Chit Chat Is Awesome, but I feel my Canadian customers will be..alienated.

[retroman_studios]

So I love Chit Chats, it's awesome! I delivered my first packages today and was smooth sailing. It definitely makes me more competitive in the US for shipping, plus insurance.

Alas, for some of my items, Canada just can't compete with USPS rates. Not that I'm complaining, but in a sense, if I get a US customer I'm all for it. 

I have a number of listings that for US, they are reasonable and customers can negotiate down. But for within Canada, unless I want to use Chit Chats and add a huge delay (22 days with Ascendia) Canadian customers won't benefit.

One door opens, another closes.

[momcqueen]

Yes. I think it's a matter of using what's best for each customer. Within Canada, that's almost certainly Canada Post unless you're a mega-retailer with couriers lined up to fall over themselves to curry your favour. Glad ChitChat works for your US buyers though. 

[recped]

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@retroman_studios wrote:

So I love Chit Chats, it's awesome! I delivered my first packages today and was smooth sailing. It definitely makes me more competitive in the US for shipping, plus insurance.

Alas, for some of my items, Canada just can't compete with USPS rates. Not that I'm complaining, but in a sense, if I get a US customer I'm all for it. 

I have a number of listings that for US, they are reasonable and customers can negotiate down. But for within Canada, unless I want to use Chit Chats and add a huge delay (22 days with Ascendia) Canadian customers won't benefit.

One door opens, another closes.

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Almost everything you have currently listed can be shipped within Canada as Lettermail, why would you be using Ascendia?

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Personally, not really sure what's going on?? Have recently spotted a number of Canadian sellers selling similar items to mine but using letter mail service for things that I know are way too thick to be acceptable as letter items. I could drop em in a red box and take a chance, but not a chance I really want to take. And if I bring to the counter the clerk would most definitely question/reject it.

-Lotz

[reallynicestamps]

but using letter mail service for things that I know are way too thick

1. Don't know the things don't fit the criteria or what the criteria are.
2. Don't own a measuring tape.
3. Eternal optimists.
4. Giving a cheaper option, but paying for the more expensive one by hiding the shipping cost in the asking price.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

I go with options 1 and 3 for those particular sellers.

3 cm item selling for 7.95 with 1.80 for postage. 

Makes it difficult to compete when you are following the rules and they're selling lots.

-Lotz

[valuestore]

Hows your usps late shipping rate? Be aware i've found that trusting forwarders to scan your packages can lead to loss of top rated status. All it takes is 3 oopsies in a 100...clerk throws it in wrong bin delay or 4 day long weekends, cut off times ect... Im about to lose mine due to this...in theory means reduced search placement, less sales.

[momcqueen]

Maybe extend your handling time by another couple of days to compensate for these factors? 

[retroman_studios]

I extended my handling time to 3 days. Plus, because I buy postage from Chit Chats, I can mark an item shipped before it's dropped off complete with tracking.

Some of my items can go letter mail but there is a growing amount of say, thrift store finds etc that can't be sent letter mail.

[valuestore]

Say you drop late thursday(+2), then fri, sat, sun(+3) Canada holiday forwarding service closure, plus usa holiday monday closure (+1), . .. total is 6 days handling time.  This only applies around holiday closures of the forwarding company; this only has to occur a few times a year to lose rating status.  I think the solution is to pull out a calendar and red zone canada and usa holidays, lead ship items to avoid getting stuck in the system or use only canadian cpc services on those red days.

[momcqueen]

When on the calendar does this occur?

[valuestore]

 Changes every year, example July 1st 2016 canada day landed on a friday, then sat sun forwarder closed, july 4th monday is usa independence day closure - 4 day closure, plus add initial handling time to get the item to the forwarder. +1 or +2, grand total 5 to 6 days handling time.

2019 USPS Holidays, closures

2019 Canada Stat Holidays

Hours of operation forwarding service - 2019 not posted yet

[femmefan1946]

Perhaps on those days, the solution is to go with Canada Post in spite of the higher cost.

We all assume that the postal system shuts down on weekends, but in reality it keeps going.

(I got a parcel on Sunday December 30 for example-- so the terminal was working or my carrier would not have been.)

Each seller would have to decide whether getting the Canada Post postmark on June 30th is 'cheaper' than paying the forwarder for the less expensive USPS service and a July 6 postmark.

The shipment would be moving every day with the first and might even arrive before the USPS one.

Or not.

[marnotom!]

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@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

I could drop em in a red box and take a chance, but not a chance I really want to take. And if I bring to the counter the clerk would most definitely question/reject it.

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It may depend on what sort of "counter clerk" you mean.  I'm pretty much retired from eBay selling now, but my experience was that Canada Post employees were pretty willing to bend over backwards for me in a pinch, while employees of franchised postal outlets try to stick pretty close to the--uh--letter.  My guess is this is because postal outlets get a cut of the sales they make, so the employees are trained to offer services that bring in the most bucks possible for the franchise operator.

[retroman_studios]

When I speed read I often read things wrong. When I read quickly through your messages my eyes told me that you wrote "counter jerk"......alas some of them can be lol.

I should really read in normal mode.

I've started to use ChitChats Canadian service, way better than using even CPC's flat rate boxes. I just charge $12 flat rate Canada Wide. I may even reduce that to $10 and just eat the difference when it comes to a buck or two here and there.

Does anyone know if the Canadian shipping at ChitChats has the postage amount showed on it or does it not say? Sometimes I feel with certian shipments due to weight etc I may add a bit to shipping for materials if I have to get a box etc. I know a few bucks is probably not an issue but I hear stories where buyers "lost it" when the label shows x amount of dollars and they were charged xx amount.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Regarding the "counter jerk", this is why I eBay on a pc vs a supposed smartphone. Sadly, has happened to me on a few occasions power skimming these posts. ;-( and missing an important point. It's wayyyyy too easy to misread something viewing on such a small screen. As a side note, curious to know how many defects would be eliminated if all buyers were to see the whole listing as it is actually displayed and discover what they were purchasing and its condition? Hey, just a thought!!!

-Lotz

PS. Does anyone know if the Canada Post Possible Strike discussion is available on eBook? Might come in handy for the next time Canadapost and its workers do something similar. We all know they will!! For now, I just turn on computer sound and use for the occasions when I'm just unable to get to sleep. Works wonderfully!!! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz    

[snoopwiz]

Does anyone know if the Canadian shipping at ChitChats has the postage amount showed on it or does it not say?

I do happen to know. 

[snoopwiz]

And no, it does not show postage paid.

[snoopwiz]

Really.

[retroman_studios]

I was just about to post, that I just went ahead ad bought postage and yep, doesn't show which is awesome.