I did my homework like a good little ghoul. I took different quantities of books to the post office and got quotes for the cost of shipping to various destinations so I could accurately calculate the price of shipping for customers.

All the books were put into the same type of envelope. All the shipping methods were the same.

You would think this would be a foolproof way to get accurate prices. It's a logical deduction.

But almost every time I go to the post office, I get a different price.

At first, I thought perhaps the scales were different from one location to another. Maybe some were older than others, and therefore calculated a different weight. Nope.

I've taken my books to be mailed out at 4 different post offices in the general Toronto area, and made sure to visit them on more than one occasion. And the variable that determines cost? It seems to come down to who is behind the counter.

I've been charged anywhere between $6.40 to $8.40 to ship one book to the United Kingdom. And then I was charged only $4.50 to ship to Australia.

When shipping to the USA, I'm usually charged close to $5.00 for one book, but I've been charged as low as $2.80.

And shipping in Canada is always in the neighbourhood of $2.00, but rarely the exact same price.

It's frustrating. Not only does it make it close to impossible for me to budget for shipping, but it also leaves me vulnerable to either overcharging my customers (and looking dishonest) or undercharging them and losing money.

And if I were to start printing my own shipping labels from home, who is to say which price I should be printing?

So what is the solution?

I've sent enough packages now that I know what the average price should be. I use that average to calculate my shipping cost (giving the customer an honest amount that I expect to be charged).

I also have enough receipts to prove what I've paid in the past. This allows me a better chance to challenge the employee when they give me a price that seems as if it's plucked from thin air (or maybe Canada Post uses a digital spinning wheel of prices; a game of chance to entertain their employees).

Handling

I don't bother with calculating time or gas money for my handling fee. I keep it simple and just add the cost of the packaging. For larger orders that need special containers, I don't pass on the cost to the customer (if they need a special envelope/box, it means they've made a larger order which I want to encourage, not discourage).

Buying envelopes from Canada Post is expensive. Most of the ones I need are between $2.50 and $3.00 a piece.

If you're shipping items yourself, look into buying envelopes in bulk (and NOT from Canada Post). The problem? Storage.

Sure, I got a much better deal by buying my bubble wrap, self-adhesive envelopes in bulk, but the smallest quantity I could purchase was 250. The box is HUGE. I could climb into it (if it were empty). It's in my dining room as I write this.

Even though it's an eyesore, buying in bulk was the best solution. Yes, you have to pay a large amount up front. But let me put it into perspective: if I didn't buy in bulk and always bought an envelope from the post office, it would cost me over $600 more to mail out 250 books!

I decided to buy the size of envelope I would use most often (it holds 1 or 2 books) in bulk, and I buy the larger envelopes for orders of 3 or more books at the post office as needed.

Flat vs Thick

The weight of the item isn't the only variable to calculating price. The size of the envelope also makes a difference. I knew the length and height of the envelope were factors in price, but so is the width. Which boggles my mind.

Even though I can fit 3 books into one small envelope, it's more expensive than if I were to get an envelope triple the size and have the same 3 books side by side (instead of on top of one another). Ridiculous.

The point is to get creative with packaging and ask for suggestions at the post office.