How to get standard mail (envelope) rates (not parcel) for Canada Post?

Topic summary

Core Issue:
Shopify merchants selling thin, lightweight items in Canada cannot access discounted Canada Post lettermail rates ($2-3) through Shopify Shipping. Instead, they must pay expedited parcel rates ($10+), making shipping costs prohibitively expensive for low-value products.

Current Limitations:

  • The $20/month Carrier Calculated Shipping add-on does not include lettermail rates
  • Printing shipping labels requires using standard parcel services
  • Merchants can only use manual rate setup based on Canada Post’s published lettermail prices

Workarounds Suggested:

  • Set up manual weight-based rates to approximate lettermail pricing
  • Absorb shipping costs into product prices
  • Use third-party apps like Multi Carrier Shipping Label
  • Revert to traditional stamps and manual processing

Status & Frustration:

  • Thread active since 2019 with no resolution
  • Shopify Support acknowledges this as a feature request but provides no timeline
  • Multiple merchants express frustration that high shipping costs cause cart abandonment
  • Some speculate Shopify’s revenue share from shipping charges may disincentivize adding cheaper options
  • Discussion remains unresolved with ongoing requests for updates
Summarized with AI on November 8. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.

I will also like Shopify to add discounted lettermail rates and an option to print lettermail customer labels.

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