Knowing the best shipping options for your eCommerce business is important to compete in this growing market. Canada Post flat rate boxes could be saving your eCommerce business some unnecessary shipping costs.
eCommerce businesses from small startups to medium-sized veterans are searching for ways to decrease shipping costs for themselves and their customers while maximizing the speed, reliability, and efficiency of the entire process. Due to trusted shipping automation software, the shipping process has never been easier. Labels can be printed automatically, customers can be provided different shipping rates based on their needs, and businesses can be happy when optimizing their time more effectively.
Canada Post integrates with most eCommerce platforms with ease, with the requirement of a shipping software such as PluginHive. The country’s most used and trusted mail carrier, Canada Post offers multiple shipping options to choose from that can benefit your business’s shipping process. Xpresspost is a smart choice if you and your customers need next-day shipping. Priority shipping will get those packages there even faster.
Of course, you can expect the costs to rise as the shipping time shrinks. If your small business isn’t dependent on record speeds and can safely rely on the already fast and reliable overall shipping time of Canada Post, then you may actually save your business shipping costs by switching to Canada Post’s flat rate boxes. There are a few other benefits too, which we will get to now.
What is Canada Post Flat Rate Boxes?
Canada Post offers its flat rate boxes to businesses and personal shippers across the country. These boxes, which come in three sizes, can be purchased in bulk from any Canada Post office.
For one fee per box, up to a specific weight (5 kg or 11 pounds or about two chihuahuas), you can fit as much as you can inside and send the box anywhere in Canada for the exact same price. Nothing is hidden or added later and you don’t need to guess how much shipping will be. Even your customers will know the exact cost of shipping to get their purchase to them.
Cost and Delivery Time for Canada Post Flat Rate Boxes
Canada Post offers different shipping rates based on the size of the box required.
| Sizes | Dimensions (L x W x H in inches) | Price |
| Small | 10 3/8 x 14 x 2 1/8 | $17.99 |
| Medium | 10 3/8 x 15 3/8 x 4 7/8 | $22.99 |
| Large | 12 x 16 x 7 1/2 | $29.99 |
Depending on where your shipment is going, the delivery time varies. It’s the same though as expected from Regular parcel shipments and letter mail. Flat rate boxes, like letter mail, can be dropped into the red Canada Post mailboxes if needed or can be dropped off at any of the many Canada Post offices across Canada.
The difference between flat rate and letter mail is that you will be required to add stamps based on the weight and size of the box (if it’s not prepaid), which is usually only an estimate and more easily incur extra costs or be sent back if not properly labeled and stamped.
| Delivery Area | Delivery Standard |
| Major Urban Centres | |
| Local | 1 day |
| Regional | 1 day up to 3 days |
| National | 2 days up to 7 days |
| Non-Major Urban Centres | |
| Local | 1 day |
| Regional | up to 4 days |
| National | up to 11 days |
| Northern Regions and Remote Centres | |
| Local | 6 days |
| Regional | 6 days up to 13 days |
| National | 6 days up to 13 days |
Benefits of Canada Post Flat-Rate Boxes
Canada Post’s flat-rate shipping boxes include the complete shipping cost of your parcel. No stamps or extra postage need to be added. You will also receive strong, durable, 100% recyclable boxes (60% of recycled content and 25% of post-consumer waste) with an on-time delivery guarantee. You can also purchase other features, such as liability insurance from your Canada Post office.
If you’re worried, Canada Post Flat Rate Boxes, along with all its shipping options (other than letter mail) come with tracking codes to offer your customers, which are automatic when using automated shipping software such as PluginHive.
Why choose Canada Post Flat Rate Boxes for your eCommerce shipping needs?
There are multiple reasons why you may choose to go with the flat rate box option for your eCommerce business.
- You have no hidden fees. Each shipment costs exactly the same and won’t have costs added if you’re shipping to Vancouver or to St. John’s, Newfoundland. If you normally ship right across the country, then it would be a wise choice to go with Canada Post’s flat rate boxes.
- Your products fit within the box. If the products you sell and ship fit well into one of the flat rate box sizes, then you can predict that the cost will usually be the same. Of course, if your customer purchases one product, it won’t fill the box, but by promising the same shipping rate up to a certain limit or free shipping over a certain cost, customers will be tempted to add more to their cart.
- Overall, shipping costs will even out for your business. You will no longer have to pay over $50 shipping to remote areas, etc. The savings on those shipments will balance those that are closer to home but still cost around the same price. Your brand will quickly see the savings add up. If you choose to use Canada Post’s Flat Rate Boxes for your eCommerce business, it is still important to integrate your eCommerce website/platform with automated shipping software that can instantly fill and print multiple shipping labels to affix to your boxes without any manual data input. You save time and money by partnering with PluginHive.
In the quest to optimize eCommerce shipping, seamless integration with reliable tools is crucial. The WooCommerce Canada Post plugin and Shopify Canada Post app by PluginHive effortlessly enhance shipping processes. These plugins, seamlessly integrated into your platform, provide real-time rates, automate label printing, and enable easy selection of Canada Post’s flat-rate boxes. With PluginHive’s solutions, businesses achieve accurate, efficient, and cost-effective shipping, ensuring transparency for customers. This integration not only simplifies the shipping process but also enhances the overall customer experience.
* WooCommerce Canada Post Shipping plugin with Print Label
* Multi-Carrier Shipping Label App for Shopify
* Shopify Canada Post Shipping Rates, Labels & Tracking App
* Magento Shipping Services
Reach out to PluginHive customer support to learn more about how to integrate Canada Post into your eCommerce website.
