Catalogue Mail is comprised of printed matter of bound or sewn pages specifically designed to sell or promote products and services. The minimum single deposit requirement for Catalogue Mail is a quantity of 2,500 identical items. All deposits of Catalogue Mail must be prepared according to the Mail Preparation and Presortation Guides.
Catalogue Mail must be deposited and paid for in Canada for delivery in Canada.
Examples of acceptable Catalogue Mail items include (but are not limited to) the following:
lists of products
telephone directories
university calendars.
Unacceptable Items
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.
Samples are not permitted in Catalogue Mail.
Dangerous substances or articles prohibited by law are not acceptable as Catalogue Mail. For more information on unacceptable items, Go to Section B Chapter 7, Non-mailable Matter or refer to the Canada Post Corporation Act.
Canada Post retains the right to refuse any item that it, in its sole discretion, deems unacceptable.
NOTE:
Commingling of Catalogue Mail items is not permitted. Commingling occurs when a number of separate and notably different mailings are combined to achieve the minimum volume requirement or sufficient densities to achieve discount prices. Go to General Terms and Conditions.
Enclosures (Inserts)
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.
Size and Weight
Each Catalogue Mail item must be identical in size, shape, weight and physical characteristics and must meet the following size and weight requirements.
CATEGORY
SIZE
WEIGHT
Catalogue Mail
max.
Length, width or thickness: 1.1 m Length plus girth: 3 m
25 kg (bag and content)
min.
N/A
500 g per item*
*An item weighing less than 500 g may be accepted, however, postage must be paid as if the item weighed 500 g.
Payment Options
Proofs of Payment
The following proof of payment is acceptable for Catalogue Mail items. Some restrictions or conditions may apply.
Postal indicia
Methods of Payment
The following methods of payment are acceptable for Catalogue Mail items. Some restrictions or conditions may apply.
Account
Business cheque
Cash*
Credit card**
Debit card*
Money Order*
*Payment by cash, debit card or Money Order is available only to customers paying at a postal outlet.
**Credit card is available only to customers using Electronic Shipping Tools. Some exceptions apply.
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.
CATEGORY
DELIVERY ZONE
LOCAL (BUSINESS DAYS)
WITHIN PROVINCE (BUSINESS DAYS)
NATIONAL (BUSINESS DAYS)
Major Urban Centres
3 days
up to 5 days
up to 12 days
Non-major Urban Centres
3 days
up to 5 days
up to 15 days
Northern Regions and Remote Centres
3 days
up to 7 days
up to 15 days
Customers must comply with the scheduling requirements to help ensure proper delivery arrangements are in place to meet customer delivery requests. See Scheduling within this chapter.
For more information on Service Standards, Go to Section F, Service Standards, under Communications Services.
Features
A feature is provided automatically as part of the basic service.
Redirection
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.
Options
An option is a service enhancement which is not provided automatically as part of the basic service.
Return to Sender
Canada Post will return the item to the sender at the applicable Return to Sender price, if:
the item carries the correct RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED postal indicia;
the item is addressed to an address which does not have a Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect for that addressee; and
only one return address appears on the outside of the item and that address is Canadian.
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.
Canada Post will return the item to the sender with the corrected address at the applicable Address Correction price if:
the item carries the correct ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED – RETURN POSTAGE GUARANTEED postal indicia;
the item is addressed to an address which has a Change of Address Notification (COAN) in effect for the addressee;
the addressee has consented that Canada Post provide their new address; and
only one return address appears on the outside of the item and that address is Canadian.
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 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 mail if:
the item does not bear a complete and valid address
the item is addressed to a non-existent address
the addressee has moved without providing a forwarding address
the addressee has moved and the Change of Address Notification (COAN) has expired
the item is refused by the sender or the addressee
neither the Return to Sender nor the Address Correction service option was selected
postage due is not paid by the addressee on demand
delivery is prohibited by law
the item cannot otherwise be delivered to the addressee.
Undeliverable Catalogue Mail items will be disposed of or recycled, as determined by Canada Post.
Documentation Required
For information on documentation required, including Order (Statement of Mailing) and the Electronic Shipping Tools, Go to Documentation and Online Tools, Section B - Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing.
Format
Each item of a Catalogue Mail mailing must have the same size, shape and physical characteristics and originate from one sender.
Packaging
Catalogue Mail can be mailed in closed transparent wrapping, provided the address label is under or affixed to the plastic film. If the plastic film is such that it cannot be written upon, it must incorporate a 20 mm wide white opaque band. The address label must be large enough to accommodate postal endorsements.
If the transparent wrapping can be written upon, a sample of the envelope must be submitted for testing and approval by Canada Post.
Sealing
Catalogue Mail items that are posted in envelopes or plastic wrapping must be completely sealed. Catalogue Mail items without a mailing wrapper may be sent unsealed.
Addressing
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.
Return Address
If a return address is used, it must be a Canadian address. Only one return address per item is acceptable.
For more information on Addressing or the Address Accuracy Program, Go to Section B Chapter 3, Addressing.
Mail Preparation and Presortation
Proper mail preparation is important to ensure that Catalogue Mail items are processed and delivered efficiently. Adjustments 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.
minimum of 2,500 items per deposit (phantom pricing is available)
a Statement of Accuracy is required on deposits of more than 5,000 items
meets all physical characteristics of the service
a minimum of four (4) items per grouping
a maximum bundle thickness of 200 mm or 8 inches
levels of consolidation (groupings): Delivery Facility (DF), Distribution Centre Facility (DCF), Forward Consolidation Point (FCP) and Residue
levels of containerization (bags, hard-sided containers, pallets and monotainers): Delivery Facility (DF), City, Distribution Centre Facility (DCF), Forward Consolidation Point (FCP) and Residue
approved containerization: in bags, hard-sided containers, or brickpiled on pallets and/or monotainers
container label must state: CATALOGUE MAIL NDG
Postal Indicia and Markings
Postal Indicia
Each item must bear the Catalogue Mail postal indicia. The postal indicia must be bilingual in accordance with the Official Languages Act and must include the Customer Number. Go to Section B Chapter 5, Paying for a Mailing.
Prior to depositing the mail, customer must provide a representative sample of their items, including all enclosures and/or inserts to the approved Canada Post facility where the mail will be deposited. This will allow Canada Post employees to confirm that the items meet Canada Post’s specifications, and helps ensure there are no issues that may affect successful delivery of the items.
Creating an Order (Statement of Mailing)
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 and/or inserts, identical to those to be mailed.
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.
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 the mailing. The schedule must include date, time and deposit location of mailing, and the estimated number of items in each completed 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 the details necessary to ensure efficient deposit and processing of mailings.
Partial Mailings
If Catalogue Mail is inducted in more than one deposit, the total mailing cost must be reflected in the first Order (Statement of Mailing); however, each individual partial mailing must meet the 2,500 minimum deposit requirement and be made within a maximum number of days specified by Canada Post. The customer will be invoiced for the total mailing as provided for on the first Order (Statement of Mailing).
At the Time of Deposit
Required at Time of Deposit
Each Catalogue Mail deposit must be accompanied by an Order (Statement of Mailing), a sample of the item, including all enclosures and/or inserts identical to the item which will be mailed and a Mailing Summary, where applicable. For more information see Prior to Depositing.
Where to Deposit
All Catalogue Mail items must be deposited with an authorized Representative of Canada Post at a postal facility approved by Canada Post. Catalogue Mail cannot be deposited into street letter boxes or other mail receptacles.
Mailings That Do Not Meet Catalogue Mail Requirements
If an item or any of its components is tendered as Catalogue Mail and does not qualify for Canada Post’s Catalogue Mail service, then the process outlined in the General Terms and Conditions applies. Go to General Terms and Conditions.