FAQ's

With Delivered Duty Paid, duty fees are calculated in advance and the full cost of the transaction (including any applicable taxes) is paid at checkout. With this option, the end consumer doesn't pay any additional fees when their package arrives.

With Delivered Duty Unpaid, when a consumer receives an order they are responsible for paying any applicable duties, import taxes and brokerage fees.

The Postal Stream
Utilizing the existing postal structure, a business can enter into an agreement with USPS (United States Postal Service) and have their items shipped from their origin to their destination within the USPS and Canada Post business structures. This approach is suitable for smaller, or growing, businesses that do not yet have the required infrastructure to process and deliver orders internationally.

Channel partner
A channel partner (also known as a consolidator) provides transportation to the border and customs clearance prior to induction into the Canada Post delivery network. Requiring a comparatively minor investment and setup, this approach is ideal for merchants who are shipping a significant number of orders to Canada, but not enough to fill a whole truck on their own.

Direct induction
With this method, the shipper manages the transportation of orders across the border and the customs clearance process. The goods are then transferred directly into the Canada Post delivery network for final mile delivery. It enables a business to gain control of the delivery process into Canada. This approach is optimal for merchants with the resources and infrastructure to transport items into Canada.

Fulfill in Canada
If you're a larger retailer with high parcel volumes to Canada, you can set up a distribution centre, work with a third-party logistics (3PL) company or utilize your store network to fulfill your Canadian orders from one or more Canadian locations using Canada Post delivery service for your last mile delivery needs. This gives you the most control over shipping costs and enhances the customer experience. With no border delays, the fastest delivery speeds, lowest delivery costs and easiest returns – fulfilling in Canada maximizes the ability for larger organizations to compete in Canada.

The "final mile" (or "last mile") of delivery is the most important leg of your product's journey. Final mile delivery services are responsible for delivering your orders from your shipping network to the end consumer's door.

As a critical part of the delivery experience, your final mile partner should deliver on time and support your efforts to build customer loyalty by enhancing the delivery experience. Comprehensive tracking tools, flexible delivery options, convenient delivery notifications and tools to pay outstanding fees (customs, tax, duties) will have an impact on repeat purchases.

Loyal customers are won in the final mile – it's the critical step where the parcel is handed off to the end consumer. It's important to pick the right delivery partner to ensure everything goes smoothly. Your chosen cross-border delivery partner should be able to keep costs low while still meeting customer expectations.

A landed cost is the total charge associated with getting a shipment to its destination. Generally associated with international shipping, it refers to the cost of shipping plus applicable duties, taxes and fees.

The total landed cost can include a range of additional factors, such as:

• Insurance
• Currency conversion
• Storage
• Regulatory fees, including export licenses
• Fraud prevention
• Handling fees, such as packing and repacking
• Payment processing

Canada Post has access to over 32 million addresses, approximately half of which include names. Further named lists are available with Canada Post Smartmail Marketing^TM Consumer Audiences data solutions. You can also expand your reach and market penetration to unnamed addresses with services like Neighbourhood Mail^TM.

In Canada PIPIDA and The Privacy Act protect the privacy of all Canadians. Once a customer does business with you, by buying a product or service from your company, you can generally start to market to that person. If you don't currently have access to customers that you wish to target as prospects, Canada Post can help. We will work with you to identify postal codes that match your ideal prospective customer profile. Once you have converted a prospect to a customer, you are able to move the customer to a 1-to-1 marketing approach using Canada Post customer analytics.

Yes! Canadian's respond well to marketing messages sent to their home – if what they receive is relevant, timely and speaks to them. Canada Post can help you identify neighbourhoods that match the specific criteria that you are looking for. Then, we can show you how to best market to your targeted neighbourhoods.

Canada Post has three options for Smartmail Marketing^TM.

• Small scale: Send direct mail on a 1-on-1 basis to individual prospects with Personalized Mail^TM.
• Small to medium: Use Postal Code Targeting to find and connect with new customers based on geographic, demographic and lifestyle criteria shared by existing customers.
• Medium to large: Use Neighbourhood Mail^TM to deliver your message to every home, apartment and business in targeted neighbourhoods.

Although you can use your existing U.S.-based printer – sharing all existing mailings with Canada Post before initiating a campaign will help you avoid errors and ensure that all your mailings meet the specs for timely and effective delivery.