Your manifest is a list of all the goods packed into a shipment. Canada Post requires a manifest as proof of payment for the collection of a package for shipment. When using contract shipping web services from Canada Post, even if you are integrating the service with Shopify Multi-Carrier Shipping Label App, a physical copy of the manifest is expected. There are instances where Canada Post will not accept a package or will not pick up an order if there is no hard copy of the manifest attached.
If your eCommerce website is hosted by Shopify, the platform itself does not support the generation of a Canada Post manifest. Many merchants have expressed their frustration with this. Those who have no other shipping options available due to their business being limited to the shipping of specialized, regulated products like alcohol become stuck with a major problem.
The Problem eCommerce Businesses Face Generating Canada Post Manifests
The problem businesses face is that Canada Post requires manifests for commercial customers to process shipments. Commercial customers are those that ship a large number of orders and/or have a contract with Canada Post. In many cases, the manifest is automatically generated using a plugin/application through your host website and is then made available for you to print with your shipment after the label has been generated.
According to Canada Post’s website, “A manifest must be completed daily for all your shipments – whether they are created using EST desktop 2.0 or a third-party shipping solution provider. The manifest can only be generated after printing your shipping labels. Be sure to click “End of day” or “Canada Post Manifests” (depending on the shipping software you use). This will send the shipping data, including tracking numbers, to Canada Post electronically.
Tip: Submit your shipments by end of day to process the manifest. If you don’t, there will be a surcharge for the impacted shipments.”
Canada Post has even made it clear that the manifest is an integral part of shipping with Canada Post and “failure to comply will result in manual billing at full rates and/or a loss of your automation discount.”
Shopify merchants who frequently work with Canada Post are then faced with issues because the manifest cannot easily be generated from the platform itself like some other carriers. We will often see clients expressing their frustration online:
1. “Canada Post driver was quite angry on us out again yesterday for not having a manifest”
2. “ I’m having Canada Post employees threaten that during the holidays this year they will not pick up if I don’t have a Manifest.”
If you’re one of these concerned eCommerce business owners, there is a solution that hundreds of Canadian businesses already happily depend on for their Canada Post manifests.
The Solution for Shopify Merchants Who Need to Generate and Print Canada Post Manifests
The easiest and most convenient way to solve the issues with generating Canada Post manifests for your eCommerce brand and be compliant with Canada Post is to use the Shopify Multi-Carrier Shipping Label app with your Canada Post account.
The Shopify Multi Carrier Shipping Label app is officially certified with Canada Post and is compliant with all Canada Post standards including rates, labels, manifests, pickup, and tracking. Not only are you able to automatically generate your manifests with the ease of a click, but you’re also gaining access to multiple other automated features, especially shipping label generation, that will streamline and help scale your business.
How To Create a Manifest using the Shopify Multi Carrier Shipping Label App
The process for printing a Canada Post manifest using PluginHive is simple and straightforward. You will not need to generate the manifest directly from the Canada Post website, which will save your business time. Everything you need to ship from Canada Post, from shipping labels to tracking, is all available through the Multi-Carrier Shipping Label App.
All you need to do is to Generate Canada Post Shipping Labels & Mark your orders as Shipped as shown below:
Once done, head over to the Manifest section & click on the Carrier Manifest to print your Canada Post Manifests. Refer to the image:
A sample Canada Post Manifest is attached below for a better understanding:
It can be a good idea to quickly review the manifest to make sure that it correctly provides every order you need to be included. You can also see the total weight of the shipment as well as the overall cost breakdown.
If your shipment includes both international and domestic orders, two separate manifests will be created. Speed up this process by keeping all international packages stored for pickup in a separate area than domestic shipments so they can have the manifest attached clearly.
What happens next? All you have to do to print your Canada Post manifest is to simply click “Print Manifest” which will then send the manifest to your printer.
Fulfill All Your Shopify Canada Post Shipping Needs with PluginHive
The simplicity of PluginHive’s Shopify MCSL app means you don’t need an expensive web developer to integrate Canada Post’s APIs – or rather the APIs from any of your favorite carriers. As long as you have an account with Canada Post, the Multi-Carrier Shipping Label app will become your new best friend for shipping labels, tracking, payment of invoices, and, of course, manifest generation. Learn more about all the services included in the Multi Carrier Shipping Label App to make your shipping needs easier than ever before.
Is your business set up with another eCommerce platform like WooCommerce or BigCommerce? PluginHive has applications that will deliver the services you need from multi-carriers – browse our directory here.
Interested in learning more about how you can truly maximize the productivity of your eCommerce business using PluginHive? Our team of experts is ready to chat about your business needs and set you up for success. Reach out to us today!
