IN A NUTSHELL
When mailing goods as lettermail within Canada, you are mailing them as “OTHER / NON-STANDARD OVERSIZE” service.
When mailing goods outside of Canada, you are shipping as a parcel service with a customs declaration on it.
CANADA POST LETTERMAIL EXPLAINED
Lettermail can be sent all over the world for as little as a stamp, but what can and can’t be sent and where may get a little confusing.
Canadian Lettermail falls into 3 categories,
Standard lettermail (paper only* Worldwide)
Oversize Lettermail (paper only* Worldwide)
OTHER (Non-standard / Oversize Lettermail) (Canada Only)
* NO TRACKING with any LETTERMAIL service*
(Registered Mail is an add-on option if you wish to have tracking, $100 insurance, and proof of delivery with a signature.)
1) “Standard Lettermail” is your classic thin envelope, like a utility bill, invoice, or birthday card that arrives in your mailbox. It is required to be under 5mm thick, under 30-50grams and be PAPER only*. You can mail this anywhere in the world. Postage based on weight and destination.
2) “Oversize Lettermail” This is very similar to standard lettermail but is for bigger and thicker mail like quarterly reports and legal documents. It requires to be under 20mm thick and under 500g. Size is required not to exceed 380mm (L) x 270mm (W) x 20mm (D), and be PAPER only*. Postage varies as it is based on weight and destination.
3) OTHER “NON-STANDARD - OVERSIZE LETTERMAIL” Is identical to OVERSIZE LETTERMAIL for size and weight requirements, however, it is the service that allows “non-paper” contents when mailing within Canada. Examples of such items includes things like jewelry, soap, enamel pins, guitar strings, Lego, and so much more…
Requirements:
Minimum: L 140mm W 90mm D .18mm 3g
Maximum: L 380mm W 270mm D 20mm 500g
Postage based on weight:
THESE ARE THE PRESENT RATES: RATE INCREASE MAY 6TH, 2024
3g - 100g $1.94
100g - 200g $3.19
200g - 300g $4.44
300g - 400g $5.09
400g - 500g $5.47
over 500g = parcel rates
Please Note: The Canada Post 20mm SLOT size restriction refers too / exists for the sorting equipment of mail in the processing plants…not the slot size of the receptacles for deposit in community mail hubs.
YES, they are both slots, and both for mail. One is mail slot, the other is a sizing template in the shape of a slot. They are not interchangeable and this is where confusion happens.
Box mailers for lettermail are designed to fit the 20mm slot template the clerk at the post office will use to determine thickness for the processing of mail in their facilities. Canada Post designed these community outgoing mail slots to accept “Standard Lettermail” ie: a birthday card, but not accept “Non-standard/Oversize” lettermail.
You can deposit your Non-Standard/Oversize mail at your local post office or in the large mail street drop receptacles that pull open.
*There are a few exceptions to the “paper only” rule. ie: flexible magnets (think business card for fridge), coin - not loose, dry biological specimen. But none of the exceptions are to be goods. Please visit Canada Post website for all details.
EXAMPLE (A)
A birthday card can be mailed anywhere in the world as "standard lettermail”. However, if you want to add a necklace into birthday card it no longer qualifies as STANDARD. It now will be one of 2 things…
1) If the destination is within Canada, it becomes OTHER/NON-STANDARD LETTERMAIL and postage is based on weight and it cannot be thicker than 20mm.
2) If the destination is outside the Canadian border, like USA or beyond, it no longer qualifies as any lettermail service and must be sent as a parcel. You can use a service like C.P. small packet / tracked packet, or any other parcel shipper like UPS, Fedex etc with a customs declaration on it.
EXAMPLE (B)
You are sending a stack of sheet music (under 20mm thick) to a friend. It can be sent anywhere in the world as Oversize Lettermail. However, if you want to include some guitar strings in the package it no longer qualifies as OVERSIZE LETTERMAIL. It now will be one of 2 things…
1) If the destination is within Canada, it becomes OTHER/NON-STANDARD LETTERMAIL and postage is based on weight and it cannot be thicker than 20mm.
2) If the destination is outside the Canadian border, like USA or beyond, it no longer qualifies as any lettermail service and must be sent as a parcel. You can use a service like C.P. small packet / tracked packet, or any other parcel shipper like UPS, Fedex etc with a customs declaration on it.
**Also, if you are mailing anything that is a “commercial product / sale of goods” and it is leaving Canada, it does not matter if it is made of paper or not (greeting card, book etc). It is not personal mail and is considered “commerce” which is technically not to be sent as a Lettermail service and is required to be sent as a parcel service (like tracked or small packet) and requires a customs declaration on it.
MACHINABLE MAIL and ENVELOPE
This excerpt below is directly from the Canada Post website
regarding oversize items in machinable mail.
All information on the Slotobx website is presented only as a resource, please visit the Canada Post website for all current requirements and regulations for sending in Lettermail.