Packages being returned, no longer able to go letter mail

[triber]

Canada Post is now returning craft booklets and paper sewing patterns that are sent letter mail saying that have to go package rate. For sellers selling low cost craft items, having to charge or pay for package rate now makes them far too expensive. Has anyone else had them returned? I am going to phone CP and see if I can see what is going on.

[vintagenorth]

@recped 

Understood, but why do they bother when the import limit to the US is $800? It's not like the VAT that has to be paid when sending to the EU. For the US why not just require a customs form like when CP allowed for Light Pkt? Save a lot of trouble for everyone including Customs staff.

Also, if it's been in force for 17 years, we had an eBay on-line meeting with a Can Post exec back some years ago (I don't remember her name), and we were told specifically that paper goods were allowed. I think this may have been around the time they discontinued Light Pkt. We need something like that again for goods to the US under a certain $ amount.

[vintagenorth]

@triber 

I just got back from my local PO and they said that since Can Post had returned the pkg they wouldn't charge me the full amount, just the difference. They just deducted the original amount from the small Pkt amount and I paid the difference.

[triber]

That is good to know, when I phoned Canada Post they told me I would have to pay the full amount, and silly me believed them! Next time I will take them to the post office and hopefully my Post lady will do the same.

[vintagenorth]

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@triber wrote:

That is good to know, when I phoned Canada Post they told me I would have to pay the full amount, and silly me believed them! Next time I will take them to the post office and hopefully my Post lady will do the same.

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Make sure you take a paper or electronic copy of the Canada Post customs form with you so they can scan the customs info. into their computer.

[triber]

So did you take the small white  Small Packet label?

[triber]

Did they tell you what can go by lettermail? My postal lady said that sewing patterns couldn't go because they are not printed material. I have been revising all mine with higher postage.

[dinomitesales]

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@vintagenorth wrote:

I just got back from my local PO and they said that since Can Post had returned the pkg they wouldn't charge me the full amount, just the difference. They just deducted the original amount from the small Pkt amount and I paid the difference.

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If the original postage was cancelled (either stamped over or struck-through with a pen) then it can't be re-used. If it wasn't cancelled then yes they can just deduct the existing postage from the Small Packet cost.

[vintagenorth]

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@dinomitesales wrote:

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@vintagenorth wrote:

I just got back from my local PO and they said that since Can Post had returned the pkg they wouldn't charge me the full amount, just the difference. They just deducted the original amount from the small Pkt amount and I paid the difference.

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If the original postage was cancelled (either stamped over or struck-through with a pen) then it can't be re-used. If it wasn't cancelled then yes they can just deduct the existing postage from the Small Packet cost.

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That's what I thought but it had been stamped just barely on the corner of the white postage label and she said it wasn't my fault it had come back so she wasn't going to charge me the full price again.  I didn't argue.

Is it considered cancelled when the PO stamps it when you give it in at the counter? Or does the cancellation have to be done at the sorting station? 

[vintagenorth]

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@triber wrote:

So did you take the small white  Small Packet label?

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Not sure what label you mean? I went to the CP website and filled in the online customs form and printed it out and took it in to the PO with my pkg. You don't have to print it out, you can just show it to them on your mobile device if you prefer.

[triber]

I have a bunch of the old little white small package forms. I have never filled the online customs form on Canada Post, I still use Paypal for all my labels.

[brettjet38]

Overview

Letter-post is the most economical method of sending personal and business correspondence. You mail Letter-post items in Canada for delivery outside of Canada.

TOPIC

Letter-post

Last updated: June 14th, 2021 

Acceptable items

Print this page

Items acceptable for the Letter-post service include:

• Items made of paper or other material with the general characteristics of paper (for example, photographs)
• Paper enclosures that meet the requirements for Letter-post (U.S. and International)

Unacceptable items

Print this page

Items unacceptable for the Letter-post service include:

• Small packets
• Goods
• Film, audio, or video recordings (for example, diskettes, CDs, or DVDs)
• Unsealed self-mailers and envelopes
• Items prohibited by law or defined as dangerous goods in Canada or in the destination country (see Non-mailable matter or International destination listing for more information)

Items unacceptable when attached to a postcard include:

• Photographs
• Cuttings of any kind
• Fold-back sheets
• Other items that stick out or are in raised relief

This is right on the Canada Posts website in black and white as is a wealth of other information,  “it's no use crying over spilled milk,”

Move on, there is life after letter mail to the USA...

I have sold over 17K items on this eBay account since 2001 not one item went to the USA via Letter Mail, you adapt or you retire, but shipping merchandise via letter mail internationally is soon to be history and was never really legal...

...and soon it may just get seized and destroyed, yep that is one of the 4 options on the table at the UPU.

[dinomitesales]

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@vintagenorth wrote:
That's what I thought but it had been stamped just barely on the corner of the white postage label and she said it wasn't my fault it had come back so she wasn't going to charge me the full price again.  I didn't argue.

Is it considered cancelled when the PO stamps it when you give it in at the counter? Or does the cancellation have to be done at the sorting station? 

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The cancellation can be done either at the post office (when they stamp it with their date/location stamp) or at the depot (usually you'll see black stamp lines through it, or occasionally just manual pen lines crossing out the stamps). It probably won't come back to you, but in the end the decision is made by whomever is sorting it at the depot as to whether or not the original postage is considered cancelled and unusable.

[markiku]

Thats too bad, it doesn't make sense to sell smaller items especially under $15 on ebay anymore, paying final value fee on small packets isn't worth the time to pack lol and send to the post office.
Canada post don't bite the hand that feeds you.
I hope they will learn from this,, having one of the most expensive shipping rates in the world how can we as Canadian compete with the USA and China.
Well CP you figure this out.
Goodluck

[jt-libra]

I haven't been too active on eBay during the last year or so due to health reasons; however, I have sold some small cosmetic items and DVD's/CD's during that time.  I was feeling better today so I came to the Boards to perhaps start a topic on returned lettermail items from the U.S. ... lol!! And lo and behold, I found this thread. 

I am currently revising all my listings on my media selling account to exclude sales to the U.S.  Over the years, I've shipped hundreds of DVD's, etc. to the U.S. in a small bubble envelope complying with, I believed, shipping regulations.   But I've had too many returned recently, with a sticker informing me that I needed to use the small packet rate, with a customs form.  As people have said, that cost would be higher than the item itself.  The worst part was that it sometimes took 4 weeks to get the item returned.  As fewer and fewer people leave feedback now, I just assumed, and hoped, that they had received it.  When I got it back, I would send a refund and an apology.  Thanks goodness, most of them were understanding and, to date, I haven't received any negative feedback. 

U.S. sales didn't make up a large part of my sales, but I'm tired of worrying whether they were going to arrive or if I would get them back in my mailbox.  Yesterday, I got two returns ... I'm afraid to go to the mailbox this afternoon!

[edubb101]

Hello,

So I can officially add my name to this list as well.  Curious to get feedback on if my item should have gone through or not.

I shipped a blu ray slipcover to a customer in the USA with a very thin cardboard backing.  This was placed inside one of the ebay mailers (unpadded).  $3.19 in stamps was placed which was correct.  This was returned to me.  It was a paper product that was shipped with cardboard.  I had classified it has printed material which to my understanding was ok but if the paper slipcover with cardboard backing is classified as goods then I'll adjust accordingly.  I feel like they made an assumption that it was a piece of media owing perhaps to the mailer used otherwise how could they tell what was inside.  This was a very thin piece which could have passed for the $1.94 rate but I put $3.19 just to be safe.

[recped]

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@edubb101 wrote:

Hello,

So I can officially add my name to this list as well.  Curious to get feedback on if my item should have gone through or not.

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You sold the item to a third party, that makes it merchandice/goods.

Not allowed in LetterPost, hasn't been since 2005, enforcement has been EXTREMELY lax but those days appear to be over.

When introduced in 2005 only a few countries implemented the rule, flash forward and now almost all countries ban goods in LetterPost.

This was placed inside one of the ebay mailers

That's like putting a sticker on the envelope that says "Reject Me".

[reallynicestamps]

I got one back, but it may have been less than 5 grams overweight for the rate.  I added more postage (easy when you use stamps) and put it back in the mail.

We'll see.

[mrdutch1001]

I don't sell that much on eBay anymore and haven't for many years now, and my sales to USA were not that many, thereby rendering the impact to my sales as not significant, so  l will not exclude the USA from my listings...I will let the potential buyer decide. I list on other selling sites, too and will continue to make my listings available to the USA on those other selling sites as well...It's the buyer's choice to decide how much they want to pay for an item...

[jt-libra]

 You're one of many now, including myself, who is surprised that this seems to be occurring repeatedly in recent months, given that it was rarely a problem in the past.  Personally I can't see how a flat blu-ray  slipcover is different than a birthday card, or the sports cards that you sell.  You said you classified it as printed material ... I never classify mine unless I'm sending it small packet with a shipping label. Also, I pretty early on stopped using any mailer that indicated eBay shipping on the package ... I just felt that it would draw too much unwanted attention.  I also started to notice that sellers were covering up the words eBay on the envelopes I received from them.

When it started happening to me, I continued on for a while but then I never knew if and when items would be returned and if I would get a nasty e-mail from a US buyer or a negative feedback.  Luckily that didn't occur, but I'm not wasting any time removing US buyers from my listings EXCEPT if I'm going to be shipping Small Packet or Parcel.  My cosmtic and fragrance items usually ship with a a label, but my DVD's and CD's were shipped letterpost.  I don't know if you have a large US  clientele ... mine wasn't too high so it won't affect my sales much.

[patphotog]

I do not understand people complaining about getting caught for not following the rules and regulations. You all knew that you were not allowed to send goods using lettermail rate to the US. Do not cry fault when you are the guilty ones...Judge Judy will love you as guess on her TV show.