If you are operating an eCommerce business in Canada, you might have received orders from customers whom you need to ship their packages to a post office box or PO Box instead of their home.
Many small and medium-sized retail business owners in Canada have customers who prefer to get their packages delivered to a PO Box address. However, keep in mind the restrictions regarding deliveries to a PO Box.
Private carriers cannot deliver packages to PO Boxes. So, you can only ship parcels to PO Boxes through federal postal services.
For sending parcels via private carriers such as FedEx or UPS, you need the recipient to give you a different address, as carriers don’t deliver to PO Boxes.
What is a PO Box Address?
PO Boxes are numbered boxes in a post office where recipients pay rent to receive mail and parcels.
The main difference between shipping mail and parcels to a home address against a PO Box is you will mention the PO Box number instead of a regular street address.
Customers often use PO boxes to receive packages away from home for privacy or convenience. Also, PO Boxes allow recipients without a permanent address to receive packages at the local post office.
For example, Canada Post offers the following three types of PO Box services:
Prime Mode Postal Box
Canada Post provides a Prime Mode Postal Box at no cost, and the carrier designates the mode of mail or parcel delivery for the applicable physical address as a Prime Mode PO Box.
Convenience Postal Box
The second type of postal box facility Canada Post provides is a Convenience Postal Box. It is a secure and affordable way for recipients to get their mail. Recipients can choose a rental term of 3, 6, or 12 months that suits them the best.
General Delivery
Recipients choose the General Delivery PO Box when they can’t receive mail through the free delivery. For example, if the recipients don’t have a free delivery service in their area, the General Delivery PO Box can work for them.
When Can You Ship to a PO Box?
Some of your customers might use PO Boxes to receive orders as direct delivery to their home addresses is unavailable.
You can ship to PO Box addresses if you find a carrier that offers this service. The carrier choices are limited in Canada for this type of shipping.
Generally, carriers in Canada do not ship to PO Boxes except Canada Post and USPS. You won’t find a private carrier that does it. So, you only have to look for national or federal postal services.
Which Carriers Allow Shipping Packages to PO Boxes?
As mentioned earlier, only Canada Post and USPS allow shipping mail and parcels to PO Boxes.
You can ship packages to PO Box addresses through Canada Post using its Xpresspost and Expedited Parcel services. Here is the process:
- During the online checkout, your customer needs to enter the address of a convenient pickup location.
- There will be a list of post offices near the customer’s address that comes up. The customer has to choose a post office from the list.
- The customer can track their order to the post office and get an email alert when the parcel is ready for pickup.
- The customer will get up to 15 days to pick up the package.
You can also ship packages to PO Box addresses in Canada with the help of USPS. The existing USPS services in Canada will allow you to mail to locker bags or PO Boxes.
However, the deliveries might happen a bit different way. Canada Post often attaches a mail collection receipt to the PO Box of the recipient rather than the parcel if it is oversized. The receiver can later submit the slip to the nearest Post Office and get the package.
What are the Delivery Timelines for PO Boxes?
Here is the delivery timeline to PO Boxes by Canada Post.
Regular Mail in Canada
- Two business days for local mail or packages;
- Three business days within a province;
- Four days for national mail.
These timelines don’t provide any delivery guarantee, because mail volume, holidays, weather, and other situations can affect delivery.
Regular Mail to the US
The delivery timeline for regular mail sent from Canada to the US is 4 to 6 business days.
Regular mail to an international destination
The delivery timeline for mail sent from Canada to an international destination (other than the US) is 4 to 7 business days.
Cost of Delivering to PO Boxes
Users of PO Boxes have to pay a deposit amount and a monthly rental price for receiving mail and packages.
Deposit
To rent a PO Box in Canada Post, users need to make a deposit of $15 plus applicable taxes. In return, they will receive two keys.
If the users need a 24/7 security access key, the deposit is $15.90 for one key, plus taxes. All the key deposits are fully refundable when you return your keys.
Canada Post PO Box Prices for Urban Areas
| Category | PO Boxes | Approx. Size | 3 Months | 6 Months | Yearly |
| A | Small or general delivery | 90 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $69.00 | $124.00 | $187.00 |
| B | Medium | 140 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $94.00 | $166.00 | $250.00 |
| C | Large | 290 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $121.00 | $217.00 | $328.00 |
| D | X-Large | 290 mm x 270 mm x 360 mm | $149.00 | $263.00 | $395.00 |
| E | XX-Large | 600 mm x 280 mm x 360 mm | $322.00 | $573.00 | $853.00 |
| Container and Bag Service | $330.00 | $590.00 | $875.00 |
Canada Post PO Box Prices for Urban-Core Areas
| Category | PO Boxes | Approx. Size | 3 Months | 6 Months | Yearly |
| A | Small or general delivery | 90 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $79.00 | $142.00 | $209.00 |
| B | Medium | 140 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $94.00 | $166.00 | $250.00 |
| C | Large | 290 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $135.00 | $238.00 | $357.00 |
| D | X-Large | 290 mm x 270 mm x 360 mm | $167.00 | $297.00 | $446.00 |
| E | XX-Large | 600 mm x 280 mm x 360 mm | $322.00 | $573.00 | $853.00 |
| Container and Bag Service | $330.00 | $590.00 | $875.00 |
Canada Post PO Box Prices for Rural Areas
| Category | PO Boxes | Approx. Size | 3 Months | 6 Months | Yearly |
| A | Small or general delivery | 90 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $69.00 | $124.00 | $187.00 |
| B | Medium | 140 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $94.00 | $166.00 | $250.00 |
| C | Large | 290 mm x 130 mm x 360 mm | $121.00 | $217.00 | $328.00 |
| D | X-Large | 290 mm x 270 mm x 360 mm | $149.00 | $263.00 | $395.00 |
| E | XX-Large | 600 mm x 280 mm x 360 mm | $322.00 | $573.00 | $853.00 |
| Container and Bag Service | $330.00 | $590.00 | $875.00 |
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FAQs
1. Are there any restrictions on what can be shipped to a PO Box in Canada?
Yes, shipping restrictions to PO Boxes in Canada exist, particularly concerning private carrier deliveries. Companies like FedEx or UPS cannot deliver packages to PO Boxes, requiring shippers to rely on federal postal services.
2. How do the delivery timelines for PO Boxes compare between Canada Post and USPS?
The delivery timelines for PO Boxes can significantly differ based on the chosen carrier. Canada Post offers local, provincial, and national mail delivery within Canada with timelines ranging from two to four business days. For cross-border shipments, including those to the US, Canada Post suggests a timeline of four to seven business days. USPS shipping to Canada may have varying timelines based on the service chosen, emphasizing the importance of selecting the right service for efficient PO Box deliveries.
3. Besides Canada Post and USPS, are there any other carriers in Canada that offer delivery services to PO Boxes?
Currently, Canada Post and USPS are the only carriers offering PO Box delivery services in Canada.
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