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Author Topic: Shipping a Package to Russia  (Read 10124 times)

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Offline Bruce

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« on: February 01, 2005, 06:30:36 AM »
What is the most cost effective way to ship a package to Russia these days?  It seems that unless you find friends who happen to travel to the city you are looking to ship the package to the cost of ensuring shipment reaches the intended destination is prohibitive.   
"A word is dead when it is said, some say.  I say it just begins to live that day."  Emily Dickinson

Offline BC

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2005, 06:54:17 AM »
We use regular post for packages back/forth to RU.  Haven't experienced a loss yet.  Just takes time.. but it seems to get there intact.

Offline ConnerVT

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2005, 07:38:33 AM »
We have been using the USPS for small packages (a pound or three).  Recently we have tried MEEST, which delivered our package when they said they would, without any Customs difficulty, for a decent price.  This was a small surprise to me, for our package arrived in Ukraine right at the peak of the demonstrations.  (MEEST ships to Ukraine, then distributes off from there)

Offline tim 360

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2005, 07:54:50 AM »
First it would depend upon just what you are shipping and the size and weight and the value and the city the package is going to.  For ordinary things (like a 10 lb box) I find USPS to easily be the most cost effective to Russia and Ukraine.  If it is a small town or rural you should check first with the PO about delivery.  I found transit times to St. Peterburg to be remarkably rapid. 
"Never argue with a fool,  onlookers may not be able to tell the difference".  Mark Twain

Offline Bruce

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #4 on: February 01, 2005, 08:12:39 AM »
My biggest problem with the postal service is that very often letters never arrive to Tver, Russia.  I know they are getting out of the USA because we go to the postal counter and pay the right amount with a US postal service agent directly.  I guess you guys are having better luck than I am.  Right now I would not trust standard mail service to deliver anything, including a letter.  In order to ensure a letter gets to Tver using the standard postal service, I have to pay the US postal service $7.50 so someone signs for the letter in Tver.  To just send a letter for the standard 80 cents fee, usually ends up never getting there.  Packages - ??
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Offline TigerPaws

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #5 on: February 01, 2005, 08:15:52 AM »
W ship packages to Moscow about once a month and use Express Mail, the packages usually arrive within a week, add a couple of days for the rest of the country.

Offline BC

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2005, 08:36:54 AM »
Quote from: Bruce
My biggest problem with the postal service is that very often letters never arrive to Tver, Russia.  


Maybe it has something to do with how you are addressing the letters? We usually use the Russian addressing format that I believe goes something like:

Russia
Zip code
Region (oblast)
Town
Street, Apartment number
Name

Everything except for "Russia" we write in cyrillic.

Offline Bruce

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2005, 08:56:35 AM »
I agree how you address is important.  My wife is the one doing all the writing etc. in the correct fashion.  Even when I used to write letters would get there, though sometimes as long as six weeks later.  When my wife first arrived here this past September her letters always got to her family, friends etc.  Perhaps letter problems have been associated with Christmas / New Years / Christmas / Old New Year holidays.  I appreciate everyones advice on packages.   Still, if the item costs less to ship than the shipping fee - better off carrying a suitcase full of presents when she visits them next!
"A word is dead when it is said, some say.  I say it just begins to live that day."  Emily Dickinson

Offline BC

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2005, 09:31:47 AM »
Letters might even be arriving.. Maybe a jealous neighbor?

Offline tim 360

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2005, 09:51:46 AM »
Not sure about your mail problem to Tver, Bruce.  My friend in St. Pete has even told me that I can use English for her address and she will receive it without a problem.  Not the Russian I had been using.  Also,  she previously lived in a very small city (Yustag-Velik) and the mail always worked fine.  I used English one time and that got through,  but I stick to Russian usually.  Also,  I forgot to mention that at the PO for packages I try to use Global Express or Expressmail.  I only have shipped 2 packages regular Air Mail and they took significantly longer.  Letters were quick.  7-9 days.   80 cent letters are no problem for me.

I know alot of the agencies talk about theft and try to hawk their services but I have not had any problems with the mail.

 
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Offline Bruce

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #10 on: February 01, 2005, 11:22:19 AM »
Could be intercepted by a neighbor for all I know.  Guys thanks for the advice - 80 cents is for sure is not too high if it gets there.  My wife calls home at least three times a week for an hour or more - so right now cost is not the limiting issue on communication with me - though I do not like the idea of paying as much as the item cost in shipping!
"A word is dead when it is said, some say.  I say it just begins to live that day."  Emily Dickinson

Offline KenC

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #11 on: February 01, 2005, 11:24:30 AM »
Bruce,

Lena sends 3 or 4 packages (of various sizes) a year to Tver USPS and we have never had a problem.

KenC
You are a den of vipers and thieves-Andrew Jackson on banks
Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies-Thomas Jefferson

Offline ConnerVT

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #12 on: February 01, 2005, 12:34:23 PM »
We've had the same results as KenC.  So far, about 4 packages sent, and 5-6 received, all to/from Tver via USPS.  Typical time from US to Tver has been 2-3 weeks.  A bit longer coming here (at first, we had some routed to the other side of Russia before heading in the right direction).

Offline Michelangelo

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #13 on: February 02, 2005, 11:45:10 AM »
I had a girl in Tver....sent her a dozen pacakages and they all made it..and lots of postcards, too.   I started out using DHL, but found USPS global express costs about 75% less and gets there within a week...

i have had simlar luck sending global express to Ukraine.
The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.  michelangelo

Offline Bob&Inna

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #14 on: February 05, 2005, 04:06:34 PM »
Hello!

I have experience sending letters and packages to Russia, and I too believe that US Postal is the way to go, however in my experience it takes a long time to get to Yaroslavl, Russia (pop 650,000). Packages can take 4 weeks to 6 weeks, letters about 3 weeks. Don't believe it when our post office tells you 7-10 days on airmail. It may get to Russia that quick but the Russian postal system is close to where we were in 1950.

Most people in Russia's big cities pick up thier mail at the post office as their are no safe mailboxes in the apartments wher 95% of the population lives. (they have mail boxes but they are all bashed open and not used from what I saw)

Everything I sent arrived, but after 8 weeks we gave up on the DVD player my brother sent my girl as a gift. We figured some customs agent is trying to make it play russian DVDs and trying to use a 110 to 220 convertor.

The worst is to ship a package out of Russia! My girl sent some books and apparently they shipped it by SHIP! That package took 2 months and 10 days. Interestingly her package shipped from Azerbijian while on vacation arrived in ten days.

Bob & Inna


Offline RacerX

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2005, 05:13:41 AM »
...yes. like nearly everyone else here, I use Global Express Mail and have never had a problem.  You can track it on-line, so even if she lives in a small town it is possible to estimate the day of delivery.  I always attach a cyrillic address label in addtion to the English one.  However, I would never ship anything that has a 'customs' value that way - if it's valuable, I use DHL and let them worry about clearing customs.

Offline Elen

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2005, 05:26:52 AM »
Quote
My biggest problem with the postal service is that very often letters never arrive to Tver, Russia.

The same problem with Moscow:(  I never had lost letters from Japan, only from America:X Can't explain such "phemomen"

Offline Bruno

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Shipping a Package to Russia
« Reply #17 on: March 12, 2005, 06:36:06 AM »
Because American send $$$$ by post

 

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