C3304 - Mail order stores, bus depots, auctioneering services, e-commerce services.

Operational Details
Mail order houses operate in smaller centres, remote areas, or where there is a need for an order desk. There is no inventory or stock on hand. A mail order house is a retail business that supplies its customers with catalogs, accepts orders (by mail, phone or online) and then ships the products by mail directly to the customer or to the pickup (mail order) location. In some cases the mail order house may be an extension of a business that does not have a physical location in Saskatchewan and the goods are brought in from out of province. Mail order employees may take orders, provide tracking information and contact customers when their shipment has arrived. In some cases they receive returned merchandise and ship it back to their central location or warehouse.

Bus depot operations includes scheduling, baggage handling, ticket sales, and freight handling functions. The depots are usually owned by bus lines such as Greyhound. They are leased to an agent or operator who is under contract to the bus line to provide depot services to their customers. Bus depots of this type are operated in small towns of rural Saskatchewan and may be offered in conjunction with other services such as a restaurant or hotel. Unless there are separate workers the activities would be considered part of the overall industry being conducted.

Auctioneering services encompass all auctions that include some handling of the merchandise either directly or contracted, however do not involve the sale of livestock or heavy machinery. This industry covers businesses which provide auctioneering services, the public sale of goods in which the sale is made to the highest bidder, for the sale items such as household goods, art, antiques, personal vehicles. These auctions can include estate sales, inventory liquidations and vehicle auctions. Auctions can be held on-site, off-site or online. Auctioneering services provided by an auctioneering business may include photography and advertisements, paying bills, contracting an auctioneer, warehousing of the merchandise, balancing sales and paying the proceeds to the consignors. Transportation of the auctioned items is arranged, options often include delivery, pick up, or contracted delivery/pick up. Revenue is earned on a commission basis.

E-commerce, also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, refers to the buying and selling of goods or services using the internet, and the transfer of money and data to execute these transactions. Payments for goods often use electronic payment systems such as debit and credit. E-commerce can include business to business, business to consumer, consumer to business and consumer to consumer. In any of these e-commerce transactions, if the business is responsible for any shipping and handling of the merchandise, they are to be registered under this classification.

SIC Codes
000000240 - Mail order store
000000812 - Bus depots
000001044 - Auctioneering services
000001049 - E-commerce services