Canada Post Strike Has Ended, But Online Sellers Say Shipping Disruptions Continue
Online sellers were relieved to hear the Canada Post strike has ended, but business disruptions caused by the event are ongoing as shipping services to the country are still suspended by several carriers.
The strike officially ended on December 17th, with government officials ordering Canadian Union of Postal Workers back on the job after 4 weeks of strike activity that shut down shipping during the busy holiday shopping rush, snarling delivery of even non-Canada Post shipments to the country as other carriers buckled under the increased package volume.
But a week after the strike ended, online sellers report they are still unable to purchase labels to ship to Canada, leaving many wondering why major marketplaces or third party label providers like Pirate Ship are still blocking shipments.
The short answer - several carriers which had suspended service to Canada due to the strike have not yet lifted those suspensions, in order to allow time for Canada Post to work through the backlog of packages that still need to be processed and delivered.
The US Postal Service Canada service suspension remains in place, with USPS advising as of December 23rd it could take up to two more weeks before it is lifted, but they are keeping an eye on the situation.
USPS suspension of acceptance of mail and packages bound for Canada continues at this time
Effective Dec. 23, 2024, the Postal Service has been advised by Canada Post that the strike by its employees has ended. USPS suspension of acceptance of mail and packages bound for Canada remains temporarily unchanged as we monitor Canada Post’s progress as they process the volumes that were staged during the strike.
We anticipate reopening acceptance of Canada bound volume within the next two weeks and we appreciate our customers patience as we continue to monitor developments in Canada.
The Postal Service is closely monitoring the situation and will continue to update customers until the situation returns to normal.
Royal Mail in the UK also still shows service to Canada as suspended, saying they were advised by Canada Post the earliest they could even possibly begin to accept new international packages would be December 23rd but that shippers should expect delays to stretch into the new year.
Unfortunately, until those service suspensions are lifted, online sellers will still need to either delays shipments or continue using alternate carriers.
eBay sellers can still use eBay International Shipping, as eBay partners with other carriers and is not solely dependent on Canada Post for last mile delivery with that service offering - though shipments going through eBay's hubs may experience delays due to seasonal peak volume.
UPS, FedEx and other carriers/services which do not use Canada Post for last mile delivery are also still able to accept shipments to the country and are not showing any suspensions at this time - but again they may still be experiencing delays due to regular peak seasonal shipping plus extra volume diverted from Canada Post that may still be working its way through their networks.
What are you seeing when trying to ship to Canada this week? Let us know in the comments below!
