FREE. Pacific Mail & Parcel provides free parcel notification via OPIS, our automated Online Package Information System. We will email you with package information, including tracking numbers, sender's name, and of course the recipient's name. And if you have more than one person in your family or company using our service, we can send emails to different people depending on who got the package, or even multiple people, it all depends oh your preferences.
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Getting Started: To begin receiving parcels at Pacific Mail & Parcel, we need you to register with us first. This can be done over the phone and ensures that you understand our services and fees. When you register, we will give you the address as shown below. Registration costs $10 per year, and gives you a unique shipping address which is tied to our database. Because we don't take credit cards or debit cards or other pieces of plastic, you can pay us when you first come in to pick up your parcels. PLEASE bring I.D. when you pick-up your parcels - We will ask for it! Only people who are registered with us may pick up parcels. Only immediate family memebers, living in the same house, may share an account. We're truly sorry, but second cousins, or friends of your neighbours house cleaner do not qualify as immediate family members.
When you call, we will give you the following address, along with your MAGIC number. This number is part of your address... PLEASE use it in ALL your shipments. It goes after the UNIT A-... and is actually YOUR account number. IF you parcels or frieght shipments do not have the A-number, we may refuse the package when the driver attempts to deliver it. Do us ALL a favor, and use the number as part of your address just like we have shown it here...
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Storage: Our receiving fee includes 2 weeks of storage. After 2 weeks, we charge a storage fee which is the same as the fee for receiving. so, an example package which is here for 3 weeks might cost $2 to "receive" the item, then after two weeks, an additional $2 for storage. The storage fee then repeats every two weeks for a total of 3 months. After 3 months, if you do not notify us of your intentions, the package may be returned to sender, or sold to recover storage or other handling fees (note, we have never sold anyone's stuff, its just that the law allows us to if we wanted to).
Parcel Lockers: If you are receiving items which you cannot come down to pick up during our normal hours, we do have parcel lockers available, which allow you to pick up your items 24 hours a day. Access to the locker is through the main lobby where our mailboxes are located. You would also need a mailbox which we would put the key to the locker in. Mailbox rental information is available here.
Money: We only accept Cash. US and Canadian cash are both accepted
- COD receiving, additional $4.25
Please Note: For receiving C.O.D. deliveries, you MUST ensure the method of payment is given to US PRIOR TO DELIVERY OF ANY C.O.D. shipments. IF the sender requires certified funds, Postal Money Order, or some other specific form of payment, it is your responsibility to give this to us in advance, or the delivery driver WILL NOT give us the package(s). It is also our policy to not pre-pay for C.O.D. shipments.
Freight shipments. We have a grade-level warehouse and use of a forklift to load palletized shipments. We do not have a cargo height dock. We can receive and ship freight and store it as needed.
A word about Customs. When you purchase something in the US and plan to take it over the border into Canada, you should be prepared to pay taxes... sort of. Be sure you have a copy of your receipt, or a copy of your eBay final auction sale. A simple print-out is enough. This is true for any item you buy on-line, simply print out the page showing what you purchased and the price. This is what you give to Customs when you show up at the border. Above all-else, don't try to hide things in your car, claim it is used, or of a lower value. It is NOT worth the trouble you will get in for lying to Customs just to save $5. The focus at Canada Customs the past couple of years has shifted from Tax Collection to Law Enforcement. this means, if you are bringing things north, they are more concerned with who you are, rather than what you purchased; to a point. Alcohol and Tobaco are heavily taxed, and even small quantities will require you to go in and pay taxes. But, for the vast majority of things, it is very common to clear the border with over $100 in new items and not be sent in to pay any taxes. Compared with years past, when $40 got you a trip inside, its significantly easier to clear personal purchases than before. I have heard stories of several hundred dollar purchases being let through without having to pay any taxes. The obvious thing of course is to always declare what you are bringing over the border. Its not worth saving $5 of taxes compared to what they will put you through every time you cross the border in the future.
Shipping Times: How long it takes to receive a parcel depends on where it is going to or coming from. Time in Transit can be found here
Lost Packages or Shipments. OK... this is a bit of a touchy subject. First, let me say it is RARE for a parcell or shipment to go missing... VERY RARE. But, it does sometimes happen. In order to make sure it doesn't happen to you, we need your help. When you come in, and you ask for a package, lets say your name is "Smith"... or "Lee" or "Singh"... (I hope that covers everyone) and we ask you "what's your last name?"... you give us your name... we go to our shelfs and look, then come back empty handed. At this point, we will ask you ... "could it possibly be under another name"... PLEASE do not say "no"! Think about this one for a moment. Was the item ordered by someone else in your home or office. Was it paid for by someone with another name on their credit card...was the payment made with a COMPANY credit card... was the item ordered using an account that was set-up before you started to use the account??? Is it an Ebay order where maybe it is being shipped to your Ebay name...There are LOTS of possible reasons your name might not be on the package. Did your ex-wife or ex-husband also order from the same place?? I have seen packages arrive for people who haven't worked for a company for 10 years... and it causes problems for everyone. The best thing to do, is to VERIFY current shipping information with your suppliers at the time you order something. BUT, when we walk back to the counter with no package in our hands and we ask you "can it be under another name"... help us fing your package, and think about WHO else's name might possibly be on it.
Damaged Packages or shipments Touchy subject number 2! Yes, sometimes things get broken in transit! I know its hard to believe, but its true. WHAT we do depends on how badly damaged something looks when it arrives. If the item is glass, and pieces of broken glass are dropping out of the box, I refuse the delivery, and it goes back to the sender. We will not accept delivery of items that present a risk to our staff or other customers. The next level down is something that is something that is obviously broken, but it isn't a huge mess. We will usually, but not always, accept these items for you. We ask the driver to make note of the condition when they deliver it, and they always do make notes when we ask. This way, YOU can decide it its worth taking the item home or not. Maybe you like to fix stuff! Who knows. The next level down, are things that look like they are broken, but we can't tell. We almost always accept these as well.
The problem comes for people when they receive something, take it hope, THEN discover it is broken. You've aleady cleared customes, paid your taxes maybe, and its a pain to bring it back to us. Please, if you want, open your items at our shop and inspect them before you leave our store. We don't mind a mess in our lobby as long as you don't mind cleaning up your mess when you're done. If you don't want to clean it up, please don't mind if we charge you to do it for you. (we are a service business... charging a fee when we do things for you).
Whenever something is damaged, you need to contact the SHIPPER (the person who shipped it, not the company that moved it) and explain to them the problem. THEY will start the claim for any insurance that may be owed. WE cannot help, except to verify with the driver that the item looked damaged when it arrived. HIDDEN DAMAGE is something everyone knows about. for sure.
Following are our policies and general information and advice about shipping your packages through any of the common carriers such as UPS and FedEx.
You must provide insurance for your items while they are being stored at our warehouse. We do not provide third party insurance. Be sure your insurance policy covers your goods when at Pacific Mail & Parcel (or ANY company you use to ship with).
Valuable items should always be insured against loss or damage. Cash, jewelry, or items which are "priceless" or cannot be accurately valued are not allowed to be shipped through most common carriers. If you do send such items, you do so at your own risk. If you add insurance to something that is not allowed to be shipped, the carrier will deny your claim, no matter how much you paid for the insurance.
Pallets: Palletized shipments are accepted for delivery Monday - Friday during normal business hours. For shipments where individual items will weigh in excess of 200 lbs, please request the Delivery company to notify us the day of delivery so that we may have our forklift operator ready to receive the shipment.
Picking up heavy/Palletized shipments is available Monday - Friday, during normal business hours. Please phone ahead to ensure we have our forlift operator available to help with your shipment. NOTE: Palletized shipments which are made up from multiple items of lesser weight and which do not require a forklift do not require prior notification for delivery or pick-up. You are welcome to "hand-bomb" (unload by hand) the palletized items from the pallet into your vehicle. Pacific Mail & Parcel will watch you perform this operation, but, it is unlikely we will participate due to strict union policies of non interference. ALSO, Pleae take note that, if you have HEAVY items that require multiple people to load into your vehicle, you should bring those people with you. We will try and offer assistance as we are able to, and frequently do so, but it is your responsibility to ensure the items can be loaded into your vehicle.