Canada Post provides Lettermail service for economic shipping of cards, catalogues, or CDs within Canada. For delivery to the United States, Canadian businesses that ship paper products in small envelopes use the Letter-post service. Items that don’t fit within the size, weight, and material restrictions for Letter-post can be shipped using one of several small-package shipping services. Knowing the costs, size limitations, and content restrictions helps small businesses decide on the best method of packing and the appropriate fee to charge customers for shipping.

Letter-Post Guidelines

Letter-post is Canada Post’s lowest-priced option for shipping from Canada to the United States. This service is reserved for paper and cardstock items such as letters, postcards, and self-mailers. Small packets, CDs, and samples attached to postcards are among the items listed as unacceptable for Letter-post delivery.

Standard Letter-post rates apply to items that weigh no more than 50 grams and fit within defined size specifications. Self-mailer brochures and catalogues shipped without envelopes or covers must fit within the 50-gram limit. Heavier items that weigh up to 500 grams fall into the Other Letter-post rate schedule.

Canada Post estimates four to six business days for delivery service from Canada to the United States via Letter-post. Tracking and insurance are not included. Items that cannot be delivered are returned without charge to the sender’s Canadian return address.

Small Packet Guidelines

Canada Post offers several small-package delivery options with prices based on size, weight, and delivery features. Light Packet delivery is a no-frills parcel service. Subject to dimension restrictions, items must weigh no more than 500 grams. Delivery time from Canada to the United States is estimated at four to six days. Small Packet delivery takes from five to eight days and accommodates items that weigh up to 1 kilogram. Tracked Package service is for shipments with a maximum 1-kilogram weight, and delivery is estimated at four to seven days. This Canada to U.S. service includes tracking, delivery confirmation, emailed delivery updates, and liability coverage up to $100.

There may be occasions when you need to get your product in your customer’s hands as soon as possible. For time-sensitive shipments of valuable goods, nothing is faster than Priority post. This next-business-day service comes with a money-back guarantee for on-time delivery.

Parcels are subject to restrictions, and they must comply with shipping standards to be processed by Canada Post. Parcels that are insecurely wrapped, contain perishables, or don’t meet the size and weight restrictions are considered unacceptable. The shipper is responsible for ensuring that packaged goods comply with Canadian shipping laws.

Canada Post Savings on Large-Volume Shipping

Businesses that regularly ship to customers in the United States may be eligible for the discount rates of Incentive Letter-post. Reductions are available for companies that mail out a minimum of 100 items.

Using a postage meter is a time-saving option that provides further savings on shipping costs. With a meter, you enjoy reduced postage rates and the convenience of printing out postage in your own time at your place of business.

References & Resources

• canadapost.ca
• canadapost.ca
• etsy.com
• canadapost.ca
• canadapost.ca