New Canada Post Discount for SfSB Members Feb 17 - Apr 27, 2025 | PARCEL Rates As Low As $3.50?

[dinomitesales]

Here's an interesting tidbit of info that was sent to post offices on Feb 14. I've posted the relevant text below:

----------------------------

Solutions for Small Business™ (SfSB) reduced rates on Expedited Parcel and Tracked Packet USA starting February 17

From February 17 to April 27, 2025, Canada Post Solutions for SfSB customers without a commercial parcel agreement may be eligible to receive an exclusive new discount.

What you need to know

• Expedited Parcel Discount:

  • Lightweight (for items under 500g) – discount of up to a 70% saving off counter rates where customers may see shipments as low as $3.50.

  • 10% to 20% off some current shipping rates when shipping an item that is up to 5kg.

• Tracked Packet USA Discount:

  • Up to 46% discount for Tracked Packet USA (Valid until June 25, 2025).

----------------------------

A few notes from me:

• The first line says "customers without a commercial parcel agreement may be eligible to receive an exclusive new discount". I don't know why they chose to use the word "may" - there is no clarification on why anyone would be excluded from the promotion. I would expect anyone reading this would be eligible for the discount provided you have a SfSB account.
• Obviously the highest discounts (they call out $3.50) are going to be for very light items shipping within your own city or local area, but even still this could theoretically be cheaper than Lettermail... definitely seems like it should be cheaper than Expedited Lite (and good up to 500g).
• It's not clear if this is going to be available for labels purchased online, although I can't imagine why it wouldn't; whether or not it will be available to external shipping label platforms like eBay Labels is also unclear - we'll have to wait to see what eBay shows on Monday. This could be a "SnapShip only" promotion, or it could just be baked into Canada Post's API in which case the discounts should also show on eBay.
• The "up to 46% discount for Tracked Packet USA" isn't all that relevant to us, as I'm fairly certain the eBay negotiated Tracked Packet rates we get through eBay Labels is greater than 46%. For example, the "counter rate" of a Tracked Packet under 100g is $13.80 - 46% off of that would be $7.45, but eBay Labels is giving it to us for $6.35 (not factoring in fuel surcharge, of course).
• Unclear if this stacks with the current 10% off promotion for postage purchased at the post office counter, currently in effect until the end of February.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@flipistics wrote:

---

@regs43 wrote:

---

---

I would love proper recipts so I can claim the tax with actual proof that i paid the tax. Not bothering to claim my tax this year which is annoying becasue I was auditted last tax season for GST/HST and expect to be on a radar again and not having proof would be bad lol.

---

My understanding (which could be wrong) is that we CAN'T claim the tax because nothing eBay provides us indicates that the tax was charged. The USA packages aren't affected obviously, but it would be nice to have the breakdown for the Canadian ones.  For non-expedited lite, I'd suggest comparing eBay prices with other offerings. You may be able to find the same (or better) final price, for the same service, with the tax broken out correctly.

---

@flipistics 

@regs43 

In some countries, merchants are obligated to display prices with the tax included. In other countries, such as the US and Canada, product prices are displayed without tax. The sales tax is added later during checkout.  Example. Shipping charges.

Importance of Tax Invoice under GST
It not only evidences supply of goods or services or both, but is also an essential document for the recipient to avail Input Tax Credit (ITC). A registered person cannot avail input tax credit unless he is in possession of a tax invoice or a debit note.

What are the legal requirements to provide receipts in Canada?

The receipts have to show the following: the date of the purchase. the name and address of the seller or supplier. the name and address of the buyer.

• Transparency for Tax Amounts: Showing the pre-tax price and then applying taxes at checkout allows consumers to see how much tax they are paying. This can help them understand the breakdown of costs and their contributions to public revenues.

There are limited circumstances where tax is built into the price. eBay would not be 1 of them. 

Note: Info above is from my own basic research on the subject. I am not a tax expert. Does eBay have a loophole regarding the above not being correctly in place that we are unaware of? That would be the only explanation I can rationally imagine for their refusal to address with transparency.

For anyone that purchases Canadian shipping labels with eBay Labels vs directly using Fedex, UPS or offsite like Puro/Canpar/Chit Chats etc how do the receipts compare? Are individual charges/tax itemized?

[regs43]

---

@lotzofuniquegoodies wrote:

---

@flipistics wrote:

---

@regs43 wrote:

---

---

I would love proper recipts so I can claim the tax with actual proof that i paid the tax. Not bothering to claim my tax this year which is annoying becasue I was auditted last tax season for GST/HST and expect to be on a radar again and not having proof would be bad lol.

---

My understanding (which could be wrong) is that we CAN'T claim the tax because nothing eBay provides us indicates that the tax was charged. The USA packages aren't affected obviously, but it would be nice to have the breakdown for the Canadian ones.  For non-expedited lite, I'd suggest comparing eBay prices with other offerings. You may be able to find the same (or better) final price, for the same service, with the tax broken out correctly.

---

@flipistics 

@regs43 

In some countries, merchants are obligated to display prices with the tax included. In other countries, such as the US and Canada, product prices are displayed without tax. The sales tax is added later during checkout.  Example. Shipping charges.

Importance of Tax Invoice under GST
It not only evidences supply of goods or services or both, but is also an essential document for the recipient to avail Input Tax Credit (ITC). A registered person cannot avail input tax credit unless he is in possession of a tax invoice or a debit note.

What are the legal requirements to provide receipts in Canada?

The receipts have to show the following: the date of the purchase. the name and address of the seller or supplier. the name and address of the buyer.

• Transparency for Tax Amounts: Showing the pre-tax price and then applying taxes at checkout allows consumers to see how much tax they are paying. This can help them understand the breakdown of costs and their contributions to public revenues.

There are limited circumstances where tax is built into the price. eBay would not be 1 of them. 

Note: Info above is from my own basic research on the subject. I am not a tax expert. Does eBay have a loophole regarding the above not being correctly in place that we are unaware of? That would be the only explanation I can rationally imagine for their refusal to address with transparency.

For anyone that purchases Canadian shipping labels with eBay Labels vs directly using Fedex, UPS or offsite like Puro/Canpar/Chit Chats etc how do the receipts compare? Are individual charges/tax itemized?

---

I used Chit Chats during the strike, they had a spead sheet you could download that showed the break out of the tax, but didnt show buyer name or address directly but it allows you to click on the ebay order and cross reference. So 100% better then ebay since it has the tax broken out.

[pansy19]

They stated from February 17.

I'm wondering is anyone get chance to use that discount in February and March?

I got information from CP on Friday and discount valid until April 27. 

20 days ONLY.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@pansy19 wrote:

They stated from February 17.

I'm wondering is anyone get chance to use that discount in February and March?

I got information from CP on Friday and discount valid until April 27. 

20 days ONLY.

---

eBay announcement was posted Mar 10, 2025

https://community.ebay.ca/t5/Announcements/Unlock-greater-savings-with-Canada-Post/ba-p/518824

[pansy19]

• Tracked Packet USA Discount:

  • Up to 46% discount for Tracked Packet USA (Valid until June 25, 2025).

There is no any Discount !

ONLY  discount I got from my Level as before .

[pansy19]

Thank you.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@pansy19 

If you think you are missing out on offers you can sign up for alerts via the CP app or at following. eBay updates regarding CP usually have some some lag time or can get blocked by filters. 

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/commercial/service-and-systems-alerts.page

https://www.canadapost-postescanada.ca/cpc/en/small-business/marketing/campaign/small-business.page

[ypdc_dennis]

---

@pansy19 wrote:

They stated from February 17.

I'm wondering is anyone get chance to use that discount in February and March?

I got information from CP on Friday and discount valid until April 27. 

20 days ONLY.

---

Yes. I have been seeing bigger discounts (nothing as low as $3.50 though) for purchases of expedited parcel at the counter with my SfSB card for the last couple of months.  I did find it a bit odd that it took Canada Post until last week to let SfSB members know about the discounts -- not by email (I'm on their list) but by sending me a postcard. I guess they wanted to increase lettermail volumes.

[pansy19]

I also received Card .

Thank you.

[pansy19]

Thank you .

This is message I received from CP.

As a Canada Post Solutions for Small Business™ member, you're already enjoying competitive rates. And here's the great news: for a limited time, save up to 42% off Expedited Parcel™, plus you can ship a lightweight package for as low as $3.50 in select city centres.*

What was that for ?? 

There is no discount on Tracked Parcel USA , because I have discount from my Level .

Inside Canada  in select city centres.

They wasted paper & Ink again and People's time.

[ricarmic]

I have to admit I'm also finding the various discounts confusing as an over the counter, stamps on the box kinda guy.

At the moment, I am consistently enjoying an extra 10% off expedited Canada parcels. (I don't know about US ones as I rarely send stuff bigger than 2KG to the US these days).

At the moment, I'm saving an extra about 50c off each of the 100/250g tracked packet USA packages. I've not figured out their additional discount formula, so each Monday I find out what the new rate is (because the fuel surcharge changes on Monday) and I keep that till the next week. (I quit using small packet air to the US some time ago so no experience there)

I don't get any discounts on tracked or small packet air to international destinations, but I rarely send anything tracked overseas either.

It is a pain to know before I get up there what I'm going to owe (I always bring a wee pack of various rate stamps to make up differences) but I really shouldn't be complaining about saving extra $$$ I guess 😉

[reallynicestamps]

@dinomitesales 

I want to use Expedited Lite to ship an envelope to the Maritimes from BC.

This is not an eBay sale, and normally I would either use stamps or Expedited since I have an SfSB account.

Where can I find and print out an Expedited Lite label from the Canada Post or Snap Ship sites?

Or is this an exclusive eBay service?

[regs43]

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

@dinomitesales 

Or is this an exclusive eBay service?

---

Its exclusive to ebay

[dinomitesales]

---

@reallynicestamps wrote:

@dinomitesales 

I want to use Expedited Lite to ship an envelope to the Maritimes from BC.

This is not an eBay sale, and normally I would either use stamps or Expedited since I have an SfSB account.

Where can I find and print out an Expedited Lite label from the Canada Post or Snap Ship sites?

Or is this an exclusive eBay service?

---

Yeah, unfortunately "Expedited Lite" is a service unique to eBay and can't be purchased anywhere else.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@ricarmic wrote:

I have to admit I'm also finding the various discounts confusing as an over the counter, stamps on the box kinda guy.

At the moment, I am consistently enjoying an extra 10% off expedited Canada parcels. (I don't know about US ones as I rarely send stuff bigger than 2KG to the US these days).

At the moment, I'm saving an extra about 50c off each of the 100/250g tracked packet USA packages. I've not figured out their additional discount formula, so each Monday I find out what the new rate is (because the fuel surcharge changes on Monday) and I keep that till the next week. (I quit using small packet air to the US some time ago so no experience there)

I don't get any discounts on tracked or small packet air to international destinations, but I rarely send anything tracked overseas either.

It is a pain to know before I get up there what I'm going to owe (I always bring a wee pack of various rate stamps to make up differences) but I really shouldn't be complaining about saving extra $$$ I guess 😉

---

@ricarmic 

@pansy19 

When the promo was first announced there was a card at the counter basically advertising the promo. Unsure if it was intended for card holder only or not. That card at counter is now MIA. Because I purchase most of my labels via ebay it is difficult to see when the promo is being applied. I've received both credits for discounted postage at the beginning, revised charges when process by ebay and charges that were exactly the same as when purchased.

Purchased a tracked parcel to USA on 4th. Quoted 9.00. Charge arrived on Ap 6th at 8.96. Possibly fuel adjustment? Who knows. Because charges are never itemized difficult to know what the rate is based on.

@dinomitesales  Can you shed any light on this promotion and how it is supposed to work? It did get an official announcement from eBay 20 days after you posted about it. Folks are now getting the mailers less than 2 weeks before it is due to end. 

Re: Exclusive to eBay

It was being rewarded to customers at the beginning. Was that maybe in error and it was only supposed to go to card holders?

[ypdc_dennis]

The discount is automatically applied when you use your card, the extra is not shown separately.  I did some checking when this thread was started in February and saw a bigger discount %age applied for expedited in Canada.  For tracked packet going elsewhere in the world I use ebay for labels.

Side note: Fuel surcharge is down 4% for domestic and down 2% for international starting April 10 until April 27.

[dinomitesales]

I don't have any more information to share other than what I originally posted at the top of this thread (and again a little ways down when I was testing out the $3.50 local rate). Nothing has changed as far as I'm aware - it started out as an unadvertised sale and then they decided to start advertising it.

I can't comment on whether the discounts were available directly through eBay - I haven't had any local sales to test out whether the $3.50 rate works through eBay. It's available at the post office counter or via SnapShip though.

I'm not sure what you're asking about eBay exclusivity - I never mentioned anything about this particular promotion being exclusive to eBay.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@dinomitesales wrote:

I don't have any more information to share other than what I originally posted at the top of this thread (and again a little ways down when I was testing out the $3.50 local rate). Nothing has changed as far as I'm aware - it started out as an unadvertised sale and then they decided to start advertising it.

I can't comment on whether the discounts were available directly through eBay - I haven't had any local sales to test out whether the $3.50 rate works through eBay. It's available at the post office counter or via SnapShip though.

I'm not sure what you're asking about eBay exclusivity - I never mentioned anything about this particular promotion being exclusive to eBay.

---

@dinomitesales 

Someone else suggested it may be possibly eBay exclusive. As far as I can tell it seems to be ebay (ebay Labels) or anyone using a SSB card at the counter or purchasing postage at CP. That 3.50 rate is whimsical. Only for small items going within same city  and does not include tax or fuel. Basically you have to check all the boxes to get that rate. 

[dinomitesales]

No, it's not an eBay exclusive by any means.

But it definitely does work on eBay - I just realized that if I looked at one of my listings that has "Expedited Parcel" calculated shipping, and the entered weight is under 500g, then it shows as $3.50 + fuel surcharge + tax to my location.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@dinomitesales wrote:

No, it's not an eBay exclusive by any means.

But it definitely does work on eBay - I just realized that if I looked at one of my listings that has "Expedited Parcel" calculated shipping, and the entered weight is under 500g, then it shows as $3.50 + fuel surcharge + tax to my location.

---

@dinomitesales 

I just tested an Expedited lite size package shipped from and to my location. Between 100 and 200 grams. Price for both expedited lite and expedited 4.56.  (Alberta GST + Fuel included)