jimf

Posted an item recently which seemed expensive even after allowing for distances involved.

Looking at the various guides on the CP website it looks like if the size of a package exceeds the large letter definition (thicker than 20mm) then it has to go as a parcel. There seems to be a minimum charge for a parcel based on weight 0.75 kg / volumetric equivalent effectively a box 25x15x10 cm. Is this correct?

It looks like any package more than 20mm thick up to 0.75kg weight will cost min approx $20 to send from Calgary to Toronto? Is this really the case?

Pulaski

Probably - there are similar rules on what is a letter v what is a parcel in the UK and the US too.

CanadaJimmy

Sounds about right. My only advice is be sure to sign up for a Canada Post Small Business account, gives you discounted rates and sometimes they do free postage days. Anyone can sign up.

jimf

ok ty will look at the account.

It looks like CP doesn’t have a “Packet” category for national mail so there can be a huge jump in price sometimes for example a 300g item going as a large letter 20mm thick would be $4.44 but 21mm thick as a parcel would be $15.28.

BristolUK

Long story short, I needed to send some diabetic test strips to my wife who was temporarily away in Montreal (sorting things out for her mum after her dad died) and I sent the first batch in the little pot they come in, but still in an envelope

The woman at the PO had some bit of plastic with a gap that ascertained it was too wide for letter post and it cost about $10 I think. The next batch I took the strips out of the pot and wrapped them in tissue. About $1.50 that time so I can believe the big difference.

Awain

Every time I go to Canada Post I'm shocked at how much it costs for such a poor service! I normally go for a drink afterwards to get over it!

CanadaJimmy

Agreed. No Saturday delivery, no mail delivered to your door in most areas (community mailboxes instead), no Tracking number by default on parcels unless you pay extra for it (one of the things the Small Business account allows you to get for free). And international mail charges are sometimes close to double what USPS charge across the border.

There are cases where FedEx ground is actually cheaper than CanadaPost, which is just insane to me.

Hurlabrick

Well if you add in the cost of the drinks, it would seem pretty expensive :-)

Awain

Our mail gets delivered sporadically and I live Downtown Toronto! Can't imagine what it's like out of town. The thing that gets me is the length of time to receive something from the UK - my parents posted Christmas cards in November and we received them 21st December. We now track items from the UK, you can see on the royal mail website that it takes a few days to arrive in Canada and then 3 weeks to get delivered.

scrubbedexpat091

Canada Post should have the motto, pay more get less.

I'd be happy if they at least attempted to deliver parcels, but they don't they just leave that sorry we missed you, um no you didn't you blatantly chose not to deliver the parcel.

The slowness too, seems they must use ground transportation for most parcels, 7-10 day average from Toronto/Montreal to Vancouver and they call that expedited parcel.....

USPS can roughly get a parcel that same distance is 2-3 days.

BristolUK

I sent my old UK passport to the UK renewal in 2016. Cost me $11 including tracking. The website says it's now about $23.

On another thread someone says a courier is charging more than $70.

I can reach my mail from the mail box on the wall next to my front door where CP puts it. Couriers sometimes leave a parcel on the doorstep in the rain or snow. CP doesn't.

Canada Post - excellent service for me.

CanadaJimmy

Fair enough - we are starting to look at buying a house and one of the criteria is that the community mailbox is close by. Not such a big deal if it's right on your doorstep.

BristolUK

It's my personal mail box We still have them here.

They were going to introduce community ones here but that nice Mr Trudeau put a stop to it.