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Table of Contents
This Customer Guide has been designed to give Customers detailed information needed to get the most from Canada Post’s Catalogue Mail service. This Customer Guide forms part of the Agreement between the Customer and Canada Post. It explains the qualifications and other terms and conditions under which this service is provided. Customers should ensure they are using the most current version of the Customer Guide and other applicable documents, which are posted on the Canada Post website. See in particular, www.canadapost.ca/postalservices for key documents. It is the Customer’s obligation to meet all the requirements outlined in the Catalogue Mail Agreement.
Catalogue Mail refers to domestic mail (a category of mail which must be deposited in Canada for delivery in Canada) that must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for the Catalogue Mail prices. Catalogue Mail means printed matter of bound or sewn pages that are specifically designed to sell or promote products or services. Examples of acceptable Catalogue Mail items include, but are not limited to, the following: Visit www.canadapost.ca/catsupportdocuments for a list of support documents detailing Catalogue Mail requirements.
Service standards are estimates of how long it will take for the mail to be delivered from the point of deposit to the destination points. These service standards are not guaranteed. A general overview of the Catalogue Mail service standards is as follows:
For more information, visit the Service Standards chapter of the Canada Postal Guide, under section 3 “Direct Marketing and Transaction Mail – Domestic”.
A feature is provided as part of the basic service.
Catalogue Mail items that cannot be delivered as originally addressed because the addressee has moved will be redirected to the addressee at no extra charge while there is a Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect. Mail bearing the name of the addressee followed by the words “OR OCCUPANT” or similar wording, or mail bearing a non-personalized descriptor, including “OCCUPANT”, will not be redirected. In such cases, the item will be delivered to the original destination address.
An option is a service enhancement that is not provided as part of the basic service.
Canada Post will return the item to the sender at the applicable Return to Sender price if:
Mail bearing the name of the addressee followed by the words “OR OCCUPANT” or similar wording, or mail bearing a non-personalized descriptor, including “OCCUPANT”, will not be returned to the sender. In such cases, the item will be delivered to the original destination address. If there is no Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect for the addressee and if the item does not bear the correct RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED postal indicia, the item will be treated as undeliverable and disposed of or recycled, as determined by Canada Post.
Canada Post will return the item to the sender with the corrected address at the applicable Address Correction price if:
If there is no Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect for the addressee, the item will be returned to the sender without a corrected address and charged the applicable Return to Sender price. If there is no Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect and if the item does not bear the correct ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED - RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED postal indicia, the item will be treated as undeliverable and disposed of or recycled, as determined by Canada Post. If there is a Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect for the addressee but the addressee has not consented that Canada Post provide their new address, the item will be forwarded to the addressee at the new address at no charge to the sender. Mail bearing the name of the addressee followed by the words “OR OCCUPANT” or similar wording, or mail bearing a non-personalized descriptor, including “OCCUPANT”, will not receive the Address Correction service. In such cases, the item will be delivered to the original destination address.
Catalogue Mail is treated as undeliverable if:
Undeliverable Catalogue Mail items will be disposed of or recycled, as determined by Canada Post.
To be eligible as Catalogue Mail, the items mailed must meet the criteria specified for Catalogue Mail and must be prepared for mailing in such a manner as to prevent loss or damage to any item and permit easy examination of each item. Ensure each item is mailable and consider the following:
Visit the ABCs of Mailing and Non-mailable Matter chapters of the Canada Postal Guide at Items submitted as Catalogue Mail that do not meet the content, format and physical characteristics specified for Catalogue Mail and the various mail preparation and other requirements outlined in this Agreement, may be subject to price adjustments and/or surcharges or may not qualify for Catalogue Mail services and prices. See section 5 “Criteria for Qualification” and section 6 “Surcharges” in the General Terms and Conditions. Visit www.canadapost.ca/customer_guides for information on surcharges.
To qualify as Catalogue Mail, a mailing must consist of items that are bound or sewn pages that are specifically designed to sell or promote products or services. This includes, but is not limited to, promotional catalogues, lists of products, directories and university calendars.
For unsealed Catalogue Mail items, inserts are permitted only if securely bound to the catalogue. Inserts are defined as a paper or card securely bound to the catalogue. The following may be enclosed with, or attached to, a sealed item of Catalogue Mail without payment of additional postage, other than for the additional weight of the enclosure (if applicable):
The Business Reply Mail addressing information must be printed on the uncoated (non-glossy, matte) side of the paper stock and must meet all requirements as stated in the Canada Post Agreement for Business Reply Mail
An item which does not meet the requirements of Catalogue Mail but meets the requirements of Lettermail may be enclosed with, or attached to, an item of Catalogue Mail. In such cases, the applicable postage would be the combined price of Catalogue Mail and Lettermail, and would be paid by the application of a Catalogue Mail postal indicia to the outside of each Catalogue Mail item.
Samples are not permitted in Catalogue Mail. Samples are defined as trial-size items or full-size specimens intended to indicate the nature of the product. Canada Post retains the right to refuse any item that it, in its sole discretion, deems unacceptable. Commingling of Catalogue Mail items is not permitted. See “Ownership of Mail” in section 6.2 “General Terms and Conditions”.
Generally, non-mailable matter means any mail that:
Any item bearing a modified postage stamp in contravention of section 52, or bearing a word or mark in contravention of section 58, of the Canada Post Corporation Act is also non-mailable matter. For further information respecting non-mailable matter restrictions, visit the Canada Postal Guide at www.canadapost.ca/postalguide under Non-mailable Matter. It is the Customer’s obligation to ensure an item does not constitute non-mailable matter and is otherwise acceptable for mailing.
Each item of a Catalogue Mail mailing must have the same size, shape and physical characteristics, and originate from one sender.
Each Catalogue Mail item must be addressed to a specific individual or company name or to a non-personalized descriptor, including “OCCUPANT” or similar wording. Each item must include the complete mailing address, including the valid postal code for that address.
If a return address is used, it must be Canadian. Dual return addresses are acceptable on Catalogue Mail items as long as there is one Canadian return address. However, if either the Return to Sender or Address Correction service option is requested, there must be only one return address showing and it must be Canadian. Return address(es) must be located either:
The return address may vary provided that either the physical return address or the name of the person or business to which items are to be returned remains constant on each item. For more information on addressing, visit the Canada Postal Guide at www.canadapost.ca/postalguide under Addressing Guidelines.
Customers may only use Canada Post postal indicia, logos, trade-marks or markings if the Customer has obtained the written consent of Canada Post. Any use by the Customer must then be only in strict accordance with the consent granted. Any unauthorized use is an offence under the Canada Post Corporation Act. Note that an item will be non-mailable matter if, on the outside, it is marked or labelled with any of the following that were not provided or authorized by Canada Post:
It is the Customer’s obligation to obtain approval for any proposed endorsement or other markings from Canada Post prior to printing.
Each Catalogue Mail item must be identical in size, shape, weight and physical characteristics, and must meet the following size and weight requirements.
Proper mail preparation is important to ensure that Catalogue Mail items are processed and delivered efficiently. Adjustments and/or surcharges may be applied to improperly prepared mailings.
Mail preparation is the process of facing and containerizing the items and labelling the bags and containers. It helps ensure machineability of mail (where applicable), protection of mail, identification of the type of mail and ease of handling. Mail presortation is the process of sequencing, grouping and containerizing the items and labelling the bags and containers to allow Canada Post to bypass various processing steps and facilities within its mail distribution network. The NDG Presort option is the only option available to access Catalogue Mail prices. Visit www.canadapost.ca/mailpreparation for more information on mail preparation and presortation.
The NDG option is the basic mail presortation option that allows Customers to presort items by postal code sequence and group them according to the National Presortation Schematic (NPS). Visit www.canadapost.ca/nps for more information.
Address Accuracy is a program designed to improve delivery by encouraging Customers to accurately address mail. Every item must be addressed to a specific individual or company, or to a non-personalized descriptor, such as “OCCUPANT” or similar wording. Every item must display a complete mailing address, including any required suite or unit information as well as the valid postal code for that address. If the mailing address is not complete, the mail may be delayed or returned. Consistent and accurate addressing eliminates the need for extra handling and/or redelivery. For Customers, this translates into a more efficient service and lower costs. Accurate addressing helps ensure the mail is delivered on time, every time. Participation in the Address Accuracy Program is mandatory for all NDG Presort mailings greater than 5,000 items. The standard for Address Accuracy is 95%. This means that 95% of the addresses on the Customer’s database are determined to be valid. This is done by using a Canada Post-recognized address validation and/or address validation and correction software. If the percentage on the Statement of Accuracy (SOA) produced by the software is less than 95%, an adjustment will be applied to the mailing. Customers must record their Address Accuracy percentage and expiry date obtained from their Statement of Accuracy (SOA) on their Order (Statement of Mailing). Failure to record the Address Accuracy percentage and expiry date on the Order (Statement of Mailing) will result in the application of a surcharge. Customers are requested to keep a valid copy of the Statement of Accuracy (SOA) on file in the event that Canada Post requests a copy. More information on the Address Accuracy Program can be found in the Address Accuracy Program Customer Guide, on the Canada Post website at www.canadapost.ca/am or from a Canada Post Representative.
To confirm that the items meet Canada Post’s specifications for Catalogue Mail, one (1) representative sample of each item, including all enclosures, attachments and wrapping, identical to the item being mailed must be provided for each variation (weight, size, content). Potential issues may be identified if the Customer provides such samples for review prior to deposit. Such samples must also be provided to the approved Canada Post facility where the mail will be deposited at the time of deposit with the first Order (Statement of Mailing).
Catalogue Mail Customers are required to schedule mailings with Canada Post at least ten (10) business days (excluding weekends and statutory holidays) before the day of mailing. The schedule must include date, time and deposit location of mailing, and the estimated number of items in each complete mailing. Customers who mail on a frequent basis will be identified by their local Canada Post Representative and may be required to provide a mailing plan and/or deposit schedule. This documentation will include details necessary to ensure efficient deposit and processing of their mailings.
An Order (Statement of Mailing) must be properly completed and submitted at the time of mailing, along with a sample of the item, including enclosures, attachments and wrapping, identical to the item being mailed. An Order (Statement of Mailing) should be prepared and submitted electronically using the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST) but can be submitted manually. Two (2) printed copies of the Order (Statement of Mailing) prepared electronically, or the original of a manually prepared Order (Statement of Mailing), must be provided to an authorized Canada Post Representative at a postal facility approved by Canada Post at the time of mailing. See section 4.1.4 “Partial Mailings” for partial mailing requirements.
Customers can obtain the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST), free of charge, by registering for a user ID and password at www.canadapost.ca/obc. For technical inquiries regarding the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST), please call the Technical Help Line at 1-800-277-4799. Customers have the option of using either the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST) online, or the desktop version, which can be downloaded to prepare Orders (Statements of Mailing) offline and submitted later. This method reduces paperwork and opportunities for error, while providing added Customer convenience. Customers can go to www.canadapost.ca/obc for more information.
Customers can choose to manually prepare an Order (Statement of Mailing) using a hard copy Statement of Mailing. A processing fee per manual Order (Statement of Mailing) will apply.
If a Catalogue Mail mailing is inducted in more than one (1) deposit:
Each Catalogue Mail deposit must be accompanied by an Order (Statement of Mailing) and sample(s) of the item, including all enclosures, attachments and wrapping, identical to the item being mailed. For partial mailings, the sample is only required at the time of first deposit of the Order (Statement of Mailing). See section 4.1.4 “Partial Mailings”.
All Catalogue Mail items must be deposited with an authorized Representative at the postal facility selected when completing the Electronic Shipping Tools (EST) Order (Statement of Mailing), or in the case of manual Orders (Statements of Mailing), at postal facilities approved by Canada Post. Catalogue Mail cannot be deposited into street letter boxes or other mail receptacles.
In order to take advantage of Catalogue Mail prices, the Customer must meet all applicable requirements, including specifications, address accuracy, and mail preparation and presortation requirements for Catalogue Mail, as outlined in this Agreement. The applicable published prices for Catalogue Mail are available at www.canadapost.ca/customer_guides on the Catalogue Mail Price Sheet.
The minimum volume requirement for Catalogue Mail is 2,500 items per deposit. Customers may deposit less than the minimum volume requirement provided that the difference between the actual volume and the minimum volume is entered and paid at the price of 500 g per item.
Progressive pricing is a pricing process that allows graduated prices when items exceed the base weight of 500 g for all Catalogue Mail. The process applies a charge per gram in addition to the base price for the portion of the weight that exceeds the 500 g base weight.
For general payment terms, see Paying For Your Mailing.
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