February 7th, 2022
Mail Order Shipping Updates
This past year we have seen the Mail Order side of our business increase in demand exponentially due to the ongoing pandemic, as well as our sudden need to supply lots of medicine to patients across Canada.
Our existing Mail Order system was developed when our mail orders were primarily being sent to members up island, members in Vancouver, and occasionally to Alberta. Our current system relies on an average for the cost of shipping packages and it is antiquated, expensive for our business, and can no longer be sustained. We have been charging $15 for regular shipping, and $25 for express, with free shipping on orders over $250. This system applied to all packages, regardless of weight or distance travelled. This system worked for a long time because shipping worked out to be around $15-18 for expedited regular shipping, and somewhere around $25-30 for express for most packages. We were shouldering the costs for shipping packages that were more expensive than what we were charging our members because the system functioned on averages: the less expensive cost of shipping for some packages would balance the increased cost of shipping for other more expensive packages. However, this is no longer the case and the cost of shipping is increasing rapidly.
In December 2021, the Quebec government raided and shut down the operations of La Croix Verte (The Green Cross) which was supplying cannabis medicine to thousands of patients across Quebec. Since their operation has ceased, countless patients have been directed to the VCBC to source the medicine they rely upon. This increase in nationwide demand for postal service has thrown our antiquated system for shipping costs off balance and we can no longer afford to sustain the losses we are experiencing on shipping. The express cost of shipping to Quebec is frequently $50 or better and we can no longer afford to not adequately charge for the cost of shipping across the continent. We are a small, single storefront, non-profit medical compassion club and we need to review and update our systems to keep up with the increased business costs.
As of Tuesday March 1st 2022, our cost of shipping will be priced individually based on the Canada Post cost for shipping based on the size, weight and distance travelled for each package. We will no longer be offering free shipping on orders over $250 as of March 1st, 2022.
This means that as of March 1st, when you place an order with the VCBC over email we will respond with the total cost of the products, as well as the cost of shipping as determined by Canada Post. We will be using their online shipping tool called Snap Ship and we will enter the dimensions, the weight, and the address of each package. Mail Order staff will communicate the options for shipping, and members will then have the option of choosing the lower cost Expedited shipping, or the more expensive and faster Express shipping that is determined for their unique address.
We know this system will increase the cost of receiving medicine for patients, however, we must accurately charge for the cost of shipping to maintain our business. We are making this announcement to communicate with our members well in advance of this change in procedure so we can answer questions and find solutions to any concerns.
We appreciate your ongoing understanding and support through these trying times.
The VCBC Team.
