How much does it cost to courier from Canada to the USA?

How much does it cost to courier from Canada to the USA?

For a large, heavy parcel that requires next day service to a remote part of the USA, it may cost quite a lot to courier it from Canada. But if it is a light, documents-only package shipped from one major centre to another for next week, then the cost could be quite a bit lower. And it also depends on which courier you pick and a host of other factors. The better question is: Who can find me the best price? And the answer is Secureship – a Canadian shipping broker whose bulk buying agreements with FedEx, Purolator, and UPS can save you a lot of money and time.

The following blog describes the major and minor costs to parcel shipment; how Secureship can lower those costs; and point you to a wealth of valuable shipping information that will help you become a better informed shipper.

Table of Contents

• Factors Affecting Shipping Costs
• How Secureship Lessens Your Shipping Costs
• More Help from Secureship
• Conclusion

Factors Affecting Shipping Costs

There are major and minor factors that affect shipping costs, and there is some control the sender may have on those, but sometimes not.

Major factors

1. Weight and size: Heavier and bigger parcels cost more to ship, and while making a parcel lighter is difficult, if it is possible to pack the goods into a smaller container, you may be able to save money. This is due to a parcel’s dimensional weight, which is a calculation carriers make to determine a shipping fee. The effect of dimensional weight is that one kilogram of pillows will cost more to ship than one kilogram of sleeping tablets.
2. Distance between sender and recipient is also a major contributor to shipping costs. And though Canada and the USA share a border, both countries are very large. And so it could be very expensive to ship a parcel from the Yukon to Florida.
3. Speedier delivery times demand higher fees. You will pay substantially more, perhaps double, for an overnight service compared to a 3-day delivery.

Minor factors

1. Peak season centres around Christmas, and shipping rates rise starting in mid-November until early in the new year. With planning, one may be able to avoid peak season and lower one’s cost; but if that is not possible, it behoves all shippers to ship early to prevent parcel delays caused by increased seasonal volumes.
2. Saturday services – parcel pick-up or delivery – will incur a fee. While these may benefit the sender and recipient, savings can be had if shipping is reserved for the other six days of the week.
3. An additional handling fee will be levied if the container is something other than a cardboard box, say metal, wood, or plastic. Again, this is an avoidable fee unless the contents demand a special container.

How Secureship Lessens Your Shipping Costs

With a multitude of pricing variables, Secureship should be a key component to lessen your shipping costs from Canada to the USA. This Canadian shipping broker offers several services that save you money – group buying power with FedEx, UPS, and Purolator – and time with its easy-to-use online platform.

When you get a free shipping estimate from Secureship, more than half-a-dozen options of prices and delivery times will be presented, and Secureship’s savings could reach 50% off of the courier’s retail price.

And once you have selected an option, the system guides you through completing the necessary paperwork and picking a time for the courier to collect the parcel at your doorstep. A significant time-saver as you no longer have to take the parcel to the courier’s office.

More Help from Secureship

We may not think of shipping parcels to the USA as being an international event, but indeed it is. And with that comes responsibilities like providing extra documentation, obeying customs regulations, and paying duties and taxes incurred by the goods. Secureship provides this information for shipments from Canada to the USA under its Support tab as part of its collection of more than 140 Country Shipping Guides.

In addition, Secureship’s website presents a Gurubot with answers to 5,000-plus questions, 16 articles teaching beginner and intermediate shippers the key points of parcel shipping, and a growing list of blogs that address a series of country-specific shipping questions.

Conclusion

The cost to courier from Canada to the USA is a variable affected by the weight and size of the parcel, whether it travels a shorter or longer distance, and how quickly it must reach its destination. And there are smaller fees that may apply depending on the circumstances of the shipment or the time of year it is sent.

However, by using Secureship as your broker, you will find substantial savings – up to 50% of the courier’s price, and as part of the service, you will save time as our platform is intuitive and allows for parcel pick-up where and when you want it. More than that, Secureship offers free answers to anyone who has a shipping question or needs general information about the shipping industry.