News

Canada Post and eBay Canada have teamed up to develop an exclusive box designed to take the headache out of shipping and selling online for ordinary people.

Shippers can use the new Flat Rate Box to package up the old hockey cards and Star Wars figures they've sold through the online auction site.

For Canada Post, the new boxes represent a potential gold mine of new shipping business while providing the postal service with an opportunity to further solidify its partnership with one of its largest clients.

Until now, Canadians shipping eBay auction listings through Canada Post were required to measure and weigh their items to determine the size of box required for shipping, and the cost.

"It's a real response to their community and what their customers were asking for," said John Swettenham, general manager for parcel strategy at Canada Post.

The eBay-specific boxes represent the first time Canada Post has created a specialized delivery service for a single client, Mr. Swettenham said. EBay Canada is a division of eBay Inc., based in San Jose, Calif.

Canada Post has enjoyed a surge in revenue thanks to the popularity of Internet retailers. The postal service is not only the largest shipping provider for eBay Canada, but has also benefited from the rise of Amazon.com and its Canadian branch, which rents its warehouse space from a Canada Post subsidiary.

Canada Post and eBay Canada have been talking about creating a one-size-fits-most shipping package for more than a year, said Ira Grossman, head of shipping for eBay Canada.

"We do see this box as a solution that will bring in new sellers," Mr. Grossman said. "This makes the shipping process much easier. It removes a lot of the guesswork and legwork, which are key barriers to selling on eBay."

Sellers using the Canada Post boxes will be able to select "Flat Rate Box" as a shipping option for their buyers, and eBay will automatically add the appropriate rate to the final cost of the item depending on the buyer's location.

Matt Hartley