eBay to Protect Sellers From Possible Canada Post Strike

Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) continue to hold talks about a new labor contract at an off-site location mediated by a third-party.

The two parties are nearing the end of the conciliation process, which is officially referred to as the 21-day cooling-off period. This is a normal phase of the conciliation process detailed in the Canada Labour Code and will end on Tuesday, September 25.

A legal job action (strike) could have occurred as early as Wednesday, September 26. However, there is a 72-hour notification requirement and that would have required that a notice needed to be filed no later than yesterday (Sunday, September 23).

As of today, Monday morning September 24, it does not appear this happened. But that also does not mean the two parties are closer to an agreement.

With the uncertainty of the labor situation in Canada and the large number of US and Canadian sellers that trade between the two countries, eBay released a statement it would protect sellers from the impact of a possible labor action.

“Should a work disruption occur, eBay will ensure that sellers are not penalized for the delayed arrival of shipments originating or terminating in Canada. eBay will monitor and remove defects associated with shipping delays caused by any Canada Post disruption. eBay will also monitor and adjust estimated delivery dates and eBay Money Back Guarantee timelines.”

Continue to Sell

eBay is also encouraging eBay sellers to continue to sell on its platform and offered the following recommendations.

• Sellers should consider adding alternative shipping services (e.g. couriers, freight forwarders) to their listings for cross-border trade.
• Canadian Sellers may want to offer local pickup.
• And the company would prefer its sellers are considerate and accommodate buyers who wish to cancel listings that have not been shipped.

We will continue to monitor the negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) as it may impact many sellers, especially in Canada and the U.S.

Labor negotiations often run up to a deadline or even beyond and many sellers hope this will be the case here.

READ MORE: Canada Post Workers Vote in Favor of Strike – May Impact U.S. Sellers

Have you made adjustments to your listings to deal with the possibility of a labor action against Canada Post?

Let us know in the comments section below or head over to our Facebook Group for Small Business Sellers to share your views and interact with other small business owners.

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Richard Meldner

Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.

To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.