Unusual delays in letter mail within Canada?

[rose-dee]

I'm wondering whether any other sellers have experienced long delays in letter mail shipments within Canada since Christmas.  

I sent a vintage clothing item via letter mail (in a bubble envelope) to Dauphin, Manitoba on December 18th and the buyer tells me it still hasn't arrived as of today.  He has been courteous and patient so far, I have no reason to doubt his word.  The item fit easily under the 2cm thickness limit, and the edges of the #5 bubble envelope were taped to fit under the 27cm width restriction.  There was actually more postage than necessary on the package (I had nothing but a bunch of "P" stamps on hand, so I ended up overpaying required postage). 

This is so far a full 4 weeks from my location in Nova Scotia to Dauphin, MB, and apparently it's still not there.  The item was under $50, and I didn't insure it (no tracking of course for letter mail). 

Since I have never -- ever -- had a parcel actually become lost in all the years I've been selling, I'm hoping this is a case of backlog at Canada Post, having let go all those extra seasonal part-time employees hired before Christmas.   Still, by the end of this coming week I'm going to feel obliged to refund my poor buyer if the item hasn't shown up.  I'm a bit disgusted with CPC at this point. 

Has anyone else seen month-long delays in letter mail parcels that were sent just prior to Christmas?

[momcqueen]

---

@rose-dee wrote:

---

...One could even plausibly argue that Xpresspost is in fact cheaper in many cases (depending on destination), considering the seller gets delivery confirmation and guaranteed delivery time thrown into the bargain.   I have had CPC reimburse me the entire Xpresspost charge for being 1 day late from the promised delivery.  This was around a $60 shipping cost.  I do recall 'honeybed'  mentioning the same thing some time ago....  

I think if you're shipping items of some value, these considerations, in view of the often small differences between the two services, can make Xpresspost a better bargain overall.   And yes, it is also possible that 'honeybed'  is getting a higher CPC discount rate than the rest of us. 

---

Here is where I will take the time to explain that 10.5 months of the year, domestic Expedited Parcel is also moneyback guaranteed if the parcel is so much as a single day delivered late. It is only during the holiday season that this is extended to two.

All items with tracking get Delivery Confirmation. If you're talking about Signature on Delivery, that is another matter. Signature is $1.50 extra on domestic Expedited but included free with domestic Xpresspost.  Different rules apply for international expedited versus xpresspost services. 

[momcqueen]

Here is a 77-cent example. Do we agree that we that domestic Expedited Parcel is, in fact, less costly than domestic Xpresspost except in specific circumstances where one is shipping a very small parcel literally across the street and also begins to add icing to their postage cake label with extra items such Signature Confirmation?

[rose-dee]

---

@toby**bleep**zu wrote:

xpresspost is only slightly more then expedited when the distance is close enough the delivery standard is the same...so both services are identical expect the name on the label  

---

Sorry to belabour the point, but it's precisely when the distance is further (or in another country) and the item value higher that the transit time, signature confirmation, and guaranteed delivery date matter.   The fact that there is a delivery standard overlap on short distances is meaningless in terms of the other advantages of Xpresspost for the purposes for which it was intended.  The two services are hardly identical but for name when it really counts.  It's like saying a Mercedes Benz and a Ford will travel a city block in the same time at 30kph -- umm, yes, but that's not why you buy a Benz.  

[rose-dee]

---

@mjwl2006momcqueen wrote:

---

---

Here is where I will take the time to explain that 10.5 months of the year, domestic Expedited Parcel is also moneyback guaranteed if the parcel is so much as a single day delivered late. 

No need, I was thinking mainly of U.S. and overseas deliveries, where the difference in transit time can be significant and guaranteed delivery very important considering the shipping cost involved.  

If you're talking about Signature on Delivery, that is another matter. Signature is $1.50 extra on domestic Expedited but included free with domestic Xpresspost.  

Yes, I was referring to Signature Confirmation.  Sorry, I'm recovering from a month-long bout of 'flu/bronchitis and am still rather weak and foggy. 

[pocomocomputing]

Mj
Xpresspost USA is the only service with signature included. Xpresspost Canada and International signature has a fee. That has been my understanding for years. Has it changed with eBay and Shippo?

[rose-dee]

---

@mjwl2006momcqueen wrote:

Here is a 77-cent example. Do we agree that we that domestic Expedited Parcel is, in fact, less costly than domestic Xpresspost except in specific circumstances where one is shipping a very small parcel literally across the street and also begins to add icing to their postage cake label with extra items such Signature Confirmation?

 I really can't say from my own experience, since I've never used Xpresspost domestically.  I do use it quite frequently to the U.S. and overseas (I rarely sell to Canadians, and most of those items can go letter mail anyway).   I also don't know whether 'honeybed'  was referring mainly to domestic or U.S./overseas.  

However, looking at the chart you posted, if you were to add the cost of Signature Confirmation to Expedited for the extra (what is it domestically -- $1.50?), it would actually make the cost of that service (at $12.30) slightly more expensive than Xpresspost. 

If I were shipping domestically, my choice between the two services would probably depend mainly upon the value of the item, and whether or not I wanted  assurance that it wouldn't be subject to doorstep theft (if I'm shipping an expensive item, I check a buyer's address on Google to see what sort of theft opportunity it might present, and select my shipping type accordingly).   For the $0.77 difference, if I were shipping domestically I honestly think I'd pick Xpresspost every time, but that sort of differential is rarely the case to the U.S or overseas.   Actually, the domestic shipping costs in your chart are amazingly low to my eyes, used to looking at U.S. and international rates in the $50 to $70 range for a small box. 

The other aspect that I can only speculate on is whether Xpresspost parcels are handled less (or less roughly) during their transit time.  Expedited is a ground service, is it not?  The amount of handling, number of transfers, and jostling on roads might make a difference in my choice if I were shipping something of value that was fragile or might be prone to damage, especially if the cost difference were only a dollar or two.

---

[momcqueen]

---

@pocomocomputing wrote:
Mj
Xpresspost USA is the only service with signature included. Xpresspost Canada and International signature has a fee. That has been my understanding for years. Has it changed with eBay and Shippo?

---

No, it hasn't changed. To my understanding and experience thus far, it is exactly the same as you describe except that Xpresspost USA is not the only option for signature but the lowest cost service where you can get Signature Confirmation, and the lowest cost option with an actual delivery guarantee. There's also Priority service to USA but that's a whole other kettle of fish. It costs more and involves Canada Post handing the item over to a courier for cross-border delivery which is where, I learned the hard way at Christmas 2016, things can go very wrong.

[momcqueen]

---

@rose-dee wrote:

---

@mjwl2006momcqueen wrote:

Here is a 77-cent example. Do we agree that we that domestic Expedited Parcel is, in fact, less costly than domestic Xpresspost except in specific circumstances where one is shipping a very small parcel literally across the street and also begins to add icing to their postage cake label with extra items such Signature Confirmation?

 I really can't say from my own experience, since I've never used Xpresspost domestically.  I do use it quite frequently to the U.S. and overseas (I rarely sell to Canadians, and most of those items can go letter mail anyway).   I also don't know whether 'honeybed'  was referring mainly to domestic or U.S./overseas.  

However, looking at the chart you posted, if you were to add the cost of Signature Confirmation to Expedited for the extra (what is it domestically -- $1.50?), it would actually make the cost of that service (at $12.30) slightly more expensive than Xpresspost. 

If I were shipping domestically, my choice between the two services would probably depend mainly upon the value of the item, and whether or not I wanted  assurance that it wouldn't be subject to doorstep theft (if I'm shipping an expensive item, I check a buyer's address on Google to see what sort of theft opportunity it might present, and select my shipping type accordingly).   For the $0.77 difference, if I were shipping domestically I honestly think I'd pick Xpresspost every time, but that sort of differential is rarely the case to the U.S or overseas.   Actually, the domestic shipping costs in your chart are amazingly low to my eyes, used to looking at U.S. and international rates in the $50 to $70 range for a small box. 

The other aspect that I can only speculate on is whether Xpresspost parcels are handled less (or less roughly) during their transit time.  Expedited is a ground service, is it not?  The amount of handling, number of transfers, and jostling on roads might make a difference in my choice if I were shipping something of value that was fragile or might be prone to damage, especially if the cost difference were only a dollar or two.

---

---

I don't bother with Xpresspost unless a buyer has paid for it specifically. I subsidize my Expedited Parcel rates as it is. Expedited is the way it goes (especially with free shipping) UNLESS time is of the essence and shaving a day from the delivery estimate is critical. 

In my experience with domestic Expedited Parcel:

• 20 per cent of my packages are delivered ahead of time by a day or more;
• 75 per cent are delivered right on time;
• four per cent are delivered one day late, and 
• one per cent (or less) would be delivered more than one day late.

Expedited Parcel is fast, and Shippo allows the seller a free choice to Card for Delivery as opposed to dump on a doorstep. I don't often need Xpresspost to meet Signature Confirmation standards made necessary by Seller Protection criteria on Paypal. 

I would encourage all ebay sellers to experiment with Shippo some. You may be surprised at what it offers. 

[femmefan1946]

@pc.man006

Your post got a little lost, you may want to start your own thread.

I still didn't get a parcel since 3 months over.

EBay gives you a last estimated date for delivery. It is worthwhile with shipments from overseas to mark that date on your calendar.

When that date passes, you have 30 days to open a Dispute in the Resolution Centre at the bottom of this page.

Long story short, if the seller cannot prove Delivery (not shipping, delivery) you will be refunded.

If you missed the 30 day deadline, you have 180 days from Payment to open an Item Not Received Dispue with Paypal.

... some of items arrived defective, the sellers are unresponsive to opened requests, returns etc..

If you receive an item that is Not As Described (defective or the wrong item) you can open a Dispute and get a refund.

The system is the same (30 days from delivery for eBay, 180 from payment for Paypal), but while eBay requires the Seller to pay return postage*, Paypal requires the Buyer to pay return postage.

With overseas sellers, this starts around $40 because tracking is mandatory.

There is a little more to it than that, but start a new thread for the details, since this one is really about the price of various shipping services.

*Neither buyer nor seller can have both item and money.