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Canada Postal Strike

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  • #1688965
    Susie
    Keymaster

      Hi there! Has anyone any news about the Postal Strike in Canada? I know the last time this happened someone in the group worked for Canada Post and kept us informed. I have people asking about their packages that shipped out to Canada before the strike started. Thanks! -Susie

      #1688970
      Moondust Dragon
      Participant

        The strike is ongoing, and there’s not a lot of information in the news. I’m checking every day and can let you know when anything changes. My husband works for Customs and has friends at Postal, so he hears things sometimes. With previous strikes, Canada Post has been legislated back to work, but because we have a minority government right now, it looks like that’s not possible (the official opposition has said they won’t support back-to-work legislation). So it may be a while. I’m waiting on my PYO Swap piece, a package from the factory, a package from another collector, and I have 2 other people holding pieces I’ve bought from them until the strike is over. The backlog will be massive. I also live in a very small town and do most of my Christmas shopping online. 😭 Nothing is moving at all except for benefit cheques (it’s a full strike as opposed to a rolling strike). 😱 Sorry it’s not better news.

        Moondust Dragon

        #1688973
        Spencer
        Participant

          We also have two packages that were supposed to arrive the day the strike started so we are still waiting on them. Today we had to ship a box out with UPS. We also live in a small town and usually order things online so I hope it gets resolved soon.

          #1688975
          Brenda Lower
          Participant

            Will mailing something by UPS or FedEx still arrive to people in Canada? Just wondering if that works or not.

            #1688982
            Bodine
            Participant

              Don’t that suck😔

              Every act matters.No matter how small💞
              (Wanted......Brimstone Lap)
              Male Hearth....one day🤞Dream on.

              #1688985
              dragonmedley
              Participant

                Will mailing something by UPS or FedEx still arrive to people in Canada? Just wondering if that works or not.

                Yes, it should work.

                Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
                http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
                I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
                http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

                #1689004
                Susie
                Keymaster

                  Thank you! I think that UPS and FedEx are a lot more expensive than the USPS to Canada. We don’t use FedEx but I’ll look into UPS.

                  #1689005
                  Susie
                  Keymaster

                    A 2 pound package going to Canada is similar in price as going USPS – however I’m pretty sure that when UPS delivers there is a customs broker fee as well as the duties and taxes. Is anyone in Canada familiar with what they might charge?

                    #1689047
                    dragonmedley
                    Participant

                      It’s been a while… it depends on the value, of course. Duties will be the same as the post office; the last time, brokerage fees were in the 10 or 15 $??? I could be way off!

                      Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
                      http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
                      I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
                      http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

                      #1689066
                      Moondust Dragon
                      Participant

                        You can use UPS or FedEx to Canada. From the U.S. end, it looks as though they cost about the same, with Postal sometimes being a bit more. From the Canadian end, the brokerage fees these companies charge are so high that it is prohibitively expensive for us to want to use UPS, FedEx, or DHL. All of the Canadian collectors I know avoid these shipping options like the plague.

                        When you ship via USPS, Canada Post will clear your package through Customs for a flat rate of $9.95, no matter the value of the contents. When you ship using any of these other companies, they charge an exponentially higher “Customs Clearance Fee” that is proportionate to the value of the package, and maybe also based on the type of goods being imported.

                        Whenever anyone ships to me from the U.S. using UPS, I am asked to pay somewhere from $30 -$ 150+ on top of the price of the item ($10-$15 brokerage fees are a thing of the past; I was recently asked to pay $183 in UPS fees for a larger sculpt – large, but smaller than an SK), plus the already expensive shipping cost, and then the duty/tax as well. Another Canadian collector recently told me that she once paid $97 CAD to UPS for an item valued at $100 CAD. This is why we do not like UPS.

                        99% of Canadians don’t know that you can self-clear your own package if it was shipped by any of those couriers, and thereby avoid the Clearance fees altogether. I know this because my husband works for Customs and was stationed at the largest postal facility in the country for over a decade. Self-clearing is possible, but it involves a lot of red tape and a trip *in person* to a Custons office. At this time, there is no option to self-clear online, although that is rumoured to be coming. Canada is a big country, and
                        most of our citizens do not live near a Customs office. While all of this is happening, the courier is withholding your item and pestering you incessantly to pay their fees, which can cause a significant delay in actually receiving the item. It is really, really upsetting, especially if the item in limbo is a bigger-ticket and/or OOAK, irreplaceable item like a GB or a TP.

                        So PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t ship to us via UPS, FedEx or DHL without checking what our preference is first, although I realize that it’s a pain in the butt to have to do so. For me personally, I am asking Windstone people if I can pay them just for the item upfront, then have them hold onto my purchases until after the strike is over, at which point I will pay for the shipping via Canada Post. You gotta be a dedicated collector to go through all of that!

                        Moondust Dragon

                        #1689113
                        dragonmedley
                        Participant

                          That’s exactly what I put in my order on the PYO castle… depending on the price with UPS, it might be worth waiting!

                          Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
                          http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
                          I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
                          http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

                          #1689604
                          Susie
                          Keymaster

                            As the Canada Postal Strike continues, now the US Postal Service is no longer calculating shipping charges on packages going to Canada, as well as not accepting packages bound for Canada. This means that if you put in a Canadian shipping address when placing an order, our shopping cart cannot determine what the postage is and will not allow you to finish placing the order. If this happens to you, Please email me and ask me to set the item aside for you until after the strike when we can calculate the shipping charge once again. Thank you! Susie@windstoneeditions.com or service@windstoneeditions.com

                            #1689609
                            dragonmedley
                            Participant

                              Thank you for accommodating us, Susie!

                              Read my books! Volume 1 and 2 of A Dragon Medley are available now.
                              http://www.sarahjestin.com/mybooks.htm
                              I host the feedback lists, which are maintained by drag0nfeathers.
                              http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htm

                              #1689957
                              Susie
                              Keymaster

                                I’ve had some news that the strike may be coming to a halt, however we still cannot make postage labels going to Canada. I imagine that right after the strike ends, we will not be able to make postage labels until the US Postal Service has room for packages bound for Canada – lots of them were stuck in the U.S. from early November.

                                We have planned with the Brimstone and Copper Patina Toaster Dragons that we will restock them when we can once again make Canadian postage labels. If you are in Canada and those sell out before you can order, please join the waitlists for them.

                                #1689995
                                Susie
                                Keymaster

                                  We still cannot make postage labels for Canada as of December 17th. I am going to be absent from the office the rest of December. Please be patient if you try to reach us – it could take extra long for us to reply and to get your order on its way while we are short staffed.

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