Canada Post and eBay Canada co-branded Flat Rate Box

Since we started researching and writing about Tuned In organizations, we frequently heard how government agencies and postal services are particularly tuned out.

So it is with some excitement that we share with you a product offered by Canada Post, an organization that tuned into two particular personas – eBay sellers and eBay buyers.

The eBay and Canada Post co-branded Flat Rate Box, introduced in mid-2008, is available exclusively through eBay and allows people to send items at three convenient flat rates: Regional at C$9.99 and National at C$12.99 (for shipments within Canada), and to the USA at C$17.99 (for shipments to the United States). The shipping boxes are supplied for free.

"Canadian eBay users ship millions of parcels through Canada Post each year," says John Swettenham, general manager of parcel strategy at Canada Post. "That makes the eBay community an extremely important customer base. Canada Post saw an opportunity to improve our service offering for eBay Canada's users, adding to our role in the growth of e-commerce in Canada."

Interestingly, the Flat Rate Box will also benefit buyers as well as sellers because eBay listings may include exact shipping costs, making it more likely that a potential buyer will bid.

Canadians spent more than $1 billion (US) on eBay in a recent 12-month period and eBay is the number-one visited retail site in Canada, visited by almost one out of every two Canadians online. 

So there you have it. Not all postal services around the world are tuned out.