Options for Canadian customers


Customer Service


Hi Paizo,
As of tomorrow evening, the workers of Canada Post are likely going to be on strike. I was wondering if you know if any of the shipping options I have available to me bypass CP? I'm not clear if USPS would use a courier, or just enter our current postal system.
Thanks!

Lantern Lodge

Drakir2010 wrote:

Hi Paizo,

As of tomorrow evening, the workers of Canada Post are likely going to be on strike. I was wondering if you know if any of the shipping options I have available to me bypass CP? I'm not clear if USPS would use a courier, or just enter our current postal system.
Thanks!

Likely the best option for Canadian subscribers *if* the postal workers go on strike is to suspend the subscription(s) until the strike is over.

Once we hand packages to the USPS its out of our control to the methods they use for delivery, be it courier or Canada Post.

The Exchange

Sara Marie wrote:
Drakir2010 wrote:

Hi Paizo,

As of tomorrow evening, the workers of Canada Post are likely going to be on strike. I was wondering if you know if any of the shipping options I have available to me bypass CP? I'm not clear if USPS would use a courier, or just enter our current postal system.
Thanks!

Likely the best option for Canadian subscribers *if* the postal workers go on strike is to suspend the subscription(s) until the strike is over.

Once we hand packages to the USPS its out of our control to the methods they use for delivery, be it courier or Canada Post.

But if we suspend the subscription, we would lose the benefits of subscription (PDF included in price, discount across other products, etc.). Are you saying that you would hold our shipments but still give us access to the digital copies or are you saying we would be SOL?

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

R. Doyle wrote:
Sara Marie wrote:
Drakir2010 wrote:

Hi Paizo,

As of tomorrow evening, the workers of Canada Post are likely going to be on strike. I was wondering if you know if any of the shipping options I have available to me bypass CP? I'm not clear if USPS would use a courier, or just enter our current postal system.
Thanks!

Likely the best option for Canadian subscribers *if* the postal workers go on strike is to suspend the subscription(s) until the strike is over.

Once we hand packages to the USPS its out of our control to the methods they use for delivery, be it courier or Canada Post.

But if we suspend the subscription, we would lose the benefits of subscription (PDF included in price, discount across other products, etc.). Are you saying that you would hold our shipments but still give us access to the digital copies or are you saying we would be SOL?

A suspension isn't a cancellation—it means that we're holding your items until we can resume the shipments. So all the regular benefits would apply. (Note that as usual, you wouldn't get the PDF until we ship your copy of the corresponding print edition, which is also when you would pay for it.)


Vic Wertz wrote:

A suspension isn't a cancellation—it means that we're holding your items until we can resume the shipments. So all the regular benefits would apply. (Note that as usual, you wouldn't get the PDF until we ship your copy of the corresponding print edition, which is also when you would pay for it.)

This is heartening, though it's still frustrating to know that we can't get the content we're looking for from you in ANY form until whenever the postal strike is resolved.

While I recognize that your warehouse/digital distribution system is set up to run in a very specific way, I wonder if there is an alternate solution. Frankly, I'm happy to have you charge me and let me have the PDF, but just set aside the package in a special bin marked, "Do not ship until Canada Post gets their butts in gear."

Sorry. Little bitter, here. I'm supposed to be mailing wedding invitations next week, but it looks like I CAN'T. Grrr. :(

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Feegle wrote:
Frankly, I'm happy to have you charge me and let me have the PDF, but just set aside the package in a special bin marked, "Do not ship until Canada Post gets their butts in gear."

We've received some communications about the strike from one of our shippers, and the way that it would work is that they would continue to collect mail destined for Canada, and process it right up to the point that it would go to Canada Post, but not turn it oven to them during the strike. So, if you *don't* suspend your subscription, you'll get your PDF right away, and the shippers will hold your parcel until the strike is resolved.


Vic Wertz wrote:
Feegle wrote:
Frankly, I'm happy to have you charge me and let me have the PDF, but just set aside the package in a special bin marked, "Do not ship until Canada Post gets their butts in gear."
We've received some communications about the strike from one of our shippers, and the way that it would work is that they would continue to collect mail destined for Canada, and process it right up to the point that it would go to Canada Post, but not turn it oven to them during the strike. So, if you *don't* suspend your subscription, you'll get your PDF right away, and the shippers will hold your parcel until the strike is resolved.

That is an wonderful solution. Thanks very much for that.


Looks to me like the solution for Canucks is to keep our subscriptions going as is. At least that way we get the pdf on our usual schedule. Our physical product will sit just inside the Canadian border until the strike ends (depending on how long the strike goes, perhaps we can look forward to multiple goodies arriving at about the same time afterwards). Still, a bit disappointed I can't just have things FedExed and cut Canada Post out of the equation altogether.
Thanks for the info Paizo!
Edit: Eep. Double ninja'd!

Paizo Employee Chief Technical Officer

Feegle wrote:
Vic Wertz wrote:
Feegle wrote:
Frankly, I'm happy to have you charge me and let me have the PDF, but just set aside the package in a special bin marked, "Do not ship until Canada Post gets their butts in gear."
We've received some communications about the strike from one of our shippers, and the way that it would work is that they would continue to collect mail destined for Canada, and process it right up to the point that it would go to Canada Post, but not turn it oven to them during the strike. So, if you *don't* suspend your subscription, you'll get your PDF right away, and the shippers will hold your parcel until the strike is resolved.
That is an wonderful solution. Thanks very much for that.

And now that I have your thanks, I do have to bring up the worst case... which is that your parcel goes so far as to enter the Canada Post system before the strike begins. Now, we currently expect that if there's a strike, it will *probably* begin on Friday, and we won't begin shipping June subs until next week, but there *is* a scenario where some parcels sit on the *other* side of the border for the duration.


Vic Wertz wrote:
Feegle wrote:
Vic Wertz wrote:
Feegle wrote:
Frankly, I'm happy to have you charge me and let me have the PDF, but just set aside the package in a special bin marked, "Do not ship until Canada Post gets their butts in gear."
We've received some communications about the strike from one of our shippers, and the way that it would work is that they would continue to collect mail destined for Canada, and process it right up to the point that it would go to Canada Post, but not turn it oven to them during the strike. So, if you *don't* suspend your subscription, you'll get your PDF right away, and the shippers will hold your parcel until the strike is resolved.
That is an wonderful solution. Thanks very much for that.
And now that I have your thanks, I do have to bring up the worst case... which is that your parcel goes so far as to enter the Canada Post system before the strike begins. Now, we currently expect that if there's a strike, it will *probably* begin on Friday, and we won't begin shipping June subs until next week, but there *is* a scenario where some parcels sit on the *other* side of the border for the duration.

To me, that's not really any worse than it sitting on your side of the 49th. I mean, it's still stuck in transit - where it is when it's stuck in transit is pretty irrelevant. I'm just happy that I'm going to get the PDFs as they come out.

In other news, the latest information coming out of the news up here is that it's going to be rolling walkouts. Assuming no changes, there will be no mail in Winnipeg tomorrow, followed by other cities next week. It will back up delivery, bur they are saying that the mail will still get delivered. Eventually.

Aynyway, my thanks stands. The situation sucks, but you guys can't do anything about it except make sure we get the PDFs. Which you have. Yay!

The Exchange

I just want to say thanks again to Paizo for efficient, effective and prompt communication.

It's one of the main reasons I still have subscriptions instead of buying from Amazon.


Good Morning

Just a heads up, as of Tuesday (June 14th) midnight, postal workers have been locked out, so no mail delivery in Canada until further notice.

Trevor


TrevG wrote:


...so no mail delivery in Canada until further notice.

Canadians near the border should investigate the possibility of having their orders shipped to an american address. Where I live, there is a furniture store (of all things) across the border that does a brisk business in accepting parcel deliveries for Canadians. They charge a small fee, and email you when the package arrives. Even with the handling fee and fees at the border it's almost always cheaper, and I can be reading my new books inside of a week instead of waiting up to four of five for Canada Post to get it to me.


Just curious what about UPS, may cost more, instead of the USPS ?
Would UPS Still be delivering packages there ?

Paizo Employee Senior Software Developer

We don't ship internationally via UPS. We use a UPS service called Mail Innovations to ship some packages internationally, but those get handed off to the destination country's postal service for final delivery. So we don't really have any non-postal service options for international delivery.

Sovereign Court

From past experiences of receiving UPS packages from the US, the price is more, but worse is the brokerage fees that UPS will charge. These fees are on top of any taxes that they claim on the package for Revenue Canada.

I do anything I can to avoid receiving anything internationally from UPS.

Sovereign Court

You guys probably already know but just a heads up:

http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm
International Mail Service
Canada

CANADA POST SERVICE STILL SUSPENDED - USPS NOT ACCEPTING MAIL TO CANADA

As a convenience to our customers and with hopes of a quick resolution to the Canada Post Service Suspension, the USPS continued to accept mail for Canada as long as possible to minimize service disruptions. Canada Post informed us Friday that their suspension of services would last until at least some time this week. With this notification, the USPS decided to stop accepting all services destined to Canada with the exception of Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) Shipments.

Customers are still be able to send letters and packages using Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service. GXG is available online at www.usps.com and at thousands of participating retail locations throughout the U.S. The Canadian Government is scheduled to make a decision on back-to-work legislation at some point today. We will continue to closely monitor the strike situation and once Canada Post announces when th ey will resume operations, the USPS will again accept mail destined to Canada. Mail currently being held in our network will begin moving into Canada once Canada Post is up and running.

Please continue to keep customers informed of the situation.

The Exchange

armac wrote:

From past experiences of receiving UPS packages from the US, the price is more, but worse is the brokerage fees that UPS will charge. These fees are on top of any taxes that they claim on the package for Revenue Canada.

I do anything I can to avoid receiving anything internationally from UPS.

Yes, do not, under any circumstances, use UPS to ship from the US to Canada.

The brokerage fee is a minimum of $10, plus a 100% chance of duty. I have had items arrive with more brokerage and duty that the item itself cost...

Paizo Employee Director of Brand Strategy

Robert Hawkshaw wrote:
Customers are still be able to send letters and packages using Global Express Guaranteed (GXG) service.

Someone needs a copy editor ;-)


Update:

The Federal government up here has passed back-to-work legislation through the Commons, and it's headed to the Senate. They say that Royal Assent should happen sometime today, which means that the postal workers will be headed back to work within a few days.

Sovereign Court

Further update:

The back-to-work legislation has passed the Senate and will be receiving Royal Assent shortly.

Mail service will resume this week.

Paizo Employee Director of Sales

armac wrote:


Mail service will resume this week.

Just in time for the next subscription shipment! Woot!

Thanks,
cos

Spoiler:
armac wrote:
Royal Assent

I know this is really "Ugly American" of me... but that just makes me kinda LOL. I just have this mental image of the Queen of England (...which is Scott Thompson in drag, natch) reading a sheet of parchment and then looking up to the camera and declaring (in Scott's inimitable stuffy accent and Queen voice): "I approve!".

For reference and for fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lnb_oq31Qok

Sovereign Court

Cosmo wrote:
armac wrote:


Mail service will resume this week.

Just in time for the next subscription shipment! Woot!

Thanks,
cos

** spoiler omitted **

Don't worry, we have the same mental image. They still show kids in the hall up here on a daily basis.

Sovereign Court

And we are back!

http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm

Canada

Canada Post reports exchange offices are now open and are accepting inbound international mail. Canada Post also has resumed dispatching outbound international mail.

The Exchange RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8

Canadian customers should still be patient though. Some places are backlogged.


Mail arrived at my house yesterday! Yay! (Not the Paizo shipment I'm waiting for yet, but still...)

And yes, be patient. Her Majesty's Canadian Postal Service has said that priority goes to the mail that was already in the system when the lockout began, so the new subscription shipments are likely to be delayed slightly.

Sovereign Court

I was lucky, my June shipment arrived on the first day of mail delivery in Ottawa.

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