Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

Canada Post is not accepting mail and parcels for these countries due to a temporary service disruption. Date posted: March 19, 2020

 https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

 

ALBANIA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRIA
BOSNIA/HERZEGOV
BRUNEI
CAYMAN ISLANDS
CHILE
COLOMBIA
CYPRUS
DENMARK
DJIBOUTI
ECUADOR
ESTONIA
FRENCH POLYNESIA
INDIA
KAZAKHSTAN
KUWAIT
LATVIA
LEBANON
LIBYA
MACEDONIA
MALDIVES
MALTA
MOLDOVA
NORWAY
PANAMA
PERU
PHILIPPINES
POLAND
RUSSIA
SAUDI ARABIA
SERBIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
TUNISIA
TURKEY
UKRAINE

 

-..-

Message 1 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

And don't forgot to add Mongolia to that list from an earlier announcement.

 

I'm going to try and find a work around. I'll offer the option of another delivery service (outside Canada Post) or cancel the transaction with the reason of "problem with buyer's address" as noted earlier in this thread.

 

I'm considering allowing the transaction but informing the customer that it can't be sent them right away but it can be sent out to them as services resume. The item would then sit in a package on a shelf. The only hurdles (depending on how long this lasts) are that any of the packages would have to have the addresses rechecked and the customers contacted to confirm before send-out.

And if there is an increase in fees for delivery, sellers would have to absorb the cost in the name of customer satisfaction.

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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

March 20 -- another 13 countries added

 

ALBANIA
ARGENTINA
AUSTRIA
BOSNIA/HERZEGOV
BRUNEI
CAYMAN ISLANDS
CHILE
COLOMBIA
CYPRUS
DENMARK
DJIBOUTI
ECUADOR
EGYPT
ESTONIA
FRENCH POLYNESIA
INDIA
KAZAKHSTAN
KUWAIT
LATVIA
LEBANON
LIBYA
LUXEMBOURG
MACEDONIA
MALDIVES
MALTA
MOLDOVA
MYANMAR
NORWAY
PANAMA
PERU
PHILIPPINES
POLAND
RUSSIA
SAUDI ARABIA
SERBIA
SOUTH AFRICA
SPAIN
SURINAME
SWITZERLAND
TUNISIA
TURKEY
UKRAINE

 

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpc/en/our-company/news-and-media/service-alerts.page

 

Fedex: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-alerts.html

Royal Mail: https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5317/~/international-incident-bulletin

USPS: https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/

UPS: could not find a useful link

 

-..-

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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

An update from Doug Ettinger on Canada Post’s response to COVID-19  

To all Canadians,

 

To say we are living in a time of unprecedented change has become an understatement in just the last few days. It’s an anxious time for all Canadians as the way we interact, work, shop and do almost everything else has been dramatically altered.

 

I want you to know that we are doing everything possible to ensure you can keep counting on us. Our mission has remained unchanged for over 250 years – to serve all Canadians, connecting the country’s people and businesses. Today, that mission is more important than ever to the country we proudly serve.

 

Our guiding principles

 

First, I want to reassure you that in every decision we are making around COVID-19, our number one priority is the health and safety of our employees. They are the letter carriers in your neighbourhood, the people behind the counter at our post offices, the people who sort all the mail and parcels in our facilities around the clock and everyone else behind the scenes. We are actively following the guidelines and recommendations of the Public Health Agency of Canada, the lead for Canada for COVID-19.

 

Employees who can work from home are now doing so, but that’s not a possibility for most of our people. The nature of our business is in the field. Our people and delivery trucks are a daily presence in neighbourhoods across the country. Our post offices are in virtually every community. And our people are a proud part of the communities they serve. They are doing an incredible job in very difficult circumstances.

 

Safety, support and social distancing

 

We understand the importance of keeping our people safe while doing our part to slow the spread of the virus. We are sharing the latest information, increasing cleaning at our facilities, implementing social distancing protocols and have provided new, special paid leave days to support parents struggling to find childcare. If an employee unfortunately finds themselves requiring self-isolation, they will continue to be paid.

 

We’ve eliminated the need for customers to sign for parcels at the door to minimize personal contact. If you have a parcel or mail to pick up at a post office, we ask you to practise social distancing if there are other customers waiting to pick up items. Above all, we ask everyone to be patient and respectful. Being anxious at this time is completely understandable, but we are all in this together.

 

Providing a vital service in changing times

 

Our important mission remains to serve all Canadians. We will face challenges. We will be tested. But we will deliver on our mission.

 

We are prepared to adapt to the rapidly changing circumstances and implement contingency plans across our network to keep serving the country.

 

We have suspended normal delivery guarantees for our parcel service. Delivering safely without overburdening our people in these extraordinary circumstances may take a little more time.

 

Our post offices play a vital role in the community and will remain open. Some locations may have to temporarily adjust hours or briefly close due to local circumstances, but we will monitor, respond and inform customers.

 

Conclusion

 

We are doing everything possible to maintain the services you rely on while keeping people safe. This situation will continue to evolve and we want you to know you can count on us to do our very best. I also hope that something as simple as seeing a Canada Post truck or a letter carrier walking in your neighbourhood provides some reassurance that you continue to be connected to all Canadians.

 

It’s the simple things that matter so much in times like this. Please be kind to one another. Wave if you see one of our letter carriers. Say hi at the postal counter. We are all in this together.

 

We’ve been serving Canadians and every community for centuries. We know what this country is made of. We’ll get through this together.

 

Thank you and please stay safe,

     

Doug Ettinger
President and CEO
Canada Post

Message 23 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

THX @ypdc_dennis for putting them in alphabetical order!!!!

Message 24 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

@wecango88 

 

Not sure if it is related but there have been sellers on the dot com discussion board having problems with shipping to certain states. Have checked back and to date have seen any follow up to what was causing this to happen. Same 404 error message.

 

-Lotz

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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

We have extended our handling times to the max, to match the guidelines set in place by government Emergency measures. A note has been placed on our store that post will be delayed but that we are still open and all items will be kept safe until we can return to some semblance of normality. 

 

It is important eBay recognizes this and it would be helpful if they could state a site-wide notice to everyone (buyers and sellers) about the importance of not placing postal workers at risk and delayed and non-existent post in some areas.

 

We managed to squeeze in our last packages this past week. Our two incoming ones are currently placed in a quarantine zone in the entry way. Having plastic on the exteriors they shall remain there for 3-4 days as that is the time given for any active agents to deactivate.

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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

Brett: Did you ever wonder what it was like for your grandparents during the war with ration books, I think we are all going to get a "taste" of that "experience"!

 

I was born in England during WW11 and remember rationing after the war. When I went to buy candy at the local store, I had to be careful not to lose my little coupons or I wouldn't be served. My parents went through 2 world wars, lots of fear and restrictions and my Dad being a POW for 4 1/2 years. They got through it.

Message 27 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)


@triber wrote:

Brett: Did you ever wonder what it was like for your grandparents during the war with ration books, I think we are all going to get a "taste" of that "experience"!

 

I was born in England during WW11 and remember rationing after the war. When I went to buy candy at the local store, I had to be careful not to lose my little coupons or I wouldn't be served. My parents went through 2 world wars, lots of fear and restrictions and my Dad being a POW for 4 1/2 years. They got through it.


Hi triber, I was just yesterday recalling the exact same incident to my husband. He was telling me about finding some old ration coupons, Canadian ones he thinks, and I told him about how in England the rationing went on for a few years after the war ended. I came here when I was about six and still remember the rationing for sweets (candies).

Message 28 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)


@vintagenorth wrote:

@triber wrote:

Brett: Did you ever wonder what it was like for your grandparents during the war with ration books, I think we are all going to get a "taste" of that "experience"!

 

I was born in England during WW11 and remember rationing after the war. When I went to buy candy at the local store, I had to be careful not to lose my little coupons or I wouldn't be served. My parents went through 2 world wars, lots of fear and restrictions and my Dad being a POW for 4 1/2 years. They got through it.


Hi triber, I was just yesterday recalling the exact same incident to my husband. He was telling me about finding some old ration coupons, Canadian ones he thinks, and I told him about how in England the rationing went on for a few years after the war ended. I came here when I was about six and still remember the rationing for sweets (candies).


I guess as a child, the sweets were the important things! My Mum saved up her sugar coupons to be able to make things like a Christmas cake. I don't remember any complaining, it had become a way of life. For all of us things are going to be very different for a while. I am considering whether I should end my store subscription coming due in May, but I am finding some people still buying craft items. I think people having to stay at home might appreciate being able to purchase items that will pass the time when they have to stay in. I am not sure what to do.

Message 29 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

I'm glad I came here first before accepting an offer.... I just got one from Malta. What are the odds, I never had any sale there in the past...

Message 30 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

That is exactly the problem all of us have, it is hard to know what is not/right to do because things are evolving on an hour by hour basis at times.

I too am in a field (stamps) where the stuff I sell is great for occupying folks isolating.

I too am in the danger group, but I've been making a daily trip to drop stuff off at the PO (my wee PO is in a village of 300, people were generally adhering to the "no more than 2 people at a time" in the PO). That's actually the only place I've been in the last week.

I had intended to close my store yesterday for a vacation week but of course our family plans are all disrupted, and stuff is still selling, although slower now, so I'm staying open for another day or two, I'll re-evaluate tomorrow based on what's happening COVID and family wise. As this looks like it is going to last for a while, I hate to turn away sales now that I might not be able to make in a week or two or 3....
Message 31 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)


@triber wrote:

@vintagenorth wrote:

@triber wrote:

Brett: Did you ever wonder what it was like for your grandparents during the war with ration books, I think we are all going to get a "taste" of that "experience"!

 

I was born in England during WW11 and remember rationing after the war. When I went to buy candy at the local store, I had to be careful not to lose my little coupons or I wouldn't be served. My parents went through 2 world wars, lots of fear and restrictions and my Dad being a POW for 4 1/2 years. They got through it.


Hi triber, I was just yesterday recalling the exact same incident to my husband. He was telling me about finding some old ration coupons, Canadian ones he thinks, and I told him about how in England the rationing went on for a few years after the war ended. I came here when I was about six and still remember the rationing for sweets (candies).


I guess as a child, the sweets were the important things! My Mum saved up her sugar coupons to be able to make things like a Christmas cake. I don't remember any complaining, it had become a way of life. For all of us things are going to be very different for a while. I am considering whether I should end my store subscription coming due in May, but I am finding some people still buying craft items. I think people having to stay at home might appreciate being able to purchase items that will pass the time when they have to stay in. I am not sure what to do.

Triber, for now I am going to keep my store open although sales have slowed down. We sell similar items and I’m hoping to see an upsurge in selling craft items as people get bored being stuck at home. It’s not like my items are expensive and most ship using Lettermail.

 

i still keep all my butter and shortening wrappers as my mom did during the war and use them to grease my cake pans and casseroles. Yesterday instead of throwing out some stale bread I turned it into bread crumbs and froze them. Problem is, my laundry room freezer is now absolutely full as I just finished making 6 months supply of soup for lunches.

Message 32 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

Looks strange to me that Italy is not on "excluded" list considering situation and restrictions there
Message 33 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)


@vintagenorth wrote:

@triber wrote:

@vintagenorth wrote:

@triber wrote:

Brett: Did you ever wonder what it was like for your grandparents during the war with ration books, I think we are all going to get a "taste" of that "experience"!

 

I was born in England during WW11 and remember rationing after the war. When I went to buy candy at the local store, I had to be careful not to lose my little coupons or I wouldn't be served. My parents went through 2 world wars, lots of fear and restrictions and my Dad being a POW for 4 1/2 years. They got through it.


Hi triber, I was just yesterday recalling the exact same incident to my husband. He was telling me about finding some old ration coupons, Canadian ones he thinks, and I told him about how in England the rationing went on for a few years after the war ended. I came here when I was about six and still remember the rationing for sweets (candies).


I guess as a child, the sweets were the important things! My Mum saved up her sugar coupons to be able to make things like a Christmas cake. I don't remember any complaining, it had become a way of life. For all of us things are going to be very different for a while. I am considering whether I should end my store subscription coming due in May, but I am finding some people still buying craft items. I think people having to stay at home might appreciate being able to purchase items that will pass the time when they have to stay in. I am not sure what to do.

Triber, for now I am going to keep my store open although sales have slowed down. We sell similar items and I’m hoping to see an upsurge in selling craft items as people get bored being stuck at home. It’s not like my items are expensive and most ship using Lettermail.

 

i still keep all my butter and shortening wrappers as my mom did during the war and use them to grease my cake pans and casseroles. Yesterday instead of throwing out some stale bread I turned it into bread crumbs and froze them. Problem is, my laundry room freezer is now absolutely full as I just finished making 6 months supply of soup for lunches.


vintagenorth: I had to smile when I read your post. My mother scraped every butter and lard paper and used them to grease cake pans, then our recess snack sandwiches for school were wrapped in them. Milk bottles were rinsed out with a little water not to waste that last drop of milk. NOTHING was wasted, not something this generation has ever seen.

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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)


@block36 wrote:
Looks strange to me that Italy is not on "excluded" list considering situation and restrictions there

Italy does have it's own separate entry. Still a yellow flag rather than red.

 

According to the RoyalMail (UK) Italy is still accepting mail for some areas (all by truck, no air).

They also have a long list of Italian postal codes which are closed to mail.

https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5317/~/international-incident-bulletin

From a Seller viewpoint I would also avoid shipping to Italy.

 

I suspect the Canada Post list is of the countries that have told them stop sending and of the countries they can no longer reach by usual transport methods.

 

-..-

Message 35 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

Since listing 500 items (all postcards) late on Wednesday there has been at least one sale each day since. These were just little orders shipping to the U.S. and Canada so for the time being I've decided to carry on giving shut-in collectors a teeny bit more variety to look at. 

 

With the current uncertainity I have scaled back shipping locations to Canada, U.S., U.K. and Ireland only. Also, I purposely listed only items that typically ship regular lettermail as those can be deposited in our community mailboox which is less than a minute walk from our front door. 

Message 36 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

Since listing 500 items (all postcards) late on Wednesday there has been at least one sale each day since. These were just little orders shipping to the U.S. and Canada so for the time being I've decided to carry on giving shut-in collectors a teeny bit more variety to look at.

With the current uncertainity I have scaled back shipping locations to Canada, U.S., U.K. and Ireland only. Also, I purposely listed only items that typically ship regular lettermail as those can be deposited in our community mailboox which is less than a minute walk from our front door.

Hi, I have about a dozen postcards I would like to list. Would you care to share how you take such nice photos with us? Mine looked crooked and don't have a nice white background like yours do so I haven’t bothered to list them yet. I have an iPad but use a camera for photos usually and list using TL2. I do have photoshop elements on my PC but have never figured out how to remove or change backgrounds.a
Thanks.
Message 37 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

Photograph it on a white piece of paper or if your printer has a scan option, you can just scan the postcard on a white background.

Message 38 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

@vintagenorth wrote:

Hi, I have about a dozen postcards I would like to list. Would you care to share how you take such nice photos with us? Mine looked crooked and don't have a nice white background like yours do so I haven’t bothered to list them yet. I have an iPad but use a camera for photos usually and list using TL2. I do have photoshop elements on my PC but have never figured out how to remove or change backgrounds.a
Thanks.

I'm currently using an ordinary scanner. There's a learning curve but once mastered scanning is the best and fastest means of creating good images of all sorts of things, postcards, photographs, magazines, documents, stamps, even catalogues with hundreds of pages ... you name it ...  if it fits on the scanner platen that's what I use. 

 

To become speedy with a scanner there is quite a long list of requirements but here are a few important tips.

  • Use the scanner software's Advanced Mode, there is a learning curve figuring out how to apply various settings and preferences.
  • Learn how to use the scanning input and output settings, I like to set the units of both to pixels. The scanner output of the card's long side should be at least 1600px. That said, most of my images seen on ebay were scanned at an output of 2048px on the long side. I've experimented with a number of different sizes over time finally settling on the 2048px size, I prefer the behaviour of the ebay magnifier at that size over smaller sizes.
  • Most importantly, for digital only use scan at 72dpi ... the default setting will be much higher than that. Every image of mine you see on ebay or elsewhere online was scanned at 72dpi. Unless the scan is to be physically printed on photo paper there is no need to use a higher setting. Using the lowest setting hugely impacts the speed of the scan, at 72dpi no more than 10 - 15 seconds is needed to complete the scan.
  • If one intends to use their scanner on a regular basis a wifi connection will not suffice as wireless communication between the scanner and desktop computer is too slow. A hardwire USB connection remedies this bottleneck.
  • Definitely disable the auto-crop setting. I go further disabling auto-enhance as well as this alters the true appearance of the postcard. A little mild sharpen is ok imo as that at least tends to highlight some imperfections that are otherwise sometimes hard to detect just looking at an image.

There are a number of other steps I employ to improve the speed and ease of the process which I will not go into here. Some high volume sellers use scanners with document feeders, I have one with a doc feeder sitting around here but I personally don't fancy the idea of running fragile old postcards through the mechanism.

 

Photoshop Elements 15 (i think that's the version I'm using) is capable of removing backgrounds manually one image at a time. There is probably an add-in that would automate the process but I've not found one. 

 

Here's how.

Select the "Quick Selection Tool" ... that's the one that looks like a magic wand. Towards the bottom left of the page toggle the tool options window open, adjust the sensitivity (cannot recall the exact name right now) to a fairly low value, usually 15 or so works well. 

Next step is to hover the tool over the background area you would like to alter, click just once. The selected area will now be highlighted. Usually with postcards the tool will select the area desired with one click. If this is the case proceed to hit your keyboard DELETE key, the selected area (background) will now be white. Hit your keyboard ESC key to clear the selection. Done.

 

Now every once in a while you will run into a postcard that requires a little fiddling with the Quick Selection Tool. Sometimes the tool either does not select the entire area desired OR selects the area desired and other areas that are not desired. In cases like this some fiddling is required. Most of the time it is easiest to just hit UNDO, open tool options, either increase or decrease the sensitivity value, hover over the desired area and try again, repeat the process as required. You will notice in that tools options there is an ADD and SUBTRACT function. When ADD is selected you can simply move the tool over the part of the background area that did not select and click once again to add to the already selected area. There are some types of cards that are very sensitive to the Quick Selection Tool, with those the sensitivity value can be reduced to a very low value, single digits usually works along with a few ADD clicks.

 

If you have any trouble drop me a private message, I'll try to work you thrugh it. Once learned, it takes only a few seconds to remove a postcard background. 

Message 39 of 59
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Canada Post International suspension of service (March 19)

My mom is 78 now and she was just a kid when the rationing here in Canada was still a thing. She told me she actually lost some ration tickets once. 

 

The "butter" was actually two things you mixed together and it was more like margarine. Her first husband was from England and they would have "drippings on toast".

 

This new generation (specifically Millennial & Above) have it so easy. When I was a kid we didn't starve but we didn't have everything. I was born in 80. When I was younger (about 4) I had to go to the hospital for something serious, and of course back then blood transfusion was the go to method for practically everything. Well it was in the 80's we had the tainted blood scandal, so I have been tested over the years and thankfully nothing.

 

When I was growing up the cool things a kid could have was a ghetto blaster or Walkman. We had no cell phones. Even into the 90's the phones were bricks. So today's generation has grown up with plenty of everything from instant gratification food, technology and other stuff via Amazon and other parties. 

 

Suddenly I feel, well, slightly older. 😉

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