Canada Post labour dispute threatens mail service

[Wall-Crawler]

Are FedEx rates comparable to CPC for "similar" shipping tiers? Anyone know off hand?

[Jimmy Linguini]

This is insanity.

 

But a great alternative. These prices are crazy good.

 

http://chitchatsexpress.com/

[VintageComics]

Are FedEx rates comparable to CPC for "similar" shipping tiers? Anyone know off hand?

 

Fed Ex ground used to be the same as or slightly cheaper than CanadaPost and offer comparable delivery times, if not faster at times.

 

Fed Ex express can be pricey but when you're shipping expensive books and want them there fast I've never had a problem so let's say $80 for an overnight shipment is a small price to pay for the peace of mind.

 

Don't get me wrong, I like Canada Post but I've just found Fed Ex to literally bend over backwards for me service wise to keep my business.

 

It is handier to find Canada Post offices than Fed Ex though - maybe that's just my limited experience in my small down.

 

Keep in mind that Fed Ex Ground and Fed Ex express are two different companies so there is some variation in the way the two companies operate, but both provide tracking end to end which is nice

 

 

[BEAUMONTS]

I know everyone loves to hate on CPC but the folks who work at the office I frequent are great and out of 100's of packages I have maybe only like 2 problems...Maybe it is a smaller city thing?

 

All mail services get a bad rap for negatives but the truth is that for handling millions of packages a year, they do a relatively good job at making sure most mail makes it safely.

 

The mail man is an unsung hero IMO.

 

I agree my postal worker is great and I'm glad there are some job's left in Canada were people are payed well. I never understand why people begrudge other's for making a good living.

[MetalPSI]

I've had stellar service from DHL actually. People tell me the owner is crooked as heck, but everytime I've used them, they've been fantastic

[ecgt]

It looks like eBay is trying to be proactive this time around (unlike in 2011, where they ignored the problem for a week). I received this message from them this morning. Hopefully, they will follow through on this. They are essentially begging sellers to stay open during the labour dispute:

 

Dear ecgt,

 

As you are likely aware, there is a possibility that Canada Post services will be impacted by a labour disruption as early as July 2, 2016. We encourage you to visit canadapost.ca/update to read about the latest developments and sign up for email updates.

 

In the event of a Canada Post labour disruption, eBay will remain open for business, and we’re asking you to do the same. There is no need to put your store on vacation hold, to end listings, or to zero out quantities on multi-quantity listings.

 

Should Canada Post service be disrupted, we recommend that sellers:

 

Continue to list and sell on eBay; and

Be considerate and accommodate buyers who may wish to cancel orders if they have not yet been shipped.

eBay will be monitoring, and where possible adjusting, estimated delivery dates and eBay Money Back Guarantee timelines to ensure that sellers are not penalized for shipping delays.

 

eBay will communicate with buyers who purchase Canadian items prior to, or during, a labour disruption to ensure they are aware of the likelihood of shipping delays.

 

The eBay Canada Team will post additional details on the Announcements Board as they become available.

 

Thank you,

 

eBay Canada

[jhutton2]

It looks like eBay is trying to be proactive this time around (unlike in 2011, where they ignored the problem for a week). I received this message from them this morning. Hopefully, they will follow through on this. They are essentially begging sellers to stay open during the labour dispute:

 

Dear ecgt,

 

As you are likely aware, there is a possibility that Canada Post services will be impacted by a labour disruption as early as July 2, 2016. We encourage you to visit canadapost.ca/update to read about the latest developments and sign up for email updates.

 

In the event of a Canada Post labour disruption, eBay will remain open for business, and we’re asking you to do the same. There is no need to put your store on vacation hold, to end listings, or to zero out quantities on multi-quantity listings.

 

Should Canada Post service be disrupted, we recommend that sellers:

 

Continue to list and sell on eBay; and

Be considerate and accommodate buyers who may wish to cancel orders if they have not yet been shipped.

eBay will be monitoring, and where possible adjusting, estimated delivery dates and eBay Money Back Guarantee timelines to ensure that sellers are not penalized for shipping delays.

 

eBay will communicate with buyers who purchase Canadian items prior to, or during, a labour disruption to ensure they are aware of the likelihood of shipping delays.

 

The eBay Canada Team will post additional details on the Announcements Board as they become available.

 

Thank you,

 

eBay Canada

 

I received this message too. I don't have much listings on Ebay at the moment, so I am not overly concerned, but if people do purchase, they will probably be PO'd if you are unable to ship out to them or need to pay more for shipping through FedEx or some other alternative.

[ecgt]

I feel like the only silver lining to this is that cancelling transactions is much easier now than it was five years ago. My wife and I are going away for vacation this week and had been planning to close our eBay store for the duration of the dispute. The way I feel right now is that if eBay is going to continue to be proactive and customers are willing to wait then we might as well leave things open and let people cancel if they opt to do so. I don't think we will make a final decision until we get back from vacation on July 4. Outside of potential lost revenue, our biggest concern is making sure that we take care of our customers.

[Captain Canuck]

Another solution is to use a forwarding company, ship it to the US and they will drive it over the border for you. Easiest and best solution regardless if Canada Post goes on strike or not. E.g. I save myself $45 US per shipment from CGC. This will guarantee you will still continue to receive your comics from American sellers. In regards to receiving comics from Canadian sellers you have limited more expensive options.

[porcupine48]

what if youre anxiously awaiting mail?

[John R]

This is insanity.

 

But a great alternative. These prices are crazy good.

 

http://chitchatsexpress.com/

 

Have you or anyone else used this company? If so, what are your thoughts? Thanks

[Jimmy Linguini]

This is insanity.

 

But a great alternative. These prices are crazy good.

 

http://chitchatsexpress.com/

 

Have you or anyone else used this company? If so, what are your thoughts? Thanks

 

I've never used them, but they have several stores so they must be making money and arn't some fly by night operation.

 

I'm going to swing by one of the stores tomorrow and see if it makes sense.

[John R]

This is insanity.

 

But a great alternative. These prices are crazy good.

 

http://chitchatsexpress.com/

 

Have you or anyone else used this company? If so, what are your thoughts? Thanks

 

I've never used them, but they have several stores so they must be making money and arn't some fly by night operation.

 

I'm going to swing by one of the stores tomorrow and see if it makes sense.

 

Great...let us know what you find out. Thanks!

[letsgrumble]

This is insanity.

 

But a great alternative. These prices are crazy good.

 

http://chitchatsexpress.com/

 

Have you or anyone else used this company? If so, what are your thoughts? Thanks

 

I've never used them, but they have several stores so they must be making money and arn't some fly by night operation.

 

I'm going to swing by one of the stores tomorrow and see if it makes sense.

 

Great...let us know what you find out. Thanks!

 

Google-mapped the Toronto location on Dundas St W:

 

 

(Well, not exactly up-to-date)

 

[grayzr]

Thank god I just moved to the United States 2 months ago and will not have to worry about this. As someone who lived in Canada for 22 years I feel your pain. That and the pain of having to pay 50 dollars plus duties to get expensive books from the states, not to mention the sellers who refuse to sell to Canada

 

So many books missed out on it makes me sad.

Anyways Hope this gets resolved as I have many friends in Canada who buy comics as well

[Jimmy Linguini]

I took pictures. The pictures though seem irrelevant.

 

10 packages - three priority 7 media mail

 

All with tracking numbers and signature confirmation

 

$109 CDN

 

Postage itself was $74 USD.

 

Took an hour and a half, I had to fill out all the forms on a computer.

 

Now lets wait and see if the packages arrive.

[John R]

I took pictures. The pictures though seem irrelevant.

 

10 packages - three priority 7 media mail

 

All with tracking numbers and signature confirmation

 

$109 CDN

 

Postage itself was $74 USD.

 

Took an hour and a half, I had to fill out all the forms on a computer.

 

Now lets wait and see if the packages arrive.

 

Thanks Jimmy - how much do you think you saved going this route as opposed to sending through Canada Post? That's a lot of time there. I'm assuming it will take less as you get familiar with their process?

[Jimmy Linguini]

I took pictures. The pictures though seem irrelevant.

 

10 packages - three priority 7 media mail

 

All with tracking numbers and signature confirmation

 

$109 CDN

 

Postage itself was $74 USD.

 

Took an hour and a half, I had to fill out all the forms on a computer.

 

Now lets wait and see if the packages arrive.

 

Thanks Jimmy - how much do you think you saved going this route as opposed to sending through Canada Post? That's a lot of time there. I'm assuming it will take less as you get familiar with their process?

 

 

They have six computer stations (at the one I was at) - You manually do all of your labels and keep a ledger - and you bring the ledger to the front when you're done.

 

I'm assuming no matter what thats how long its going to take. maybe a few minutes less - maybe you can do it at home? I'm not sure.

 

Also with Canada Post I pay $8 to $10 CDN and get no tracking - Today I paid $5 to $7 USD and got tracking AND signature confirmation. (these are the ones I sent Media Mail)

 

I'll most likely continue using them for US mail if I these packages don't turn up missing.

[Wall-Crawler]

Q: Does anyone know the eBay rules around shipping during a labour disruption with Canada Post or is it on the seller to make alternative arrangements as that could have a significant impact on stated shipping costs...I know I could call them but hoping someone else has the info so I don't have to wait on hold

 

As far as I know there are no required changes, however customers (US) might get excited their stuff takes extra time compared to normal and be even more in a fit they don't have it the next day.

 

Soooo....Ebay won't allow buyers to ding our star rating if it ships outside of stated shipping times during a labour dispute?

 

Unless you are shipping other than through the post office, you might want to take a hiatus from selling on EBay during the dispute. My girl I talk and flirt with at the post office tells me the inside track is they will be out til September.

 

Jim

 

I just shipped out books on Monday via CPC.

 

Sadly, I think that might be my last shipment until this is resolved...Smaller town not a lot of options like the one Jimmy just used...Sure we have FedEx sites but I find trying to get information on rates cumbersome as I don't find their site to be very user friendly.

 

I also don't trust eBay to stand up for sellers if we get dinged for slow ship times during a labour disruption.

[roach04]

Latest news (that mgmt refused a 2-week extension) leads me to believe we'll see a lock-out this week-end. I've a few buys en route I know aren't going to get here tomorrow. My one shipment entered the US of A today so it will at least get to the buyer.

 

Only positive - I'll be able to save money if (when?) the mail stops coming!