Does Canada Post deliver to India?

Does Canada Post deliver to India?

While Canada Post handles regular letter service within Canada and internationally, it also provides document and package delivery to India, as well as to 192-plus other countries. But, the globe is big and India is a particularly long way from Canada, so even a small documents-only shipment to India can be surprisingly expensive, and take more than a day or two to arrive there.

This blog will explain the options and cost consequences of parcel shipments to India. Also, it will describe some lesser known added shipping fees, and ways that they can be reduced or eliminated. And finally, you don’t have to tackle international shipping by yourself. Secureship is an easy to use service that will save you or your business time and money whenever you have a parcel destined for Canada or beyond.

Table of Contents

• When Will my Parcel Arrive in India?
• How Can I Reduce Shipping Costs?
• Other Shipping Costs
• Who Will Help Me Ship to India?
• Conclusion

When Will my Parcel Arrive in India?

There is a balance between the cost of a shipment and the time of its arrival in India. If time is less important, Canada Post can arrange surface delivery, but that could take anywhere from 4 – 12 weeks. For more urgent shipments, Canada Post’s air delivery services can promise a range of 4 – 12-plus business days.

But there are other options that will provide speedier delivery of your package if necessary. They include couriers such as FedEx, Purolator, and UPS, and they typically can promise a 3 – 5 business day option if the destination is a major Indian city. However, for smaller towns or countryside villages you could expect several more days over and above that.

How Can I Reduce Shipping Costs?

As mentioned above, the easiest way to reduce shipping costs is to increase the travel time of the parcel. Still, there are other factors that you can control that will lower costs or prevent them from adding to your shipping bill.

The first one is rather obvious – the heavier and larger your parcel is, the more expensive it will be to ship it. However, it is a little bit more complicated than that.

Courier companies use a formula to determine the billable weight of a parcel. This means that it is possible that a heavy small package will cost less to ship than a lighter large one.

To explain, to determine the billable weight most couriers calculate the volume of the shipping box (length x width x height) and divide it by 139 (if they are using Imperial units). This number is compared to the actual weight of the parcel. Whichever number is largest is the billable weight – which is the number they use to determine the shipping charge.

So for instance, if you were to ship a pound of feathers, it would cost more than shipping a one-pound brick. The point from all of this is: If you can use a smaller box for the same weight of contents, your shipping charge will be less.

Other Shipping Costs

There could be value added service fees on top of the billable weight shipping charge based on the weight and size of the parcel.

Some examples of these fees include:

• Residential delivery
• Saturday pickup or delivery
• Oversize fee
• Additional handling fee
• Fuel surcharge

A number of these fees can be reduced. For example, instead of shipping a package to the recipient’s residence, arrange it to be delivered to his or her place of work. Or, you could request that the parcel be held for pickup by the recipient.

Saturday parcel shipping and receiving may improve business efficiency and turnaround time, it comes at a cost. So, if this service is cutting into your profits, consider avoiding Saturday parcel handling.

Oversize fees apply to very big or heavy containers. For instance, UPS (see page 139) applies an oversize charge of $1,100 to a container if it is more than 2.74 metres in length or heavier than 68 kilograms. And in peak shipping season (particularly Christmastime) it may be upwards of $1,550. If possible, repackaging one very large shipment into smaller boxes will avoid this rather large fee.

Additional handling fees apply to packages made from wood, plastic, or other non-cardboard materials. Avoid this fee by using a traditional cardboard packing box.

Unfortunately, the fuel surcharge is unavoidable. Typically, it is a fixed percentage of the shipping rate; however, a boost of oil prices could cause this fee to give you an unwelcome surprise.

Who Will Help me Ship to India?

Shipping parcels internationally can be a time-consuming chore. From preparing the package for a safe and secure trip to completing the varied forms, arranging for the parcel’s pickup, and then tracking it to its destination. This can be particularly overwhelming for a first-time shipper, but even seasoned shippers find this an annoying task. At Secureship, we can help you save time and money. Our bulk buying power with preferred couriers can knock off up to 50% on shipments from Canada to India.

We offer a range of resources that will guide you through the intricacies of shipping. In our Learning Centre, we discuss packaging, insurance, and paperwork required for international shipments. Our International Shipping Guides explain the customs rules and regulations for over 135 different countries and territories. And our Support Centre covers FAQs and an Instant Help bot that can answer over 5,000 questions about shipping in general or Secureship in particular.

Conclusion

In summary, Canada Post delivers parcels to India, but you may find other options with varied carriers – UPS, Purolator, FedEx – that may be more economical or better suit your timeline for the shipment’s arrival.

Unfortunately for the infrequent or uninitiated shipper, other lesser known fees may be applied to your shipment, and they can add up. However, there are ways of eliminating or mitigating those charges.

And remember, Canada’s Secureship is readily available with its easy-to-use platform to help you save hassles, time, and money when shipping anywhere within Canada or around the world.