If you have been running your online retail store in Canada for a while or have just set up one, shipping within Canada to your customers’ needs cheap and fast option.
If your business is currently small or medium-sized, affordable shipping can help you reach your revenue goals.
The eCommerce market in Canada is one of the fastest-growing in the world. According to Statista, the market will likely hit the $45.33 billion mark in 2024. To keep up with this growth, many shipping companies offer their services.
Usually, shipping costs vary depending on the types of parcels you ship and the destinations within Canada. Not only the large shipping carriers, but many relatively smaller shipping companies offer the cheapest rates.
In this post, we have listed the carriers offering the cheapest shipping within Canada, which offer their services at a competitive price.
Cheapest Way of Shipping within Canada
For cheap shipping within Canada, you can choose the most suitable option considering your budgeting and customer convenience.
Ground shipping is the cheapest way for shipping within Canada. Although it might take a bit longer to reach its destination, shipping costs are low.
As an eCommerce store owner, you can offer your customers free or cheap shipping if your shipping costs are economical.
Shipping Cost Example for eCommerce
The following table is a sample breakdown of eCommerce shipping costs:
| Cost per item | $50.00 |
| Shipping Cost | $5.11 |
| Packaging Cost | $0.75 |
| Processing Charge – Card | $2.00 |
| Total Cost | $57.86 |
| Profit margin | 50% |
| Selling Price: | $86.79 |
Cheapest Shipping Services You Can Use within Canada:
If you are looking for a cheap and fast shipping platform, ShippingChimp is an ideal option. Rates begin from as low as $5.11 with coverage of more than 800K postal codes in Canada. ShippingChimp is specially designed for eCommerce businesses. Hence, ShippingChimp takes care of end-to-shipping: From pickup to doorstep delivery so that eCommerce businesses can focus on selling and scaling their business.
The key benefits are below:
- You can save up to 53% percent on shipping costs irrespective of the destination. For example, if you send a parcel from Calgary to Toronto, you will pay only $7.41 for 1 lb. For the same distance and weight, other carriers will charge around $15.97.
- Free Pick up for all orders
- Get free insurance up to $100.
- Delivery to destinations takes 2 to 4 business days.
- No minimum volume is required.
Here’s a snapshot of how much you save when using ShippingChimp when compared against National carriers:
A combination of strategic zone-skipping and timely delivery by fleet of trucks maintained and operated by ShippingChimp, lets them offer a significantly lower rate than others in Canada.
ShippingChimp is the ideal choice for fulfilling eCommerce orders. Get started with ShippingChimp for free.
As a leading nationwide postal service, Canada Post does the bulk of courier delivery work. The company has over 5,800 post offices across the country, and it makes shipping cheap and convenient for eCommerce businesses.
How can you get truly economical shipping rates that will suit your budget and delivery turnaround time? For this, you need to pick an ideal shipping option for an eCommerce business after going through features, offers, and costs.
Here are the shipping options of Canada Post:
Regular Shipping
The Regular shipping service of Canada Post usually delivers packages in 2 to 9 business days for domestic destinations and between major urban centers.
If you ship from non-major and remote places, the delivery time goes up to 14 business days.
To send packages via Canada Post Regular shipping, you can print shipping labels considering your package weight or use stamps. To do so, you need to buy a 500g envelope.
Opting for Regular shipping can be suitable if you do not often send shipments in bulk. Canada Post’s regular shipping cost starts from $9.67 for packages weighing up to 0.75 kg.
Parcels usually take 2 to 9 days to reach between major cities within Canada. During the peak holiday season, instances of delivery delays might happen.
Expedited Shipping
Canada Post’s expedited shipping is an affordable and fast ground shipping option within Canada. Shipping to addresses across the country generally takes 1-7 days.
The cost of expedited shipping is nearly the same as regular shipping, though it is faster. The shipping fees start from $14.73 and can go higher depending on the package size and weight.
XpressPost Shipping
Canada Post XpressPost offers next-day delivery to most addresses in Canada for sending parcels to urban centers.
Generally, the timeline for domestic shipments is 1-3 days, and rates start from $10.61. It takes between 2 and 8 business days to ship to non-major and remote centers. XpressPost is also unique for its “Deliver to Post Office” feature.
For instance, if you send a parcel weighing 5.5 kg to Ottawa, the cost will be nearly $86.32. If your packages stay within a certain weight range, the shipping cost will be lower. You can create a business account with Canada Post to get discounts on shipping rates.
Priority Shipping
Canada Post’s Priority shipping is one of the quickest shipping services. If you ship parcels from non-major or remote centers, the delivery timeline will be 2 to 8 business days.
The Priority shipping cost to nationwide addresses depends on the package size, weight, and destination. Shipping cost starts at $22.06 and can be up to $230.35.
You can find the estimated shipping cost via Priority shipping based on your parcel size, weight, dimensions, and the destination.
Canpar is the second-largest shipping company in Canada with 62 delivery hubs all over the country.
The carrier offers both domestic ground shipping and expedited service from major centers, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The ground shipping cost starts from $22.29.
The most popular services of Canpar include:
- Canpar Ground with delivery in 1-4 business days;
- Canpar Overnight with delivery in 1-6 business days;
- Canpar Letter Select delivers packages in 2-10 business days.
You can ship a package weighing not more than 150 pounds per piece for domestic ground and select shipments.
Purolator is another well-known carrier for shipping within Canada. The company offers Purolator Ground in 2 to 4 days and Purolator Express services in 1 to 2 days for domestic destinations. It ships parcels to nearly 99 percent of postal codes in Canada.
Canada Post owns 91 percent stakes in Purolator. It helps the carrier gain customers’ trust with this national postal service. The carrier offers one of the lowest domestic shipping prices that only Canadian Post can match.
The shipping process is hassle-free with excellent package tracking facility and delivery turnaround time.
General Logistics Systems (GLS)
General Logistics Systems (GLS) is a regional shipping company with headquarters in Quebec.
GLS offers one of the most geographically expanded, fastest, and affordable services across Canada. You can also get later pickups and early morning deliveries. It ships more than 75,000 packages every day.
The company has 28 shipping terminals and covers 100 percent of areas of Quebec and Ontario. The carrier delivers 95 percent of intra-region shipments in 24 hours or less.
The carrier also provides freight shipping for retail merchants that need to ship bulk inventories. GLS is a great option if you mainly have to ship parcels within Quebec and Ontario.
DB Schenker has been in the logistics business in Canada for over 140 years. The carrier offers a seamless multi-modal logistics network across the country.
The wide range of operations of the carrier’s operations includes contract logistics solutions, transport, custom brokerage, and more. With these diverse services, the company can efficiently fulfill the hectic shipping needs of the eCommerce industry.
The company provides fix day pick up & delivery, same day collection, time window delivery. For delivering to remote areas, the carrier charges 30 percent of the base price per shipping.
The company has a dedicated portal called ‘ESchenker’ that helps manage shipments, track orders, and maintain data analytics. ESchenker also offers its customers 24/7 support to solve their issues.
DTDC Canada has been providing shipping services in Canada for more than 25 years and covers over 10,000 locations.
You can get customized services from DTDC Canada at affordable pricing for shipping operations.
Besides, the carrier also offers efficient services ranging from warehousing to distribution. DTDC warehouses provide round-the-clock security and temperature control to keep the packages safe. The company has also integrated automation to lower unnecessary operational costs,
DTDC offers a range of domestic shipping services to eCommerce businesses at reasonable rates. You can pick Premium, Express, or Economy shipping services according to your needs. The shipping cost depends on item weight, package size, and distance.
Tips to Reduce Your Shipping Cost
If you are looking for the cheapest shipping options, besides finding an economical carrier, there are various ways you can lower your costs.
You can get multiple quotations from different carriers. The shipping cost will depend on the factors below:
- The package size you use for shipping
- Weight of the item
- Shipping volume
- The shipping materials you use
Keeping these factors within control can help you reduce your shipping costs.
How to Calculate Shipping Cost
One of the ways to get affordable and convenient shipping services for your eCommerce store is by allying with an integrated shipping platform.
By associating with such a company, your shipping within Canada cost will be much lower due to deep discounts.
You can easily calculate your shipping cost using the shipping calculator.
Can You Ship Foods, Plants, and Other Stuff within Canada?
Shipping food within Canada is allowed. However, for shipping frozen food within Canada, you need to put it in an insulated container appropriately by clearly labeling your parcel.
Also, shipping plants within Canada are permitted. But you need to adhere to the local legislation for seeds, plant parts, fruits, bark, etc.
Pet shipping within Canada is allowed. However, it depends on the factors, such as the type size of the pet and shipping distance.
Another common question is “Can you ship alcohol within Canada?” Yes, but only the shippers licensed under the relevant law can transport alcohol.
Get the Cheapest Shipping within Canada for Your Retail Store
For cheap shipping within Canada, your eCommerce store needs a reliable and long-term shipping partner that offers maximum discounts, guaranteed delivery in time, and excellent customer service.
For example, by teaming up with a cloud-based shipping platform, you can get a full range of services and the cheapest shipping within Canada. Due to discounted shipping, you can offer cheaper shipping to your customers.
ShippingChimp can readily integrate with your shop on Shopify, Bigcommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, Etsy, eBay and other market places. Due to low shipping quotes, your store can attract more customers. Besides, automatic shipment processing will save your shipping time.
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