Even if it’s something so small that fits in a small envelope?

I can understand if you’re shipping all the way to Nunavut (some remote territory up north), but the vast majority of us live just a few miles away from the boarder, yet it’s still very expensive.

12 comments

  1. I don’t know, probably has something to do with Canadian import laws or taxes or something.

  2. This is really a reflection on how inexpensive domestic shipping is (currently).

  4. It’s pretty cheap to just drive across the border and hand it to the recipient. I suppose that’s only an option for a very niche group of us though.

  5. Doing a quick search and it looked like sending a standard letter was about twice the cost in Canada. Stamps cost .58 vs 1.07. So that’s one reason at least. I know several people who cross the Canadian border to fly from the closest US state to save on all the additional taxes and international fees. Most likely similar for postage, although it’s right there it’s still crossing into another country.

  6. You’re using two different services. If I ship something via USPS to Canada, it has to be transferred to, for example, Canada Post, which has their own operations and logistics. So it cost 2 services in order to get your package or letter sent to you in another country. It would be cheaper if USPS delivered directly into Canada though, otherwise, you’re going to pay more to deal with 2 companies.

    Plus both countries have their own importation laws and customs which adds to the cost.

    It helps that the countries are so close but the logistics don’t change. If anything, it’s cheaper to ship to Canada and Mexico than other countries.

  7. If I had to guess, it’s because of customs.

    They have to verify that you’re not shipping something that’s legal in the US, but illegal in Canada. They have to check whether it might endanger some ecosystem that doesn’t exist here. They check for drugs, weapons.

    The cost of all the labor and machinery probably gets spread out across all shipping fees paid by Canadians.

  9. There’s a reason why there’s a bunch of PO Box stores you can ship to just across the border into the US.

    Lot easier to pay a small fee and cross the border to pick it up.

  10. I lived in a border town with Canada for several years. There was actually a big business of shipping centers where you could have that location listed as your address, Canadians would come pick up their package and take it over the border. I think it was faster and cheaper than having it shipped directly to Canada. The PO Boxes at that Post Office had a lot of Canadian clientele.

  11. I’ve always wondered this too like Detroit to Windsor or Toronto should be cheap..

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