Message From Canada Post To Help With Shipping Costs

[2nd-time-around-jewelry]

Just got this message from Canada Post. Hope it applies to labels made through PayPal too.

Get significant discounts on shipping services for the next 3 months    

Dear,

We want you to know that we’re doing everything possible to support small businesses like yours. That’s why, effective immediately, we are launching our Think Small support program to provide you with significant discounts to help your business survive.

We understand the challenges your business is facing in these unprecedented times. As a valued customer, you will be the first to access the Think Small support incentives, which include added savings on shipping costs.

At Canada Post, we’re doing big things for small business. That means putting customers like you at the heart of everything we do. In the coming weeks, we will be launching our Think Small support platform on a national level, and offering even more tools & resources, partner offers, and practical advice.

Exclusive offer for Canada Post Solutions for Small Business™ customers

Starting today, you will be able to access significant offers and incentives to ensure you can better manage your operations and e-commerce business, and better serve local customers in your community.

For the next 3 months, your business will be able to benefit from:

•

Elevated discount levels within the Solutions for Small Business Program – up to 34% savings when shipping within Canada.

•

Up to an additional 10% discount on local shipping, when using Expedited Parcel™ and Regular Parcel™ services.

Note: Offers valid from April 27 – July 31, 2020. Only available when creating shipping labels using online shipping tools such as Canada Post Snap Ship™ or through our affiliated partners.

Canada Post is committed to helping small businesses succeed – and we will be introducing added support in the near future.

[femmefan1946]

It will be interesting to see how this can be used by sellers like me who do not use shipping labels.

I buy Expedited tracking at the PO counter with my SfSB card for my stamped parcels.

More important in the short run is meeting shipping times. There have been more complaints on these Boards about slow service than about high shipping costs.

Not to look a gift horse in the mouth of course.

[nostalgicaftertaste]

Yes! I first noticed it on Monday, I think, when I went to create a label using Shippo and thought, "Oh! That seems surprisingly affordable! I might as well upgrade."

I meant to post about it on the forums to see if anyone else noticed. At first I thought it may have had to do with the reduced fuel surcharge mentioned in another topic, but then I remembered that already took effect earlier in the month. So then I kept thinking it was a glitch, haha.

Pleasantly surprised and happy for this decision.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@nostalgicaftertaste  @femmefan1946 

Similar observation for shipments I processed yesterday to SK and QC with Shippo.  Major discount applied.  We shall see as time goes.  I almost never process packages at Canadapost because of  payment method choices or lack thereof. You should see that discount when you use your card when pay at any postal outlet.

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

 because of payment method choices or lack thereof.

Both my local post office and postal outlet prefer card payment, but allowed me to pay with coins on a 78c difference a few days ago.

I suppose it has something to do with how the employees feel about their safety.

Although my coffee shop guy has taken to tossing cash payments in to a bowl of soapy water rather than the cash register.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

With the small business account at Canadapost its Credit Card only and better discount online vs in person.  Shippo comes out of my PayPal account easy peasy with my associated discount.

-Lotz

[femmefan1946]

I get the same measly discount at the PO counter as I do with SnapShip, Paypal and Shippo. Cash or card.

I just present my SfSB card, although they also have my home phone number on file which cross references with my SfSB card number.

I prefer Paypal when I must print a shipping label because it can pull from my PP balance and I'm used to it. The latter makes a big difference.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

I've done random comparisons for postage between Shippo, Paypal, Snapship and at the counter and gotten slightly different totals. At the counter was always highest. (Had to a few times do in person because of printer issues.) No real reason I can see, but it happens. I have a level 2 discount and still pay a ton in FVF's. Extremely frustrating.

-Lotz

PS. Unfortunately the promotional discounts for postage does not appy to US/Intl. shipments.

[triber]

Does this only apply when you use Snap Ship? I just searched the cost of an expedited package from ON to NS and there was no discount.

[reallynicestamps]

I actually used my SfSB card at the PO counter today.

I use PP to ascertain the base amount for a package even when I will be using mostly stamps. I got $12.35 from PP before tax and surcharge when I ran the numbers at home.

The receipt shows the cost of the Expedited package as $14.23.

There was a 5% discount applied at the counter giving my cost as $13.60. (a 63c discount).

I had $12.35 in postage already affixed and paid 12c GST and $1.22 fuel surcharge. 

Then put $2.59 on my debit card to cover the difference. 

The box was 28x17x14 and weighed  2.484kg

So there is a difference and it does make printing your own label a better deal if you don't have discounted postage stamps on hand.

[triber]

I always use a Paypal shipping label for packages, but I don't know how they know that I am have solutions for small business.

[travis7s]

My pricing for a box I shipped yesterday was the same for both Snap Ship and Shippo. I'm not 100% sure but it definitely seemed cheaper. I almost always pay around $16-17 to send a small parcel to ON and this one was $13.85 all in.

This is actually pretty cool from Canada Post. I usually save money by dropping my parcels off at an urban post office, but I've been avoiding those. Originating a parcel at my rural post office actually adds a significant amount more, like 10-20% more.

[pjcdn2005]

---

@triber wrote:

I always use a Paypal shipping label for packages, but I don't know how they know that I am have solutions for small business.

---

You must have entered the small business number at some point. PP started requiring that number a while ago and I don't think that you could print postage after that unless you entered that number.

[triber]

Thanks, I will check, I don't remember doing it but at my age that doesn't mean I didn't do it!

[tryubik-useonlyasdirected]

Interesting. I've used CPC online to purchase labels ever since PP started to claim we owed extra after the item was posted. It has saved many headaches and is always cheaper or on par with other methods tried.

The first time PP asked for extra money after we shipped I called and asked why. They couldn't give a reason, they said CPC never gave them one just that it wasn't the correct amount for the stats of the parcel. When I called CPC and asked what stats they had in the system for the parcel they said the exact ones I had entered and confirmed there was no issue with the package and no message sent to PP asking for more. After calling PP back and informing them CPC had no issue PP offered a "credit" for the amount they claimed I owed and instructed me to pay the invoice with the "credit."

[maximus7001]

"I actually used my SfSB card at the PO counter today.

I use PP to ascertain the base amount for a package even when I will be using mostly stamps. I got $12.35 from PP before tax and surcharge when I ran the numbers at home.

The receipt shows the cost of the Expedited package as $14.23.

There was a 5% discount applied at the counter giving my cost as $13.60. (a 63c discount).

I had $12.35 in postage already affixed and paid 12c GST and $1.22 fuel surcharge. 

Then put $2.59 on my debit card to cover the difference. 

The box was 28x17x14 and weighed  2.484kg

So there is a difference and it does make printing your own label a better deal if you don't have discounted postage stamps on hand."

We had this happen a few days ago. We were shipping 3 packages expedited with stamps and had what we thought to be correct postage on the items. We usually pay between 10 and 25 cents difference or so. The po counter said we were over $9 short among the 3 items??? It was the new kid so we asked that the boss check it over and of course it came out the same. Now we know why. It is going to be hard to use stamps now without doing 2 trips to the po. One for the quotes then go back to ship. At least it is a block away.

It is the hours that will be a killer, having to wait and fool around instead of getting everything ready on a saturday night and making 1 trip before cutoff on monday. (closed sundays now) Sometimes the lineup is 20 minutes long or more, now x2.

[maximus7001]

"I actually used my SfSB card at the PO counter today.

I use PP to ascertain the base amount for a package even when I will be using mostly stamps. I got $12.35 from PP before tax and surcharge when I ran the numbers at home.

The receipt shows the cost of the Expedited package as $14.23.

There was a 5% discount applied at the counter giving my cost as $13.60. (a 63c discount).

I had $12.35 in postage already affixed and paid 12c GST and $1.22 fuel surcharge. 

Then put $2.59 on my debit card to cover the difference. 

The box was 28x17x14 and weighed  2.484kg

So there is a difference and it does make printing your own label a better deal if you don't have discounted postage stamps on hand."

We had this happen a few days ago. We were shipping 3 packages expedited with stamps and had what we thought to be correct postage on the items. We usually pay between 10 and 25 cents difference or so. The po counter said we were over $9 short among the 3 items??? It was the new kid so we asked that the boss check it over and of course it came out the same. Now we know why. It is going to be hard to use stamps now without doing 2 trips to the po. One for the quotes then go back to ship. At least it is a block away.

It is the hours that will be a killer, having to wait and fool around instead of getting everything ready on a saturday night and making 1 trip before cutoff on monday. (closed sundays now) Sometimes the lineup is 20 minutes long or more, now x2.

[ricarmic]

I've always been a stamps on the box kinda guy, and I know the amount before I get to the PO.

If you print off the relevant pages from the main manual, you can figure out everything ahead of time.

This is the one that has the rates (5%) for the stamps on the box kinda folks....

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/SBPrices-e.pdf

This is where the fuel surcharge rates are:

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=fuel_surcharges_on_m&cattype=kb&cat=sending...

This is where you get the lookup table for your own postal code to wherever:

https://www.canadapost.ca/tools/pg/prices/FSA_RateCodeLookup-e.asp

[ypdc_dennis]

A method to figure using discounted stamps instead of the extra online discount for the next 3 months. A calculator is useful.

Use the Canada Post calculator.

Do not sign into your Solution for Small Business account or you will not see regular rates.

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

Regular parcel:

Step 1: Enter postal codes, parcel dimensions and actual weight.

Step 2: Hit Calculate Rate

Step 3: Add Regular Price and Fuel Surcharge together.

Step 4: Multiply result in step 3 by 0.952 to get cost in stamps.

...

Expedited Parcel:

Step 1: Enter postal codes, parcel dimensions and dimensional weight.

Dimensional weight:  Length x Width x Height in cm divided by 5000 gives result in kg

Step 2: Hit Calculate Rate

Step 3: Add Regular Price and Fuel Surcharge together (from Regular parcel section).

Step 4: Multiply result in step 3 by 0.952 to get cost in stamps.

...

The fuel surcharges rates get adjusted the first Monday of the month. So what is true on the weekend before may not match Monday's price.

May 3 will see a drop of 4% for Canadian parcels.

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/kb/details.page?article=fuel_surcharges_on_m

[ypdc_dennis]

CORRECTION:

Step 4: Multiply result in step 3 by 0.952 to get cost in stamps.

should be

Step 4: Multiply result in step 3 by 0.962 to get cost in stamps.

[triber]

I am not getting any discount except the usual 30 cents on small packages. I have had the Canada Post Solutions for Small Business for many years. Can anyone tell me what to do? I have checked my Paypal account and I can't see anything on there about adding the number, I tried putting it in the promo code on the first page but that didn't work. I have mailed 5 packages with no discount that is offered.