Canadian Traders, Get Ready to Pay Double

[RGM81]

Saw this this morning at ctv.ca
Hope you all enjoyed $1.15 shipping as much as I did, because starting in January it's going up to $2.30

Canada Post planning to raise rates in 2009
Updated Thu. Oct. 23 2008 6:43 AM ET

The Canadian Press

OTTAWA -- Canada Post plans to cash in on online shopping with a 100-per-cent hike in postage rates for thick envelopes widely used to ship Internet purchases.

The post office also intends to increase the cost of a basic letter stamp by two cents to 54 cents next January -- above the limit that would otherwise be set by a regulated formula.

. . .

The plan calls for a doubling of the cost of mailing "thick and rigid items" -- letter-mail pieces made of cardboard or plastic that are a minimum 10 mm thick but not classed as parcels. They are used by Internet marketers through sites like eBay, and businesses with online sales to consumers.

The cost of mailing a package weighing between 200 grams and 500 grams would rise to $5.50 from $2.25. The same doubling of cost would apply to smaller packages.

Canada Post spokesman John Caines said the rates apply to "anyone who uses the oversize letter mail, that are thick and have box-like edges.

"It's probably businesses, maybe eBay vendors, people who use the product to send things to consumers like books, CDs, DVDs, those kinds of things."

 

[bidds55]

Wow, that sucks.

 

[smekm]

Thats not a good sign

 

[RGM81]

You aren't kidding. It's bad enough that the dollar is tanking, as that's going to significantly impact my eBay purchasing as well as the cost of all the boxes and packs of cards coming into Canada from the US. This is like an extra kick in the groin.

 

[cjkuehn]

Ok, does this mean it will cost more to
send from the US to Canada now also?

 

[RGM81]

You'll have to ask the US Postal Service about that one.

 

[suitman19]

Ok, does this mean it will cost more to
send from the US to Canada now also?

No cj - our increase was hidden in the last $.01 stamp increase. That is when they raised the price of mailing padded mailers by about 44% !!!!

bruce

 

[jetsman]

Well, unfortunately this means that white envelopes are going to be a lot more commonplace for people trying to save a few. Even if they were to lower the price on bubblers, I don't think that would have an impact because already so many of us recycle them.

 

[hextall27]

This blows.

Its getting harder and harder to keep up this hobby!!

Peter

 

[rhcardinals3]

So how much will it be to send a bubble mailer to the States (from Canada)? It's currently $1.92 I believe....is it going to cost $3.84??

 

[ryancalgary]

That 10mm rule will be interesting; I believe that means that if it fits through the 1cm slot on that little measuring board they use then you'll be OK.

Hopefully.

 

[RGM81]

The thing is, though, with bubble mailers they count as oversized mail because they're, well, oversized compared to regular letters. They do fit through but I'd wager they'll be caught in the net.

 

[Hama]

The thing is, though, with bubble mailers they count as oversized mail because they're, well, oversized compared to regular letters. They do fit through but I'd wager they'll be caught in the net.

Not if you use the #000 mailers that fit within the regular envelope requirements

 

[RGM81]

They still get charged $1.15 though, so who knows.

 

[sprague11]

Guess 4-5 dollar shipping will become the norm.

 

[gamebreakers]

The problem if you send in #000 mailers with one stamp is that it'll go through the sorting machines and then you risk getting the mailer ripped and mangled. This is an absolutely disgusting move by Canada Post

 

[quincy]

Why is anyone surprised? The rank and file are pissing and moaning for more money. Canada Post gets ZERO governmental support - they're a Crown Corporation that is entirely self-funding. Money's gotta come from somewhere - and that means us.


If there's an upside, maybe if they raise some other rates we'll get less junk mail.

 

[ovechkinlover999]

Awwww . . .

This SUCKS

 

[chadsexington]

http://www.postescanada.ca/business/rates/coming-e.asp#dl

Here's a list of changes.

Look, I'm all for calling Canada Post a bevy of inappropriate words that would get me banned from this site and offend everybody and their mothers, but I'm pretty sure mailing a single card is still under 10mm and would be just $1.96 from the US to Canada, which I think it something like a 4 cent increase...so it'll go as regular oversized instead of irregular oversized.

Just like any other hair brained schemes Canada Post has to make more money...you can easily combat it and not have to spend $9 to ship a card. Leave that to suckers like myself who show up to the post office, get charged that much and are too lazy to take it home to repackage it to save money.

 

[jetsman]

I think this is closing in on the end of "casual" trading. I know personally, I'm going to be looking harder come January at the BV on a trade. a five-dollar card for five-dollar card in a couple months is going to be harder to swallow.