Canada is a vast country with most of its population concentrated along the border with the United States. To manage this large geographical area, carriers divide the country into over 44 shipping zones. Each province includes remote locations, making shipping costs rise as the distance from our warehouse increases.
InterFulfillment is strategically located in the East coast because the majority of eCommerce orders are destined for the East Coast, where population density is highest. Additionally, carriers impose weekly fluctuating fuel surcharges, adding another layer of complexity to shipping costs. Canadian carriers also calculate shipping rates based on the greater of the package's actual weight or its volumetric weight.
In short, shipping costs within Canada are highly variable and far from flat.
As a matter of fact, the carrier shipping rates when shipping to an urban area versus those when shipping to a remote location can be staggering. In some cases 10 times more or even higher.
That is why we STRONGLY advise our account holders not to offer free or flat rate shipping across Canada without policies and protocols in place to address shipping to remote locations. In some cases, we recommend that our account holders don't ship to certain locations entirely.
To help shed some light on the challenges that come along with shipping to Canadian remote locations, the effects they can have on shipping, and most importantly how to identify remote locations using Postal Codes we have created this guide.
Important Remote Location Shipping Charge Overview
For Shopify store owners, accurately calculating shipping costs can help mitigate these challenges. Learn how to set up accurate rates with this guide:
Accurate Shipping Costs for Shopify Stores
It is crucial to review this document and understand the information provided in it in order to avoid any unforeseen carrier costs associated with shipping orders of this nature. Important to note that although we have no control over the cost of shipping to remote locations, and our order fulfillment fees do not change for these orders, we are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding this document. Please email us at support@interfulfillment.com with any questions or comments you may have.
We appreciate your patronage and understanding. Thank you.