seapotato Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 A small packet fits minifigures and to ship from Canada to US costs $5 after tax. I have never added tracking to it because it will bring your total to probably $15-20. You must bring it to the post office because you have to fill in a declaration form if you are sending outside of Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregpj Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I am posting some mini figures on eBay. I am worried the shipping costs might scare people away. What do you guys use. Do you use regular mail.. Just stick stamps on it and set it off or do you use shipping with a tracking number. I live in Canada and will most likely be shipping to the US. Thank What seapotato said. Tracking on a small parcel to the US starts around $12. You won't be sending too many minifigures to the US at that price...I make an assumption that somewhere along the way one will got lost or delayed (I just had it happen the the JW polybags) so you need to make sure you can absorb the loss. When things get lost in customs, it can be months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobo1969 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 A small packet fits minifigures and to ship from Canada to US costs $5 after tax. I have never added tracking to it because it will bring your total to probably $15-20. You must bring it to the post office because you have to fill in a declaration form if you are sending outside of Canada.Do you use a certain size/type envelope?The key everyone needs to know with small packet shipping is to keep the weight under 200 grams. I have bought a mailing weigh scale long ago so I can keep the weight down on single comic book I sell online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massakassa Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I am posting some mini figures on eBay. I am worried the shipping costs might scare people away. What do you guys use. Do you use regular mail.. Just stick stamps on it and set it off or do you use shipping with a tracking number. I live in Canada and will most likely be shipping to the US. Thank They wont let you send it as Lettermail so the cheapest option would be USA Light Packet which costs 5 dollars, but has no tracking or insurance. This option is reliable and pretty fast, i have used it many times myself to ship out mini figures. So if your confident the buyer wont try to scam you i would choose this option, To ship within Canada you can use Oversized Lettermail which costs around 2 bucks, again no tracking or insurance but its the cheapest option and gets the job done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anolian Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions. I just did a quote to. Ship it to California and it was around $5. Hopefully that price won't scare off the buyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravtation Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 They wont let you send it as Lettermail so the cheapest option would be USA Light Packet which costs 5 dollars, but has no tracking or insurance. This option is reliable and pretty fast, i have used it many times myself to ship out mini figures. So if your confident the buyer wont try to scam you i would choose this option, To ship within Canada you can use Oversized Lettermail which costs around 2 bucks, again no tracking or insurance but its the cheapest option and gets the job done.True and not about the letter service .. your letter thickness WORLWIDE / CANADA/USA .. need to be under 2cm .. if it fit this range you're ok, If you visit your Postal Outlet they have a specific matrix to check the tickness.. if your letter goes trough it without hard pushing you are safe .. if not you pay the PARCEL price ! .. Believe me with over 2500 transactions here and there,Ebay Canada/USA/France/Aussi/UK .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seapotato Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I've had to pay the parcel price a few times... :'( 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@rtisan Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 International Parcel rates are ludicrous if you want tracking. Absolutely insane in proportion to the size of parcel. Yeah, that`s insane as well with lettermail to parcel. 0.1in makes no difference in terms of shipping, absolutely crazy. I`ve experienced that as well, I`ve actually repackaged a couple of them from bubble mailers to standard orange envelope when they`ve been too tight to fit. What a waste of time for 0.1in haha. Canada Post, we love you, but please kindly do us all a favour and co-operate with us on this. Please and thanks 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gravtation Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) International Parcel rates are ludicrous if you want tracking. Absolutely insane in proportion to the size of parcel. Yeah, that`s insane as well with lettermail to parcel. 0.1in makes no difference in terms of shipping, absolutely crazy. I`ve experienced that as well, I`ve actually repackaged a couple of them from bubble mailers to standard orange envelope when they`ve been too tight to fit. What a waste of time for 0.1in haha. Canada Post, we love you, but please kindly do us all a favour and co-operate with us on this. Please and thanks All my parcels ship with Bubble.. or any type of packing material I have on hand.. but when I ship less than 3 Polybags it's always Standard orange envelope... Edited July 24, 2015 by gravtation 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massakassa Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I just shipped 3 bags of mixels in a large bubble envelope to the US, i thought i would be charged for Small Packet but they let it go through as Light Packet. This happens quite a few times, maybe because i visit that post office so often and they know i usually keep my envelopes within the 2cm thickness, they dont care to double check anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 I just shipped 3 bags of mixels in a large bubble envelope to the US, i thought i would be charged for Small Packet but they let it go through as Light Packet. This happens quite a few times, maybe because i visit that post office so often and they know i usually keep my envelopes within the 2cm thickness, they dont care to double check anymore.Be very very careful doing that, yes the locals that know you are usually quite more than willing to cut you a break thinking they are doing you a favour... but your package must travel through countless other inspection points & automated systems before it reaches the intended destination - that favour may come back to haunt you in big ways! your package might get rerouted back to you for additional postage, which can take an additional month in transit (I know from personal experience unfortunately), your package might even get held in customs for additional inspection if it seems "out of wack". As the shipper it's entirely your responsibility to ensure the package arrives & it's up to you to make sure everything is accurate & accounted for - it's really not worth the risk of loss or reputation hits for the sake of a few dollars the buyer is paying for anyway. just don't let other's good intensions cause you all the potential grief when you know better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupIsHalfEmpty Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) You don't always have to take it to the post office. Last time I was there, I got a stack of the "Small Packet" import declaration stickers and just fill them out at home, throw on enough stamps to cover postage and then drop it in a mailbox. I'm always careful to be under 20mm and haven't had a lost package yet. I also bought a 20mm plastic template/guide from ebay that I slide my parcels through to check, I do wish Canada post would sell their official ones for home use. Edited July 24, 2015 by CupIsHalfEmpty spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
massakassa Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Be very very careful doing that, yes the locals that know you are usually quite more than willing to cut you a break thinking they are doing you a favour... but your package must travel through countless other inspection points & automated systems before it reaches the intended destination - that favour may come back to haunt you in big ways! your package might get rerouted back to you for additional postage, which can take an additional month in transit (I know from personal experience unfortunately), your package might even get held in customs for additional inspection if it seems "out of wack". As the shipper it's entirely your responsibility to ensure the package arrives & it's up to you to make sure everything is accurate & accounted for - it's really not worth the risk of loss or reputation hits for the sake of a few dollars the buyer is paying for anyway. just don't let other's good intensions cause you all the potential grief when you know better.I`m thinking about buying one of those Canada Post Lettermail templates same as what they have at the post office to see if a envelope fits through the slot or not because sometimes its very hard to gauge. It might not always be them doing me favor as it is me over estimating-shipping on a package because i think it wont fit as Light Packet. Mixels are probably thicker than 2cm especially in a bubble envelope so they did let me off the hook there, and you're right i should be more careful with that. I also know that the girl who works there in the weekends just lets me ship figures as Standard Lettermail instead of Oversized Lettermail, which is did once and turned out fine but i would rather not risk that again for that 1 dollar or so that i save. You don't always have to take it to the post office. Last time I was there, I got a stack of the "Small Packet" import declaration stickers and just fill them out at home, throw on enough stamps to cover postage and then drop it in a mailbox. I'm always careful to be under 20mm and haven't had a lost package yet. I also bought a 20mm plastic template/guide from ebay that I slide my parcels through to check, I do wish Canada post would sell their official ones for home use. Canada Post does sell their official Lettermail template for home use but you to sign up for a Venture One/Commercial account to be able to purchase it. Costs $9.20 in their online commercial supplies shop i believe. Will purchase one myself soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anolian Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Do the you guys usually pay the shipping through ebay and get the discount. Or do you do it directly through the post office or there website? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregpj Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Do the you guys usually pay the shipping through ebay and get the discount. Or do you do it directly through the post office or there website? You can't print labels for oversize letter mail ($1.90) through PayPal (eBay) but yes absolutely you should print the labels via PayPal for small packet/light packet/tracked packet when sending to the US.If you have to track an envelope (it goes as a parcel then), then yes print the label online to get the discount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seapotato Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Do you save any money printing the labels via PayPal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregpj Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Do you save any money printing the labels via PayPal?My PayPal account is a business account, so yes. I save about 9% off the overall price... better than desk pricing with my Venture One card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seapotato Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Okay cool. You still save even with small packets? I know for venture one you don't receive any discount unless it is a parcel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregpj Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Okay cool. You still save even with small packets? I know for venture one you don't receive any discount unless it is a parcel. Hmmm.... yes, I don't actually remember if it showed a savings. They were $5 to ship... thought the rate was $5.25 at the desk so a measly 5% savings? I honestly don't remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seapotato Posted July 24, 2015 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Oh, it is $5 to ship at canada post too, to the states. Thanks for the info, I'll look into it next time I have to ship parcels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spensar Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I am posting some mini figures on eBay. I am worried the shipping costs might scare people away. What do you guys use. Do you use regular mail.. Just stick stamps on it and set it off or do you use shipping with a tracking number. I live in Canada and will most likely be shipping to the US. Thank Regular mail with stamps, as long as it is under 2 cm in depth. Technically, goods are not eligible for letter mail but for a light item like a mini-fig there should be no problem. For small items like this and pins, I provide free shipping and state in the listing that it is free through Canada Post lettermail. After the auction I send a follow-up "hand holding" e-mail confirming that the item was shipped by lettermail, should take 5-8 business days and is untracked. I have never had an issue with delivery, however, with USPS pretty well everything gets tracked so there is an expectation from buyers to see a tracking number. For me, being very clear and up front about that has avoided issues.I also got a big bunch of unused greeting cards dirt cheap at a garage sale and use them as mailers for small items. They provide stiff cardboard protection and a nice tight fitted envelope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seapotato Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Using greeting cards is a good idea. Do you fit a minifig in the envelope and get away with paying just 1 postage stamp? I've been using bubble envelopes which cost 1.80. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherJB Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Using greeting cards is a good idea. Do you fit a minifig in the envelope and get away with paying just 1 postage stamp? I've been using bubble envelopes which cost 1.80.Fyi canada post wil be raising rates in november. What you want to do now is to buy stamps before the hike. A friend of mine loaded up $50,000 worth of stamps at costco 3 yrs ago. So his stamps are about 20% cheaper. If you all decide to do this long term, consider it. He ships things down to LA for me on a weekly basis and slaps $40-50 worth of stamps on parcels. Shipping costs will rise year after year. Imagine your roll of stamps ten years from now. $2 per stamp in 2025 while it cost you $1 or so in 2016. Smart money with the cheap stamps flipping minifigs will be able to list at a lower price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seapotato Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Oh I didn't realize they were raising postage prices in November, I always thought it was January when they did that. I always stock up on the booklets of stamps when there are 10% off sales, but I guess I should get a few rolls at costco. It is usually 5% off there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregpj Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Oh I didn't realize they were raising postage prices in November, I always thought it was January when they did that. I always stock up on the booklets of stamps when there are 10% off sales, but I guess I should get a few rolls at costco. It is usually 5% off there.They aren't raising them in November.https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/blogs/announcements/details.page?article=2015/07/09/2016_postage_rates_p&cattype=announcements&cat=newsreleasesThey are proposing to raise them in January 2016 though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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