Extra Care & Additional Handling Charges
Puzzled by an unexpected adjustment invoice after your package was already delivered? Beyond simple weight or dimension corrections, an Extra Care or Additional Handling surcharge is often the reason. Carriers apply these fees when a package's weight, size, shape, or packaging means it can't move safely through their standard automated sorting systems — the decision is made by the carrier's operations team, usually after physical inspection at their facility.
At Goorooship, we always strive to provide clear and transparent pricing: these surcharges are determined and billed directly by the carrier, not by us. We simply pass on the fee when a carrier applies one.
Examples by Carrier
UPS – “Additional Handling” Surcharge Per UPS Canada, an Additional Handling charge applies to a package that meets any of the following:
- Longest side over 48 inches (122 cm), second-longest side over 30 inches (76 cm), or length plus girth [(2 × width) + (2 × height)] over 105 inches (266 cm)
- Actual weight over 50 lbs (22 kg) for domestic or export packages, or over 55 lbs (25 kg) for import packages
- Not fully encased in a corrugated cardboard shipping container — including cylindrical items such as barrels, drums, buckets, or tires
An Additional Handling charge is separate from UPS's Large Package Surcharge, which applies instead when length plus girth exceeds 130 inches (330 cm), or a domestic package's length exceeds 96 inches (244 cm) — UPS applies one or the other, not both, to the same package. (Source: UPS Canada — How to Avoid Shipping Charge Corrections.)
Canpar – “Extra Care” Charge Per Canpar Express's Ancillary & Miscellaneous Rates, a piece can trigger an Extra Care charge under four categories — only the single highest-priced category applies to a piece, not all of them stacked together:
- Irregular: shape, packaging, or contents unsuitable for standard automated sorting — including liquids, pails, or containers not fully encased in proper packaging, wooden or metal crates, strapped items, or shipments needing re-packaging because the original packaging was insufficient. $20 (domestic) or $25 (shipments to the US)
- Over-Length: longest side over 48 inches (122 cm) — or, for domestic shipments only, a second-longest side over 32 inches (82 cm) up to 108 inches (275 cm). $20 (domestic) or $25 (to the US)
- Oversize: length plus girth over 130 inches (330 cm) up to 165 inches (419 cm), or any single side over 96 inches. $90 (domestic) or $125 (to the US)
- Overweight: actual weight over 70 lbs (32 kg) up to 150 lbs (68 kg). $25 (domestic or to the US)
Canpar's absolute maximum per piece is 150 lbs (68 kg), 108 inches (274 cm) long, and 165 inches (419 cm) length plus girth — a piece over any of these limits is billed as Over Maximum rather than Extra Care. (Source: Canpar Express — Ancillary & Miscellaneous Rates.)
Other Carriers FedEx, Purolator, and other carriers have similar rules for shipments that can't move through their conveyor systems safely. Each carrier sets its own thresholds, and the surcharge is applied at that carrier's discretion.
How to Avoid These Charges
- Use sturdy, correctly sized cardboard boxes — avoid straps, irregular shapes, or packaging the carrier could flag as non-conveyable
- Check your package against the weight, length, and dimensional thresholds above before it's picked up; these charges are usually only caught after physical inspection, so they may not appear at the time of booking
- Make sure items are properly sealed and, where required, fully encased in corrugated cardboard rather than exposed wood, metal, or plastic
- If your shipment is close to any of these thresholds, selecting the correct service level and declaring accurate dimensions when booking with Goorooship reduces the chance of a surprise adjustment afterward
Need Help?
If you're ever billed an Extra Care or Additional Handling charge and believe it was applied incorrectly, contact us at support@goorooship.ca. We'll work with the carrier to request documentation and verify the charge.
Our goal is to ensure transparency and help our customers understand why these charges occur — and how to plan around them.