Dealing With Canada Post

Here's something that makes me wonder--When I ship my orders via Canada Post Small Package Surface to buyers in the U.S., I am asked to fill in a customs slip which sticks directly on the package.  On the slip there's a section in which I'm supposed to write what exactly is in the package, and how much it's worth.  Now, if I were shipping pencil sharpener parts, that wouldn't be a problem, but I'm shipping my painstakingly, lovingly handcrafted jewellery.  I might as well write, "Look here! Expensive, handcrafted jewellery in here! Help yourself!"  Perhaps this is a jaded, suspicious view of the world, and I certainly don't want to suggest that the people who work in the postal services are especially suspect, but I've heard of many situations where stuff was waylaid in transit and never arrived at its destination.  That's why you can't send cash in the mail, right? 

So, how does one get around this?  I understand that U.S. customs wants to know, especially after 9-11, exactly what is coming into the country, but geez!  I finally came up with a plan.  Instead of writing "jewellery" on the package, I'll write "beads."  That's what the jewellery is made of, mostly, anyway, so I'm not misrepresenting what's in the package, and "beads" aren't as attractive as "jewellery" to potential thieves.  As for the amount, so far I haven't had any orders over $45, so no big deal.  I wonder what would happen if I got a big order, and didn't put the entire value on the package?  How does knowing the value help customs or Canada Post, anyway?  Do you, readers, have any insight on this issue?  I'd love to hear from you.

Yours, Diana

Shipping Snafu

So far in my journey to bead tycoon status I've made four sales on my Etsy online shop.  The last sale involved a lot more customer service than any of the others.  The customer convo'd (contacted via the Etsy communication system) me with a request to adjust the length of a bracelet he wanted to order.  I contacted the buyer to let him know I'd be happy to make the change.  He then ordered the bracelet.  As per my shop policies, I wanted to send the order out inside the 3 business day time period, but I was having trouble getting more of the exact type of chain that I used for the bracelet in the picture.  I convo'd the buyer with pictures of the original chain and a chain that was as similar as I could get, and asked if the change would be OK with him.  He convo'd me, saying no problem.  So, I made the bracelet, and shipped it out by US Post Light Packet on December 6th.  (Through Canada Post, of course.)  This was within the 3-day time limit promised in my shop policies.  I then emailed the buyer to let him know that the package had been shipped.  Mission accomplished...or so I thought. 

A Store is Born Part II

Classroom finally ready!  Bulletin boards decorated, deskplates on desks, lockers assigned--all ready for Tuesday.  I'm hopeful that I can get some photographing done this weekend so I can list some new items on my Etsy shop. 

Back when I was preparing to open my Etsy shop, one of the things I had to research was shipping. Before I could write my shipping profiles, I had to figure out how I was going to ship items to the buyers.  Up to this point, my experience with Canada Post consisted of sticking a stamp on an envelope and dropping it in the mailbox, or opening my crammed mailbox and struggling to extract the bills without destroying them.  I needed to know how to wrap the packages, how long shipping would take, and how much to charge buyers.  I tried to navigate Canada Post's website, but it was about as easily navigable as a meerkat family's den.  Instead, I went to the post office with a sample of a typical package, and asked the clerk how much shipping might cost to mail that package anywhere in Canada, the U.S., or internationally.  Apparently, the package has to fit into a 2 cm plexiglass slot, or it costs more.  Armed with this knowledge, I was ready to fill out my shipping profiles.  All that was left was to sign up for a PayPal account, write a bio, hammer out my refund and exchange policies, and write some descriptions for my jewellery.

I'm falling asleep at the wheel here, so I'll continue this thread next time.  Good night, all.