Shipping to Canada Made Easy

Believe it or not, shipping to Canada is very easy. As a matter of fact, it’s just as easy as shipping in the US. You use the same weight categories. You use the same shipping categories. The only difference is that a Custom’s sticker is required. You do however have to go to the Post Office to ship items outside of the US. When you go the first time, ask the Postal Worker if you can have some extra Customs labels so when you go the next time, you can just drop the parcel off at the side counter. Most of the larger Postal Centers have a specific area designated for just such a purpose. You can also print the Customs labels on-line. Here’s the link to the appropriate USPS page for shipping outside of the US.

http://www.usps.com/business/international/welcome.htm

Easy Shipping Tips

You can use some of these tips for any of the shipping that you do.

• When filling out the Customs label, just use the actual value of the item. Do not include the shipping cost. Canadians are only allowed $20.00 duty-free before they may be assessed a brokerage fee and taxes. Any assessed fees are the responsibility of the buyer, not the seller.

• Avoid inflating the cost of the item. This will incur charges to your buyer that are not valid. This equals an unhappy buyer.

• Avoid marking the item as a Gift, even if your buyer asks you to. This is illegal and if it happens too often then the Seller is the one that has to bear any consequences.

• Send the item through USPS whenever possible. All the Courier Companies (Fedex, UPS, DHL) charge an outrageous brokerage fee to bring the item across the border, often costing Canadians $30-$50 in additional fees. This also does not make for a happy buyer.

• Use Airmail whenever possible. Shipping by Ground can take many weeks for an item to arrive. You can use Global Airmail Letter-post for items up to 4 lbs. This will keep the costs down for the buyer and insure a speedy delivery. And believe it or not, you can use boxes and still send it Letter-post. Just check for the maximum dimensions.

• When using Global Priority or Global Express envelopes place the item in a bubble envelope or wrap in bubble wrap first. The cardboard is very flimsy and will tear open if items are placed loosely inside. This is how the parcel looked when I received it. I was lucky that nothing was missing, but it was held together with an elastic.
  

• Always include a packing slip that shows exactly what the buyer has purchased.

• When shipping breakables it’s always best to double box items whenever possible. Pack the breakables carefully in a box and then float that box inside a larger one. Surround the smaller box with packing peanuts or crushed up wads of newspaper. Breakables packaged this way can survive two Postal Systems, Customs and an impromptu game of football.

• Look at how you assess your shipping fees. It’s absolutely reasonable to add a couple of extra dollars as a handling fee when shipping outside of the country. Just make sure the buyer knows this ahead of time…as in before they buy the item.

The Inevitable

Not all parcels coming into Canada will be inspected by Customs, but eventually it will happen. If the Customs label is filled out correctly it is rare that Canada Customs will open the package. They will just assess it for duty and taxes and continue it on through the mail. They will however open suspicious looking packages or open ones for a spot check. The inevitable part is that Customs, regardless of which country, do not repackage the item as carefully as you have. If you’ve double boxed your breakable items they are more likely to arrive intact. A packing slip placed as the last thing in the parcel may prevent the Customs Agent from opening the inner package.

More Resources

This is a link that will take you to a site that gives you excellent information on sending items to most countries worldwide. It also provides other links to informative sites.

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/postal.html

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