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Betting $2.62 to Try to Save $14.48 Or How I Like to Gamble By Using Xpresspost for Parcels

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Recently, I had to mail back my radon gas detection kit to the lab to have the results analyzed. It was annoying to have to pay the postage to send the collection unit back but I understand that it wasn’t easy for the company to send it out prepaid: the test has to run for a year and postage rates can increase, and the postage rate will vary from different parts of Canada if the package is sent by Xpresspost and possibly by regular mail due to “fuel surcharges” and other peculiarities of the postal system. Anyway, when I went to the post office to mail it back the clerk offered me two choices: regular parcel post at $14.48 or Xpresspost at $17.10; I decided to gamble and use Xpresspost and here’s why.

Why is the Canada Post Fuel Surcharge Different for Regular Post VS Xpresspost Parcels?

One thing I noticed when I priced my options is that the fuel surcharge for regular delivery from Ontario to BC is $0.47 and for Xpresspost is $1.28. Given the distance is the same, that was a bit puzzling. I decided that maybe, and only maybe, the Xpresspost option puts the package on a plane and the regular post option puts the parcel on a train and that changes the amount they want to zing me with for “fuel.”

I was curious, though, so I checked sending the same package within my same city.
Ack! The fuel surcharge within the same city is also different! It’s $0.29 for regular parcel and $0.77 for Xpresspost. Do they use jet fuel to run the van with Xpresspost and diesel or gasoline in the one that the regular parcels are delivered by?

I checked the Canada Post website. It clearly explains that a different rate is charged for the Express Services than for the Non-Express Services. It explains what percentage is used for the fuel surcharge depending on the price of diesel fuel. But it does NOT explain why the percentage is different for Express vs Non-Express!

Do Canada Post Fuel Surcharges Ever Change and Decrease?

Well, according to their website, yes they do. (I was surprised too.)

It was a good thing I waited till February 1 to mail my parcel, because the fuel surcharge rate dropped from 9.25% to 8.5% on February 1 from January 31 for Express Services.

Who knew a day when the price of stamps did not change, could make such a difference to the “postage” to mail a parcel?

What Do I Mean When I Say I Gambled By Using Canada Post Xpresspost to Deliver My Parcel?

I discovered this quirk in the past. Canada Post Xpresspost parcels usually have an On-Time Delivery Guarantee. (You should check when buying this service for any exceptions in your case.)  If the parcel does not arrive on time, you should get “replacement service or credit equivalent to the shipping charges.”

I’m paying slightly more for Xpresspost than for Regular Post. $2.62 more to be exact. For that extra money, I can track my parcel to make sure it eventually gets there. That alone is worth something to me. But more importantly, I can have fun gambling.

If the parcel is delivered on time, I’m out the $2.62. But if they are late, I will get all of my cost refunded, if not in cash, then at least in stamps or a credit note to pay for my next parcel.

Sure, it’s not like winning LOTTO MAX. I won’t be able to retire on $14.48. But it’s not a $5 bet either and the odds of Canada Post delivering my parcel late are much, much better than of me picking a hugely winning ticket.

Did I Win My Canada Post Xpresspost Lottery?

Well, it’s getting really suspenseful. According to the Canada Post tracking website, my parcel was in Vancouver on the day it should be delivered but so far it doesn’t say if it made it to the destination or not. Until the date of delivery gets posted, I won’t know. I’ll update this article when I find out.

I have won this lottery in the past so I’m hoping to do so again!

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Do you ever play the Xpresspost or Priority Mail odds? Have you won any free deliveries? Please share your experience with a comment.