Canada Post mail sizer?

[needsmorerobots]

Can anyone tell me where I can obtain one of those proper Canada Post mail sizing boards?

I've been sending the same lettermail packages for the past year (single DVD) only for the employee today to tell me it's too big and I have to pay a different rate.

It's either they've reduced the size allowance or the employee couldn't be bother to do her job.

All I know is I had to pay out of pocket to after profits were taken.

[lucitabby · Accepted solution]

Here is one for sale on ebay 15.00 with free shipping.  I also saw one on amazon.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/204508032514?itmmeta=01J2YGWXBEMGGXPTPX6TCE6S6Y&hash=item2f9da0ee02:g:JMkAAO...

[dinomitesales]

Canada Post used to sell them on their website, but a cursory glance seems to indicate that it's no longer available.

I know there are many people that 3D print them - you can find a bunch of options on Etsy for example if you search "canada post lettermail template". Looks like there are also laser-cut wooden ones available.

Nothing has changed, it's still 2 cm maximum thickness. A single DVD in a bubble mailer is fine. The clerk you were dealing with was just misinformed or power tripping. I would always recommend applying the stamps yourself and dropping them in the mailbox to avoid the clerks.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

1. Buy a kitchen scale. (Approx. $30).
2. Buy postage.
3. Apply postage to the bubble mailers yourself, and throw everything in a Canada Post box. 

This is not me telling you to circumvent Canada Post's size limitations. A standard DVD case in a bubble mailer will always fit through the slot. This is me saying you're wasting a lot of time waiting in line when you could throw everything into a box in 3 seconds. 

You can put two P stamps for 100g oversized. (Canada Post allows an 11 cent buffer in this case, people here debate about the spirit of the rule, whether you are supposed to pay the extra 11 cents, etc - I'm not really going into that.)

Otherwise, you can likely figure out the combo of P-Stamps, USA, International, and if you can get them via Canada Post's online store small denomination stamps needed to make up each price point (3.43, etc). 

Unless you live in a small town where you have to go to the mail regardless, dropping everything in a box is perfectly acceptable and will save you a few hours every month of waiting in line.

[ilikehockeyjerseys]

Also, while having a size-tool on hand is good, you can simply use a measuring tape along the spine of the DVD case. If the spine is 2CM or below, it will fit through the slot in most standard bubble mailers, even if they technically puff it out to 2.2CM. 

If you throw an item in a mail box that is 2CM it's almost never getting returned, even if it has to be pushed through a slot. No sorter is stopping their day to do that. I've had it happen maybe once out of somewhere around 10k packages. I re-sent it in a paper mailer and it went through (even know it fit before).

[reallynicestamps]

I find the template I bought on eBay invaluable, but I wish I had realized it was only 6" /15cm long.

The dimensions of a shipment also make a difference about whether we can ship LetterMail or Oversize Lettermail.

And you can buy discounted mint Canadian postage here on eBay. I couldn't possibly say where. *cough*.

[ardeh19]

My local post office always has an issue with the size of my packages....but the post office in the next town never has an issue.... just sayin!  LOL

[marnotom!]

Sorry to be late to the party. Was this item going by domestic lettermail or international/US letter-post?

[needsmorerobots]

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@marnotom! wrote:
Sorry to be late to the party. Was this item going by domestic lettermail or international/US letter-post?

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It's domestic oversized lettermail.

I own 4-5 digital weight scales and multiple measuring tapes.

As someone said earlier, I believe it's the non-union employee on a power trip.

They have a 2.2 out of 5 rating on Google. I believe the one on the power trip was described as the reason for a very poor rating. The other Canada Post office that I prefer to use has a 3.3. 

[fh991586]

The big template was previously sold on the shipping furniture section of Canada Post's website, but it unfortunately disappeared years ago (got lucky ordering 2 for my workplace a while ago)... But it's not only the 2cm slot that's important, it's also that the package must be bendable a bit [plastic case ok, steelbook not so] to fit within the shipping requirement of mail (as opposed to a real package). Theoretically, of course!

If the clerk gives you trouble, ask them to show you how it's too big for their own template. If they don't have one, too bad... 😉

[flipistics]

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@fh991586 wrote:

The big template was previously sold on the shipping furniture section of Canada Post's website, but it unfortunately disappeared years ago (got lucky ordering 2 for my workplace a while ago)... But it's not only the 2cm slot that's important, it's also that the package must be bendable a bit [plastic case ok, steelbook not so] to fit within the shipping requirement of mail (as opposed to a real package). Theoretically, of course!

If the clerk gives you trouble, ask them to show you how it's too big for their own template. If they don't have one, too bad... 😉

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Oversized lettermail doesn't have to bend (at least that's my understanding). Regular lettermail needs to be somewhat flexible.

[reallynicestamps]

but the post office in the next town never has an issue.... just sayin! LOL

Not unusual.

I put most of my LetterMail directly into the postbox*, and only bring the items that must be tracked in to the counter.

*There is one at my corner that is supposedly picked up at 9am, but actually is emptied around noon.

The one outside the PO is actually emptied at 3pm  -- as it says on the notice.

[recped]

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@needsmorerobots wrote:

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@marnotom! wrote:
Sorry to be late to the party. Was this item going by domestic lettermail or international/US letter-post?

---

It's domestic oversized lettermail.

I own 4-5 digital weight scales and multiple measuring tapes.

As someone said earlier, I believe it's the non-union employee on a power trip.

They have a 2.2 out of 5 rating on Google. I believe the one on the power trip was described as the reason for a very poor rating. The other Canada Post office that I prefer to use has a 3.3. 

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I'm with @reallynicestamps, I've shipped thousands of domestic O/S packages, most contain cassettes which are thicker than thre average DVD case. 99% of them get dropped in a red box outside my local postal agent. In order to ship cassettes I have to crush the bubbles on one side of the bubble envelope and at that it will not "drop" through the slot (it needs to be pulled through). I have only had ONE rejected and for that one I just put it back in the mailstream.

When depositing in the box there is no one to directly handle the package until it reaches the destination Post Office, The guy who clears the box just dumps the contents in a bag/bin and from there is goes directly to the regional centre where all handling is done by machine. The sorting equipment just sorts, it has no interest in vetting every package as long as it doesn't get stuck, the machinery has wiggle room and will let a slightly (a couple of MM) oversize package pass.

[fh991586]

Yes, flexible is a better term. My mistake!

[reallynicestamps]

Time to see how our shipments are really handled?

The first three are Canada Post, the others USPS.
The last is historical, before machines, but even then there was no gentle handling.

[dobo5250]

i have found that bringing a timmey's once in a while to my post mistress always gets me that forgiveness  on certain packages i ship --when they are close that is  

[byto253]

I do my best to have a nice flat envelope so the machines stay happy.