Boatnerd Discussion Forum

I have lots of eBay customers in Canada and send lots of packages there. In early 2013, I sent an email to my Canadian customers telling them that package postage rates to Canada had just doubled. Nothing gradual about that!

RogerKYS wrote:I send books and things to Canada all the time. Just paid $15.50 for a small box. A mailing tube is $11. I have to charge more for Canadian orders to cover it, and then sometimes I still lose money.

That's along the same lines as the story told to me by my relative. His books average around $20 cover price, but the weight of the book and protective bubble packaging it runs him $15.50 to ship to a Canadian customer. I guess this may be offset for his Canadian customers as he has been able to keep his cover prices stable over the years.

According to the information supplied by Mr. Link the postage rates have increased far faster than the rate of inflation (at least in the US) as the $3.07 he quoted should only be around $7.37 today if it stayed within the 140.2% increase over the last 33 years.

I don't think its anything new, just a gradual increase over time. I took a quick check at 1983 rates. A 1.5# parcel from the US to Canada was $3.07, while domestic fourth class parcel post ranged from $1.52 for local delivery to $2.48 for zone 8 (long distance). So it was double the cheapest domestic rate.

The problem with international mail is that there are two organizations that have to cover their overhead costs, instead of just one. Plus the volumes aren't there to minimize costs. So the rates are higher. I think this is typical in many transportation fields. When two or more carriers get involved, the rates go up substantially.

That said, I used to mail letters to someone in Ontario, 174 miles from my house. It often took 10 days. 17.4 miles per day, or 0.725 miles per hour average speed. I always wondered it they went the long way through Toronto or something.

I send books and things to Canada all the time. Just paid $15.50 for a small box. A mailing tube is $11. I have to charge more for Canadian orders to cover it, and then sometimes I still lose money.

Anytime I would have to send mail to Canada, I had to end up by using two US postage stamps to cover the cost of the postage going over there. I also agree on the high postage rates as there have been times I have ordered books from Canada and have paid the absurd price for shipping! Just wish I knew of other places here in the USA other than Westcott's that sells nautical books? I have tried in vain to search online and used to deal with Northern Lights in Duluth when it was in business and the Ship's Store up at the Soo and the Valley Camp museum. Those were two great places to purchase marine books and nautical items in their hey days until Northern Lights went out years ago. Sorry to get off subject here. Also, the Ship's Store at the Valley Camp in the Soo is nothing like what it used to be years ago. I think new owners now took it over? Another thing I can't understand with the postage rates to Canada is for me at least, if I send something it gets there in a fair amount of time yet when it is sent to the USA, it takes forever sometimes to get it! I assume this is due to security that they have to check out the packages and inspect them through customs maybe?

For years I have always paid double the cost of US postage for letters sent to my Canadian cousins. I suppose the same holds true for packages.

I recently sent a book I bought to an acquaintance living in Canada and was I surprised at how much postage cost to send a 1.5 pound bubble mailer from the US. I paid $15.50, which is nearly the price of the book I purchased. I hadn't mailed anything across the border for a number of years, but I don't remember it costing at least twice as much as domestic postage. Has anyone else noticed this rise in rates or have I just been out of touch? I have a relative that operates a small publishing business and he has told me that he has noticed a large decline in sending books to Canada through his distributor. I wonder if the shipping costs have affected this trade?