Canada Post is trialling a post office exchange service in Metro Vancouver

Canada Post has announced a trial of Swap Spot, a service that lets people use post offices to hand off items bought and sold through platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and Kijiji. The seller drops an item at a post office agreed on with the buyer, who can pick it up on their own schedule. Canada Post says the service is intended to provide a secure, convenient place to complete transactions, without coordinating a direct meeting or inviting a stranger to someone’s home. Payment can also be handled at the post office.

Each transaction costs a flat $5 plus tax. The trial is currently available at post offices in Calgary, Hamilton, the Ottawa-Gatineau region and Greater Vancouver. As a general rule, items that can legally be mailed in Canada may be exchanged through Swap Spot. Firearms, drugs and controlled substances, dangerous goods, perishable items and anything illegal under Canadian law are excluded. After the buyer collects and pays for an item, Canada Post will send the seller an Interac e-Transfer within five business days.

Several local police departments have set up buy-and-sell exchange zones outside their detachments for people meeting strangers to make transactions. Coquitlam RCMP said in a previous release that online private sales are common and have benefits, but also carry risks. It said people have been robbed, defrauded or had items stolen while trying to buy or sell property online, and that providing a place for in-person exchanges is intended to improve public safety and reduce crime.

The Vancouver Police Department also has a Safe Exchange Location outside its headquarters at 2120 Cambie Street in Vancouver. The department said reluctance or refusal to meet there, or at another public place, is a strong indication that the other person may have bad intentions.