Canadian Shipping. Truth about price!

[mr. s]

Ok, lets get down to this once and for all. What is the deal with shipping to Canada and how much has it differed with shipping conus? Also, are some states more expensive or something?

I have a razor being shipped for $1.75 USD right now (without a signing confirmation or anything). I also had a 6"x6"x8" box sent for $4.
Honestly, not that it is a huge deal, but do we Canadians get told that shipping is much higher than it is on a regular basis?

How much different has shipping been in your experience?

 

[LarryAndro]

I've shipped many straight razors to Canada. They average around 3 ounces with packaging. I send them first class with no delivery confirmation. (You get proof of mailing, but no tracking.) I pay around $3 shipping.

As an aside, I ship all over the world, and I haven't noticed much price difference for different countries. It is higher than CONUS, it doesn't include tracking, there is some difference in postage costs. But, it is fairly consistent. That is surprising to me.

Another aside, is that I very, very seldom lose packages sent international. That surprises me as well.

 

[life2short1971]

You can go to the usps website and find out the true shipping cost for a package just like ups and fedex. I do before i mail something. International van get expensive. Holland and Italy will break the bank if you don't put it on a slow boat.

 

[DE Shaver]

Shipping to Canada, within Canada and out of Canada is a more expensive proposition when compared to the US. We don't have the same scales of efficiency as the United States and I always find myself gnashing my teeth when I see the price of shipping at times. Unfortunately, Canada Post and our cumbersome customs bureaucracy is largely to blame for the relatively high shipping costs. I won't get into the details but as as former consultant to CP, they are far from optimized in terms of service.

 

[Groat]

The expense of shipping to Canada from the US all depends on how you're shipping. Some people don't have a problem with just sending first class, in which case it's really not that much more expensive than shipping within the US. However, for vendors who ship Priority Mail flat rate boxes exclusively it begins to get quite expensive. In the states, a priority mail flat rate small box is just over $5. To send the same small box to Canada it's about $11.50. This small box is about the size of a 'regular' paperback book except maybe a little thicker. Essentially, it can probably fit two or three razors or soap refill pucks or other small items. Most cream tubs, soap bowls and larger items have to go into at least a medium box which costs almost $27 USD.

I take this difference to be the 'fault,' if you can call it that, of the Canadian post office. Priority Mail, as I understand it, is roughly equivalent to your Canadian Xpresspost. Sending a 4 pound package the size of that small flat rate box (that costs $5 in the states) from Calgary to Regina costs almost $15(!) Canadian dollars. I'd imagine this price difference stems from the differences in the way the two postal systems are structured, but that is beyond my purview. Essentially, though you might pay a lot of money for shipping you are not, in the strictest sense of the term, being ripped off.

If you're referring to the shipping of items from ebay, then the high cost is more or less stemming from an ebay policy. Essentially, if a buyer opens up a claim saying that he never got an item and the seller doesn't have delivery confirmation, ebay will always side with the buyer. Therefore, if you don't get delivery confirmation, unscrupulous buyers can open a claim after getting the item and keep it for free. The easiest way to protect yourself as a buyer is to send international shipments with a tracking number, which is only available on Priority Mail international or (the MUCH more expensive) Express Mail international.

 

[LarryAndro]

Great post, Groat! And, it makes me glad that I am selling items that cost under $30. I tell the Canadian (international buyer) if lost, they stand the loss, unless they request other arrangements. (Which they never do.) Pretty simple! And, it keeps the cost down.

(In actuatlity, if lost, I split the loss with the buyer. But, don't spread that around.)

If I were dealing with more expensive items, and not dealing with guys I already have somewhat of a track record with, I couldn't do it that way.

 

[maxman]

I've shipped all over the world without incident.
I even had the wrong state on a package sent to the US and it eventually got to the right place.
Canada Post blames USPS. USPS blames Canada Post.
As a proud Canuck, I can't even break even on razors sold to the US or anwhere else for that matter because of insane shipping costs.

When you see me post items, I try my best to break even but most often I don't. A razor sent to the US costs me the same as it would sent to Australia. Add $5 more for a tracking number. You can make a claim on a package after 75 days from sending with Canada Post. Be sure you keep your reciept.

If you have a bad feeling about it, put on a tracking number.
Sometimes it's easier to just suck it up and lose the money to get the package there.

 

[mr. s]

Thanks for you your posts. I am learning a lot.

In my situation, I am just on the purchasing side, so I have things sent to me from the states, and specifically on B&B. I am just trying to figure out how much things actually cost to ship to Canada. Sometimes people shipping things of similar size and weight will give very different prices saying that is the best deal they can get. That is why I wonder if different states charge different amounts for canadian shipping.

 

[life2short1971]

If you go to usps website it asks you starting and ending zipcode or country. You can get a preety solid estimate from it.

 

[buyandhold2018]

Thanks for you your posts. I am learning a lot.

In my situation, I am just on the purchasing side, so I have things sent to me from the states, and specifically on B&B. I am just trying to figure out how much things actually cost to ship to Canada. Sometimes people shipping things of similar size and weight will give very different prices saying that is the best deal they can get. That is why I wonder if different states charge different amounts for canadian shipping.

There are usually many different shipping options. From ground service, to air, to express etc. Some have insurance and some do not. Some people won't use the lowest price service because it's not trackable.