and essentially open up the US Canadian border.

[slamdunktiny]

Why doesn't Canada Post have a small packet rate? To ship anything in Canada is so expensive that it is cheaper to ship to the USA.Therefore the USA ebayers have an advantage over Canadians when trying to sell a product. If an item fits into a 8 1/2" x 11" envelope, and the weight is within the lettermail limit, I disagree that the shipper has to pay more because it isn't paper. It shouldn't matter if it fits within the weight restrictions. To be asked what is in the envelope, I feel invades upon the new privacy act now in place.

[bookstotheborder]

the Privacy Act is null & void when a package is crossing into another country

[duck234hockey]

I have two main concerns with using Canada Post as follows;
1.My recent experience with your insurance claim process on your parcels required that I have the oringinal receipt for the item for compensation. Most ebay items I sell are used or if new have no receipt especially if I buy items from yard sales, flee markets etc. Will you be changing this rule in the near future?
2.I was told by Canada Post that I can't ship items that are over 39 inches and was told to go to their Puralotor. However the cost to ship by puralator was very high and so I now ship Via Fedex which is much cheaper and they offer very good free insurance on the item which beats any in the market. Are you going to change this practise and if so will you be able to compete with Fedex ?
Thank you