You’re not allowed to see the price.

We asked shipping platforms what they would charge to send a pair of shoes from Montréal to Toronto. They answered. Their terms forbid us from passing the answer on to you.

That’s the problem in one sentence. In Canada the price of the same shipment can vary enormously from one provider to the next, and the system is built so you don’t find out: published prices are forbidden, surcharges arrive after the fact, and comparisons are written by the sellers themselves. Large shippers negotiate; small businesses pay the posted price, then the adjustment.

This journal documents how opaque shipping prices raise the cost of doing business in Canada, and who ends up paying. Every claim will be sourced.

First articles coming soon. In the meantime, the shipping index already shows the gap between the best and worst choice, every day.