Small business owners have an opportunity to save money through the Canada Post Ship Snap tool. If you are shipping less than 1,250 parcels and 100,000 pieces of direct mail a year, this is a way to lower your postage cost.

To start off, you need to become a Canada Post Solutions for Small Business member. You can sign up for free online, then you are eligible for postage discounts. You can use Ship Snap to compare rates and delivery speed options. The post office applies your small business discount based on your savings level. These range from one to four based on how much you have spent over the last 12 months, and discounts are from 10% to 36% depending on the service and your level. For instance, shipping within Toronto on a one-day service, the post office estimates your cost is $7.98 versus others that charge $11.60 and $12.25.

Once you decide on a service, you print and pay for the shipping label online with a credit card. There are benefits to using a separate business credit card. You can choose to have your package picked up for an extra charge or drop it off yourself at the post office. The service allows you to track your shipment by receiving email updates at various stages. You can also allow others to receive updates, which reduces customer calls. This means you and your workers can increase productivity.

If you are a small business owner who ships less than 25 parcels and 2,000 pieces of direct mail a week, you might want to investigate this service. At the very least, you could use it to negotiate with other shippers to get a lower rate. But, if you ship more than this, there are other services for you. The Post Office also offers EST 2.0 for large volume shippers.