Does Express Post Come with Automatic Signature Confirmation?

[sylviebee]

I can't recall if Express Post comes with signature confirmation upon arrival as a part of the service.

My apologies but I've probably asked before I use it so infrequently I can't recall.

[momcqueen]

Do you mean xpresspost? By Canada Post. It doesn’t. I think it once did but it doesn’t anymore. You must select the option on purchase whether domestic or international.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Followup to momcqueen. For signature with Xpresspost an extra 1.50 at checkout. Unfortunately, no one signs for free anymore. Unless you go Priority then the signature is included. If you are shipping a letter-sized item you could do registered for 9.00 extra with signature.

-CM

[momcqueen]

Thank you for the additional details on cost.

It has been said that domestic Registered letter is not a viable option to fight Item Not Received claims.

[sylviebee]

I didn't see that option.

[sylviebee]

Checked again.  There is signature option via PP shipping.  

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

Here is the info posted at the Canadapost website. It should be considered but rules and regulations change, difficult to know day to day and agent to agent. Whenever I've received anything registered, Proof of Identification and matching address were required before they could release to me.

A signature is secured upon delivery of the item, free of charge. The signature of the person who signed upon delivery is usually available by noon on the next business day after delivery. A copy of the signature image will be available online for 45 days at canadapost.ca/track for viewing and/or printing or by contacting Customer Service at 
1-888-550-6333. Some exceptions apply in smaller centres.

-CM

[femmefan1946]

@lotzofuniquegoodies

@momcqueen

If you are shipping a letter-sized item you could do registered for 9.00 extra with signature.

Only within Canada.

Registered mail from other countries is not tracked within Canada nor is Canadian Registered mail reliably tracked elsewhere.

Which may be why eBay (an American company) does not accept Registered as being electronically viewable and an acceptable proof of delivery. Although I believe that policy was in place before the UPU decided that Registered didn't have to be tracked by receiving postal systems.

Working in a category where a lot of people, buyers and sellers, are older and dislike change, I have had a few discussions about this.  Just because it worked in the 20th century (and the 19th) (and even the 18th when they were called Money Letters) doesn't mean it is still accepted as proof.

[sylviebee]

What I found is as follows, and as momcqueen said this seems to have changed recently.

I didn't find an signature option for Xpresspost or Priority.    Xpresspost  has no signature confirmation and Priority does, but there is no choice.

For the package size and weight I shipped Xpresspost cost about $50 and Priority cost about $110.

That means that I would have had to pay over $100 to get that signature and at that point one really has to consider what it's worth (i.e. what does that signature actually buy?)

I decided that odds that the package will arrive are over 99% and the protection that the signature gets you is mostly about false claims. 

The package is about $2,000.  After some thought I decided to save my money and ship via Xpresspost with insurance split between the PO and shipsurance.  (Neither will insure the full amount.)

Concluded that if someone wants to rip me off they'll find a way to do it with or without a signature.

[pocomocomputing]

Xpresspost USA has signature included. Because it is included, it is not a visible option. Xpresspost within Canada has an option to add signature. Xpresspost International has an option for signature but some countries may not get the signature.

[pjcdn2005]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

@lotzofuniquegoodies

@momcqueen

If you are shipping a letter-sized item you could do registered for 9.00 extra with signature.

Only within Canada.

Registered mail from other countries is not tracked within Canada nor is Canadian Registered mail reliably tracked elsewhere.

Which may be why eBay (an American company) does not accept Registered as being electronically viewable and an acceptable proof of delivery. Although I believe that policy was in place before the UPU decided that Registered didn't have to be tracked by receiving postal systems.

Working in a category where a lot of people, buyers and sellers, are older and dislike change, I have had a few discussions about this.  Just because it worked in the 20th century (and the 19th) (and even the 18th when they were called Money Letters) doesn't mean it is still accepted as proof.

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In the situation when a registered letter does show online delivery confirmation such as within Canada, eBay does accept that as proof of delivery.  

[momcqueen]

I wish international sellers knew that sending registered lettermail to Canada (as a parcel) was not advisable. I just recently purchased something from France that’s quite valuable (to me) and to my horror now see that it was shipped using Registered Lettermail. I’m going to be in a high state of anxiety over this until it arrives. Hopefully, it will arrive. The value of it is written right on the box after all.

Is it too much to assume a seller of valuable items would have known this isn’t a traceable postal service?

I suppose it is. I made all sorts of stupid decisions with international shipments (read Surface Packet) when I was a rookie seller.

[sylviebee]

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@pocomocomputing wrote:
Xpresspost USA has signature included. Because it is included, it is not a visible option. Xpresspost within Canada has an option to add signature. Xpresspost International has an option for signature but some countries may not get the signature.

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I think that's probably right.  I went to the P.O. website and checked again.

I always have a hard time with C.P.O.'s website and consistently find that it's very difficult to navigate and quickly find the information I'm looking for.

Wish they'd organize it better.

[pjcdn2005]

Poco is correct and it has been like that for years.  If you go to the CP calculator to figure out a price you’ll see that  Xpresspost USA has signature checked off as being included. 

I agree that that it can be difficult to find specific info on the CP site.  The info is usually there though it sometimes takes some creative searchingto find it.