Update please - Postage delays in Canada

[jfmgray]

Some months ago I excluded Canade as a postage destination due to consistent and lengthy delays in the delivery of items.  Do others know if this has improved/resolved itself.  Canada was my 3rd biggest international market so I would like to get back into it if the delays are no longer an issue.

Thanks

[enigmabear]

I did a quick Google and found this

https://www.canadapost.ca/web/en/blogs/announcements/list.page

Not too sure, but maybe something useful in there for you

[lyndal1838]

Canada Post has been slow for over 40 years....I am not sure that it is going to change any time soon.

The biggest problems occur when weather is an issue, particularly in the regional areas.  In the last 6 months we have had advice from my husband's relatives that it is as slow as it ever was.  Thankfully we all now use email rather than snail mail.

[kopenhagen5]

And Canadian customs is very strict adding to delays.

[lyndal1838]

I have not sent a parcel to Canada for over 30 years now.

Once we found out how slow it was we arranged to send money to T's brother in the USA and he arranged delivery of what we wanted to send to the in laws.

Failing that we were occasionally able to send typically Australian gifts when T's nephew flew into Australia with UPS.   It cost nothing and the parcel sailed through Customs as the senior pilot's hand luggage.

[digital*ghost]

Once Canada Post confirmed there was not going to be any strikes, I added it back as a postage destination as I had too many regular customers that had sent through enquiries (it was a while ago now, maybe a couple of months before Christmas?).

Since then, I've had 0 incidents, and most packages have been going as large letters. I'm not sure if postage is any faster, but no one has been messaging me about non-arrival. 

[found-in-australia]

Quote: "Canada Post has been slow for over 40 years....I am not sure that it is going to change any time soon." ... "I have not sent a parcel to Canada for over 30 years now."

The change for me happened about this time last year when airmail speed dropped from mostly being similar to mail to USA, to airmail parcels consistently taking 5 to 6 weeks to get to Canadian buyers. As far as I can work out most of the delay has been at Customs, but neither Australia Post or Canada Post will confirm that there have been any delays to the mail between Australia and Canada. I haven't sold anything to Canada for a few months, and it looks like a number of the buyers that were regularly buying items from Australia have stopped or reduced their buying due to the delays.

I have only been selling to Canada since 1998, so can't compare the speeds with thirty years ago, but the last year was the first noticeable problem I have had with Canadian mail.

[digital*ghost]

There was ongoing industrial disputes - the worst of it started around mid-2016, when strikes were continually threatened, postponed, then threatened again. 

According to the manager at my local PO, almost everything with Canada Post is automated (within the postal network at least, perhaps not at customs), which is why you can often get tracking on standard customs numbers over there. It makes me wonder why things often take 4-8 weeks, though - from what I can remember, the strikes were over pay disputes, rather than any understaffing / overworking issues). 

[found-in-australia]

My problems with Canada started in January last year, well before the industrial disputes (which were at least clearly broadcast that they would likely cause delays). I don't think I had more than one parcel travel at the previous years normal speed in 2016.

I don't know how the speed is currently into Canada though.

Kind Regards,  Kevin

[cosmintas]

I post to Canada a few times a year without any problems. Last year (2016) I sent numerous Large Letters which seemed to go through much quicker than parcels with attached customs forms. I didn't kow there were any problems with industrial disputes etc but I have a buyer who has not received a parcel posted 28th Nov. 2016. We are waiting a bit longer to see if it turns up (it was untracked). I certainly expected it to arrive before xmas. This is the first problem I have had with postage to Canada. When I rang AP they said 'don't worry it's on its way the customs form number was scanned when it left Australia', (doesn't mean it couldn't get lost once it reaches Canada lol!). They said I couldn't ask AP to launch a search with the local PO in Canada until 3 months had elapsed. I will give a refund to my (very) patient and understanding buyer if the parcel hasn't arrived by next week. I will also be ringing AP on 1st March 2017 and ask them to request a search with local carrier. Hope it is just caught up in customs.