Sell Online FAQs

Answers to all your questions about Sell Online.

General questions

Technology questions

Partners questions

General questions

What is Sell Online?

In a nutshell, Sell Online is a trademark name given to the Canada Post service that is specifically designed to support a merchant’s business on the Internet.

Read more and watch a Sell Online demonstration on the Sell Online home page.

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What are the differences between the Sell Online store setup, the Sell Online shopping cart, and the Sell Online shipping module?

Sell Online store setup is a template based application that allows you to quickly and easily create your own secure online store. Explore your options for the Sell Online store setup and compare the options for small businesses and medium to large businesses and decide which ones best suit your needs.

Sell Online shopping cart can quickly turn an existing website into an online store and includes many of the benefits of Sell Online store setup. Explore your options for the Sell Online shopping cart and compare the options for small businesses and medium to large businesses and decide which ones best suit your needs.

Sell Online shipping module integrates simply with your ecommerce store. Once integrated, your customers will be able to select the cost and delivery speed of their purchases from your site. Read the full details about the Sell Online shipping module. And did we mention that it’s FREE!

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Can the shipping module be integrated into all shopping carts?

Almost all. To perform the integration, you must be able to modify the shopping cart software. This is NOT a plug-and-play application. A high level of technical knowledge is required to perform the integration.

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How does the shipping module work, and what do I have to do in order to have one?

The Sell Online shipping module is designed to integrate with an etailer’s website to provide online shipping options. The shipping module, integrated into an ecommerce website, gives your customers full control over the shipping speed and cost of their orders.

The Sell Online shipping module requires a working knowledge of HTML. Therefore, unless you are very comfortable with HTML, you should have your software technician attach the shipping module to your shopping cart.

Knowledge of XML is required, and XSL knowledge would definitely be helpful for all Microsoft installations.

Flexible Delivery^TM is available with the shipping module, however you must ask for it by sending a request to sellonline@canadapost.ca.

Find out more about the Sell Online shipping module, including a complete demonstration of how it works and how to set it up.

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What is a shipping profile?

You are assigned a shipping profile when you register with Sell Online. The shipping profile is set up with default values. To ensure that your shipping costs are optimized, you must have your technician log on to your shipping profile. Here the default values can be updated with your company information. This profile can be updated whenever a change in your inventory makes it necessary.

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I don’t currently have a website. What do you suggest?

Take a tour of the Sell Online site. This will give you a clear idea of what you will need to do to either build a store, or have a store built.

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Does Canada Post actually provide all of these Internet services?

No. Canada Post is in business to provide shipping solutions. Canada Post has however created strategic alliances with a number of organizations whose core competencies match the needs of online retailers. Visit the Sell Online Partners page for a list our partners.

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Is it really free to create a website, attach a shopping cart, and have a shipping module? There must be a catch somewhere.

The initial offer is free (as usual, some conditions do apply). However, the more bells and whistles you want to have on your site, the more it can cost you. Visit Sell Online store setup, Sell Online shopping cart and Sell Online shipping module for more comprehensive information.

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Technology questions

What is the Sell Online shipping module?

The Sell Online shipping module is a software module designed to integrate with your website to give consumers complete control over speed and cost of delivery. To perform the integration, you must be able to modify the shopping cart software. This is NOT a plug-and-play application. A high level of technical knowledge is required to perform the integration

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In order to sell online, do I have to have the Sell Online shipping module?

Yes, if your shopping cart does not currently have a shipping module. No, if your Sell Online store or Sell Online cart already has a shipping module.

Sell Online Partners lists some ecommerce solution providers.

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How do I integrate the Sell Online shipping module on my website?

Different options are available to you:
1. You can use the services of a Sell Online partner who provides Sell Online ecommerce solutions.
2. Install the Sell Online shipping module into your shopping cart software.
3. Install the Sell Online shipping module.
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How do I use the Sell Online shipping module?

To use the Sell Online XML Direct Connection, you need the following:
- An Internet connection from your shopping cart to communicate with the Canada Post server.
- A shipping profile. You register your shipping profile account on the Sell Online server by sending an email to sellonline@canadapost.ca.
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What do I need to use the Sell Online XML Direct Connection?

The Sell Online XML Direct Connection offers you 2 protocols to choose from:
- BASIC SOCKET:
  Use this protocol only if you know how to:
  - Open a socket
  - Write to it
  - Read from it
  - Close it
- HTTP POST: This method uses a protocol that is widely used on the Internet. Also, you may find a lot of tools/components/libraries that allow you to do an HTTP POST.
Find out more about Sell Online XML Direct Connection.

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Where can I obtain the Direct Connection?

It is available from our technical server. The connection is an XML version if you so desire, we can return the reply back in HTML.

The Sell Online Direct Connection to the server can be obtained by sending an email to sellonline@canadapost.ca and by asking for the “Sell Online Direct Connection”.

YOU MUST provide the following information:
- Company name
- Contact name and telephone number
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Is the use of Sell Online free?

Yes. The documentation (Implementation Guide and Customized Implementation Guide), Direct Connection and technical support are ALL FREE.

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Where do I get the Implementation Guide and the Architecture Document?

You can download the Implementation Guide, Customized Implementation Guide, and Architecture Document from the Sell Online website.

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Will Sell Online work if there is a firewall between the Sell Online server and my ecommerce engine?

Yes. You have to inform your system administrator that you need to perform TCP (not UDP) socket communication between your computer and the Sell Online server. They will need to reconfigure your company’s firewall to allow you such operation.

The production server is at another IP address, and will be communicated to your system administrator after the testing has started.

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Where can I find test programs to verify the Sell Online shipping module?

The Sell Online XML Direct Connection provides an HTML form to allow testing the Sell Online shipping module.

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What do I need to change my shipping profile?
- An Internet connection
- A browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer)
- Your browser must be JavaScript enabled
- The retailer ID and password assigned by Canada Post
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Partners questions

How do I become a partner?

To become a Canada Post partner, you have to successfully integrate the shipping module into a merchant’s or demo site before you have clients.

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How can I integrate the shipping module into my shopping cart?

There is one recommended way to integrate the module into a shopping cart—using the direct connection to the server. This is an XML version. It is available from our server. We suggest you download the Implementation Guide and the Architecture Document. If you cannot work with XML, then an HTML reply can be configured.

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What does the partnership give me?

Your company will be listed on our partners page. You can re-use the shipping module in any of your clients’ pages.

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I have a shopping cart; can I integrate the shipping module into my shopping cart and offer it to my customers?

Yes, you can integrate the shipping module into your shopping cart and offer this solution to your customers. You need to be able to modify the shopping cart for a good integration.

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I want to host different merchants; do I have to contact you every time I want to add a merchant?

If you become a Canada Post partner, we will provide you with a code that will allow you to create a shipping profile for every merchant.

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