Shipping within Canada is easy with Canada Post. Not only do you get excellent prices depending on your shipping options, but there are so many other features and options available to make the entire shipping process of your eCommerce business perfect.
Canada Post is the top and most trusted mail carrier in the Country and is trusted by thousands of businesses each day to get their packages to customers swiftly and safely. In fact, the number of parcels delivered each day has reached record-breaking numbers – and into the millions!
There are multiple shipping options available to Canada Post users. From most expensive and fastest to cheapest and longer delivery time, Priority is the fastest, which usually reaches its destination the same day or next; XpressPost which has about a two business day turn-around; and Expedited, Regular Parcel, and letter mail (if shipping a regular or bubble envelope only), all which have varying timelines based on where the package is headed.
In addition to its competitive costs to ship parcels of all sizes at incredible speeds to all postal codes across Canada, from Surrey to St. John’s, Canada Post also offers other features and options so you can meet your own business needs as well as the needs of your customers.
Here is an overview of only some of the most popular features and options for Canada Post shipments within Canada – and how much you can expect to pay.
All or most of these options are available when you integrate Canada Post into your eCommerce website using the shipping solutions provided by PluginHive.
* WooCommerce Canada Post Shipping plugin with Print Label
* Shopify Multi-Carrier Shipping Label App
* Magento Shipping Services
* Shopify Canada Post Shipping Rates, Labels & Tracking App
Tracking and Delivery
Available on all shipments, from Priority to Regular parcels, tracking numbers provide your customers with peace of mind that their purchase will make it safely. It allows you to prove where each shipment is as well. On-time delivery guarantees are included with all Priority, Xpresspost, and Expedited shipments.
Coverage and COD Options
COD (Collect on Delivery) is available for all shipments for a surcharge of $7.25. This allows you to charge the cost of shipping to the customer on arrival. As for liability coverage, all shipment options have a 100$ liability included, except for Regular Parcels which charge a fee of $2.25 for coverage. If additional liability is required on a package, $2.25 is charged for every $100 added up to $5000.
Signature and Identity Services
Depending on what you’re shipping, requiring a signature on arrival is common. It’s an excellent safeguard to protect against package theft, guarantee the age of the recipient for certain restricted items, and prove that a shipment has been delivered. To require a signature on delivery, the cost is $1.75 (unavailable for Priority shipping which has its own proof of delivery process). A hard copy of a signature is $7.25.
Other similar services include Proof of Age (a charge of $3) and Proof of Identity (only available on Priority and Xpresspost deliveries for a charge of $10).
Flexible Delivery Options
All shipments sent with Canada Post (except letter mail) have the flexibility to leave a package in an inconspicuous place at a front door, request a “Do Not Safe Drop” or have a card for pickup at the closest Canada Post office. For Xpresspost and Expedited Parcels, the customer or sender can request to pick up their package directly from a chosen post office, be it near their home, work, or other convenient location.
Pick Up Services
It’s inexpensive (or free) to have your pick-up services done by Canada Post so you can use your time focusing on your business. One-Time On Demand Pick Up and One-Time Third Party On Demand Pick Up are available to XpressPost, Expedited, and Regular Parcel shippers for a fee of $3.50. One-Time On-Demand Pickup is free when businesses have an active subscription to the Recurring (Scheduled) Pickup service (more than $15,000). There is a charge of $7.50 per week for annual spending amounts less than $15,000. There is also a Third-Party Recurring subscription available for $7.50 per week for each new address.
Returns
Returns are available for all commercial (that’s you!) shippers that use a third-party integrated shipping system (that’s us!) using Canada Post’s Electronic Shipping Tools. Labels can easily be printed by the customer who is returning their purchase and dropped off at a Post Office/picked up by Canada Post. It’s important to offer a return process that is simple for your customers to improve customer relationships and increase the chance of repurchase.
Redirection Services
If either the customer or shipper needs to change the destination address of a parcel, any of the shipping options available will offer redirection services for $13. This option comes in handy if there is an error in the shipping address or a customer moves or chooses to have their package delivered elsewhere (other than a post office) before the package reaches its destination.
Having a seamless integration with Canada Post is important for making sure each package makes it to its destination. By partnering with shipping software, such as PluginHive, that embeds perfectly into your eCommerce platform and website ensures each order is met correctly. All shipping labels are filled in and printed automatically, which saves your team time and money! And, any features that are needed, such as a signature on arrival, can be added right from your platform. Now that’s convenience.
Reach out to PluginHive customer support to learn more about how to integrate Canada Post into your eCommerce website.
