A Canada Post strike is taking a major toll on small businesses, including CanadianDice.ca, (https://canadiandice.ca/) a London-based retailer specializing in dice for tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder.
Owner Ryan Hunter says his sales have dropped by nearly 80% since the strike began. That’s a lot of revenue, Hunter told us how many sets of dice sets he sells annually.
While some orders are picked up locally or sold in select stores, nearly 90% of CanadianDice.ca’s business depends on the mail.
Hunter says he sells mostly lower cost products, so courier fees are not really an option.
Canada Post letter mail normally costs about $2.50, a price his customers find reasonable. With that option unavailable, Hunter now relies on third-party services like Chit Chats, which charge about $7 per package, or major couriers that can cost $20 or more—an unrealistic fee for a $10 order.
The strike has also shut down Hunter’s popular monthly Patreon subscription service, which sends mystery dice sets to customers monthly. Without low-cost letter mail, the program is temporarily on hold.
Hunter says customers have been understanding, but the disruption highlights how fragile small online businesses can be when shipping services are interrupted. He notes Canada Post has long struggled with lost packages, and while he would gladly switch to another service, no affordable competitor exists for letter mail.
Hunter hopes a resolution will come very soon as this is usually his prime season.
In closing, Hunter said earnestly, “This really hurts small businesses.”
Written by Jeremy Hall
