Canadapost lettermail to USA

[martik777]

I have some items to ship that are < .8" thick  which is the lettermail maximum (<80grams). I usually enclose them in cardboard so they lay flat and even in the envelope (4"x6").  Sometime i get hassled by the clerk to use parcel service and/or fill out a customs declaration at 3-7x the cost.  Normally I would use chitchats via USPS but sometimes CP is more convenient. What is your experience with CP?  

[t_bjarnason]

They are usually pretty good. As long as your package is within the size and weight limits for lettermail and you are not mailing anything that is restricted - rules are the rules - and they cannot deny your package. Sometimes I do get a picky clerk that's more like a lawyer and asks a hundred questions and measures and weighs it 5 times while they huff and puff about it. Not my problem.

I've gotten in the habit of buying all of my postage prior to shipping so when I walk into the post office, I can just set the envelopes down, say "I just need to drop these off please," and promptly walk out. That seems to let them know that you know what you're doing and you're a "regular". 

[martik777]

Not sure what the real rules are, they usually ask if its just paper or cardboard and I say yes but sometimes there is plastic or a bit of metal inside the cardboard.  I called Canadapost and they said it was ok as long as it was < .8" thick.  Do your packages contain non-paper items?

[t_bjarnason]

Yes, mine are usually cardboard and paper with a plastic top loader. As long as it's something that lays flat and is solid and not on the restricted list (which you can't ship via parcels either), you're good. 

There is a handy chart that user @zee-chan-jpn-books posted with rates and sizes which you can find HERE. It's also pinned to the top of the Seller Central section if you ever need to find it quickly. 

Canada post also has their website where you can check sizes for US shipping HERE or general domestic lettermail HERE. 

And finally, if you want Canada Post's big, official PDF guide with all the rules, rates and regulations, you can find that HERE. Lettermail for Domestic, USA, and International are on pages 12, 22, and 36, respectively. 

[recped]

---

@martik777 wrote:

Sometime i get hassled by the clerk

---

There is your problem, bypass the clerk and just dump them in the closest mail box.

[martik777]

I need the clerk to buy the $3.19 postage. I guess I could just apply some standard demonination stamps.

[recped]

Why not? no price difference or you could buy a lot of small denomination postage eBay at about a 25% discount off face value.

$1.30 + .92 + .92 + .05

[pjcdn2005]

As recped suggested, the  best way is to avoid the clerks and use the outside mailbox. 

[martik777]

Never knew discount postage was available, Thanks

[ricarmic]

For discount postage make sure it is actually unused stamps and not uncancelled stamps. Reusing stamps is illegal.

For older stamps theyll have full gum and modern self adhesive ones will be on the backing with the "contact cement" still on them.

The ones that don't have the gum/contact cement on them are reused. Generally they'll be called uncancelled in the descriptions.

Searching "Canada Postage" brings up some examples:  Canada postage lots  

(there is more than just postage here but it is a quick start)

[ricarmic]

This is a better search for postage lots: Canada postage face value lots  

[richardcm]

@ricarmic your search is on eBay.com so search shows US dollars but opening an individual listing will show Canadian dollars if listing is on eBay.ca. Confusing to a new buyer.

[ricarmic]

Ooops yes, I "live" on .COM, I keep forgetting normal folks are on .CA!

Here's the .CA version of the same search: Canadian postage lots search on .CA 

[darak10]

find a clerk that doesnt care.  I remember one time I went to a post office to mail a CD to a customer in Israel and the clerk said "excuse me sir but I need to check to make sure you can ship CD's to Israel", and I said "take all the time you want, as I'm going take this and mail it at a different post office" and walked straight out the door.  

Never been back to that one, either. 

Ditch the busy body and find a place that doesnt employ nosy nellies, they are out there.   I find places in the inner city are the best, the suburbs are the worst as they tend to find entitled & uptight folk who use their jobs to fulfill all their neurotic power and control freak fantasies.  

The suggestion to buy stamps in advance is a great one, you can get discounts this way.  

Shipping stuff lettermail to the US from here is a bit of a sketchy practice as you can run afoul of customs and have your stuff start to get held, not to mention you have no protection if it gets damaged.  But to be honest selling cards and shipping in regular envelopes is probably the most effective way of keeping shipping costs low with likelihood of it getting held next to zero, as they dont have the manpower to sift thru warehouses full of regular envelopes to look for the one with the Connor McDavid rookie card taped inside a birthday card.   

[reallynicestamps]

Use metric measurements.

Canada Post went metric in 1974 and every other system is guesswork.

Thickness is 2cm, weight is 500 grams maximum for letter rates including oversize letters.

@zee-chan-jpn-books's chart is invaluable.

Since you are using Lettermail, just drop the envelope in the box.

You can buy discount postage here on eBay *cough* and make up pretty envelopes at home.

[byto253]

$3.19 is 3 Permanent stamps ($.92 each) and 43 cents.  You can buy a roll of Ps at Costco if you have a membership and get both points on your credit card and Costco rebate.  Or somewhere else if you are not a Costco member.

The thing with Permanent stamps is they have been a good investment over the years.  There has not been an increase in the basic letter mail and therefore value of Ps for a couple of years.   I would expect an increase at the end of the year so the value of your Ps will go up.    

And obviously not lining up at the post office desk saves. 

[martik777]

"the suburbs are the worst as they tend to find entitled & uptight folk who use their jobs to fulfill all their neurotic power and control freak fantasies. "

That comment made my day 😁😁

Yes, what I am sending is questionable, it's a metal part < 20mm thick encased in cardboard to resemble a deck of cards but sending as a package is very expensive. I normally use chitchats (via USPS)  but US lettermail is 1/2 the price. 

[terence427427]

l recently tried to mail an envelop 0.75 inches thick at CP. lt went through their slot but it slightly touched both sides of the slot. She refused to take it and said parcel post at 20 odd bucks would be needed ( not 3 bucks odd by regular postage stamps). l of course said NO...

---

@martik777 wrote:

I have some items to ship that are < .8" thick  which is the lettermail maximum (<80grams). I usually enclose them in cardboard so they lay flat and even in the envelope (4"x6").  Sometime i get hassled by the clerk to use parcel service and/or fill out a customs declaration at 3-7x the cost.  Normally I would use chitchats via USPS but sometimes CP is more convenient. What is your experience with CP?  

---

[femmefan1946]

I have just purchased a METRIC doohickey to measure my packages and letters from an eBay seller. Will fill you all  in when I get it.

But if you measure in Imperial. you will be making expensive mistakes. It's been 47 years, lads.

[martik777]

I can only quote what Darak10 said earlier: "the suburbs are the worst as they tend to find entitled & uptight folk who use their jobs to fulfill all their neurotic power and control freak fantasies. "

I just ordered some of those discount stamps from ebay and will bypass the CP clerk in the future.

One other reason I liked to use the Post office was to get their official CP stamp on the lettermail to increase the chances of it not being returned. Will have to wait and see how the discount stamps work out.