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Sending small items as 'Lettermail'?
 

I'm not sure about any of you in other countries, but here in Canada, there's a "Lettermail" option with Canada Post. I've been using it for over a year to send pretty much anything from expensive jewellery pieces, keychains, and currently for these bracelets I'm selling for feedback. It's usually great because it's super cheap without tracking and only about $10 extra for tracking/"Registered" + insurance. I've always used these 8x6" bubble wrap envelopes to send things away with FYI.

Anyways, I just shipped like 15 small bracelets last week to Canada and USA and it only cost me $12.30 total for shipping them all.

BUT I go today to ship 3 and the lady was saying "NO, those are packages." And told me that the shipping would cost $3 each within Canada and $7 each to Australia via some other shipping method! Last week I sent out the EXACT same things for just $0.60 within Canada and $2 to Australia/overseas.

What's the problem here? This is really frustrating. Maybe it depends on the person who's working there?

Before I've sent keychain lanyards noticeably bulged from the envelope - and was still aloud to send it as 'Lettermail'. Yet I'm being given a hard time for these bracelets I have (thinner than an iPhone) and weighing just .03 kg.

If any of you ship small items comparable to this - what do you pay for shipping? I would like to know especially if you're in Canada.

May be a combo of the weight of the item and the lady at the post is a stickler.

Im in the USA but I know your plight.

Ive done bulk shipping like that before and most postal workers just do not care as long as its packed. They just place it/scan it into the system and the packages are on their merry way.

But, Ive had some postal workers who seem to want to brown nose every little package that I have and come up with 'oh this is .000000009 of an ounce over, you need to pay the 3 cents extra! :lol:

I'm thinking now that "Lettermail" is probably just meant for documents or letters..and not items.

But this has never been a probably for me until 2 times recently (and no I don't think there was a rule change).

A couple of months ago I sent this keychain lanyard and I stuffed it inside an envelope. There was a big bulge and everything..very obvious that an item was inside. Yet I was still able to send it as Lettermail

you are taking a big chance sending expensive items by lettermail. it is meant for certain items (Canada Post - Lettermail™). you are wasting money on insurance because it will not be respected should you need to make a claim. you have been lucky up to now, it is not worth the chance.

any items paper thin you are able to ship with lettermail. Items such as bracelets are fine if they are paper thin or no thicker then DVD.

The folks that let you with a bulge just did not care, it almost their end time, or felt nice.

Either way try when someone else is there or another post office. Listen to what Slim Jim said about claims.

I'm only sending cheap $4 items right now. The expensive items were sent in the past & I don't have to worry about those any more.


These are beaded bracelets so they are thicker than a DVD. They're about 10 millimetres thin. I see on that link to their website that Slim Jim provided, that they classify jewellery and similar types of items as "Other Lettermail"... yet the lady at the post office told me I must send it as a package with some other service that didn't even have "Lettermail" in the name

If you want to try....then avoid using the lady at the post office - you know the cost of shipping via lettermail to states or to Canada by now...just buy appropriate stamps in advance

$0.60 to ship non paper is cheap. Shouldn't it be $1.34 since it isn't standard letter mail.
For Canada of course.

Sorry for bumping the thread.