Shipping Media to Get More Expensive in Canada
Canada Post has recently announced upcoming mail classification changes that will make it twice as expensive for publishers and media sellers to ship books, CDs and DVDs.
Effective January 1, 2009, the oversize letter mail category will split into two categories: Regular and Irregular items.
The Irregular category is to include any envelope that is:
- 1-2 cm thick
- Rigid
- And/or that has box-like edges
By these definitions, any envelopes containing CDs, DVDs, or slim books—whether soft cover or hard cover—would be charged at new Irregular rates, which are to be twice the rates of Regular oversized letter mail. For example, a 150g Irregular package will cost $3.92 to mail versus $1.96 for a Regular package.
Canada Post also snuck into a “background document” the announcement that Irregular letter mail items will be transitioned to Parcel rates over the next three years. With current book-sized parcels averaging a cost of $8 to $11 to ship within the country, Canadian media publishers can expect huge cost jumps to mail their items in the next few years.
Publishers whose books already ship at Parcel rates (those over 500g or thicker than 2cm) are not affected by the new rules.
Tags: Canada Post, media mail, postal rates, shipping