Sending valuables to Russia - need advice

[russianfront]

Have any of you had experience with sending "valuables" to Russia through the post office or other means? I'd like to send a spare digital camera to my gal in Tomsk Russia. I suppose that I could sent it with insurance in the LIKELY event that it will dissapear along the way. I know you are going to say don't risk it, so is there a more secure way. DHL? Another courier?
Thanks for your help.

[GoodOlBoy]

Make sure the battery charger/camera can handle 220 Volts or she'll smoke it when she plugs it in!!  :evil:


GOB

[Faux Pas]

Have any of you had experience with sending "valuables" to Russia through the post office or other means? I'd like to send a spare digital camera to my gal in Tomsk Russia. I suppose that I could sent it with insurance in the LIKELY event that it will dissapear along the way. I know you are going to say don't risk it, so is there a more secure way. DHL? Another courier?
Thanks for your help.

Regular post office is good enough. Insure it for about $25 value and signed receipt requested so they'll be able to track it easily. Keep the package plain and unimportant looking as possible. I've sent numerous this way and never a problem. Regular mail is as fast arriving as well.

[giants11]

Good Luck the russian post man will probably sell it for more than he makes in a month. I guess you just paid his salary by sending a camera by post!!

[krimster]

Regular post is unreliable, all packages are opened and theft is a matter of routine.  DHL can serve the purpose, although the shipping cost can be nearly as high as the value of the camera.  Insuring the camera, can be a double edged sword.  The recipient can be asked to pay an import tariff equal to 40% of the declared value (not sure exactly what this percentage is, it varies) of the package.  Yet another possibility is to engage the services of a company called "Meest".  I have through the years sent close to two tons to Ukraine using Meest and have had 100% success which is remarkable, seek out their web site for more information.

[Faux Pas]

Good Luck the russian post man will probably sell it for more than he makes in a month. I guess you just paid his salary by sending a camera by post!!

Trollish.

I have sent quite a few packages regular post to Tomsk and never a problem. Not to say thievery doesn't exist, I just haven't experienced it. My RW has never had to pay any tax to pick up the package. Insure it for a low dollar amount, don't make it look expensive. In fact quite the opposite. Declare on the form personal property and you shouldn't have any problem. The postal system in Russia has improved tremendously in the last few years.

[UTRO]

Perhaps there is another Member here, who has a GF in Tomsk, who can take it for you? It isn't a large or heavy item.
Hey I think Sculpto might be going soon

[Mishenka]

I send packages often, I had only one out of 12 that did not make it over the last 18 months. The one I sent regular mail without insurance or tracking was lost, most likely it never left USA.  If you send it by international Express it is guaranteed to make it in about 8 days. Send it as a gift for customs purposes with a value that includes replacement cost at todays value plus shipping. If it is lost or stolen, it takes a few months to collect on it. It's your call,  I never worry about loosing it or stolen goods. Sometimes it takes longer to arrive if there is holidays of weekends, so send on a Monday, it will arrive by Wednesday the following week.

Mishka

[ECOCKS]

I don't know how nice a spare camera you are sending but you might just consider telling her to buy a new one over there and then give her the money.

[Mishenka]

Ed is right, at the end of the day, it is the best way to handle it except for one thing, even a cheap cam there is double the price of one here. It will be more special to her as a gift if you send yours, that you have had in your own hands and used.  This personal touch goes a long way.  Think it over.

Mishka

[chivo]

Ed is right, at the end of the day, it is the best way to handle it except for one thing, even a cheap cam there is double the price of one here.

Maybe a year ago but not now. With the devaluation of the ruble along with the crisis and lower consumer spending, goods such as electronics, for instance, have dropped in price and are not that much different than the states.

I thought about buying a notebook computer the last time I was in the America (February 09) but the price difference was only around $50, whereas a year ago it was $400.

In any case it's something to consider. This can give you something to compare apples to apples. Good luck.

http://torg.mail.ru/1131/res/?p3%5Bprice_from%5D=2000&p3%5Bprice_to%5D=5000&p%5B287%5D=&p%5B286%5D=&p%5B0%5D=

http://torg.mail.ru/1131/res/?p3[page]=1

chivo

[Shadow]

Just curious, is this her solution to the earlier asked professional pictures ?

[Kuna]

Russianfront,

Before you start worrying about the best way to send gifts to Russia go back to the 10 Commandments at the top left of this page and remind youself you should not be sending money (or gifts) prior to meeting.

A few days ago you were worried about whittling down the several to one - and unsure if that was even necessary.  Elsewhere in RWD you've commented on avoiding scammers.

IMHO you're moving way too quickly and in the wrong direction.  If you're sure you have found the lady you want to meet, get on a plane.

Don't start sending gifts or making promises...  just get on a plane.

She may very well be the one but the approach you're taking at the moment is about as artificial as a relationship could start and I'd urge you to "try to keep it real".

Best of luck...

[Aloe]

DHL is registered as cargo shipping company in Russia, the 1 time i got something through DHL i had to sign documents, and send declaration of what's inside to the company, that was a hassle, compared to other services, that are actually registered as MAIL delivery, so they just deliver it without any hassle for you. My friend sent me some stuff through express USPS, it got shipped by garantpost here in Russia, which is NOT the state mail company, it's a private delivery company, and not once anything was opened. They even re-deliver it for free, if you weren't home when the initial delivery took place. they also call you on the phone to ask a good time when to deliver.
I'm pretty damn sure that eletronics is 1 of the items forbidden to be sent through mail to Russia (along with money, flammables and etc), but garantpost was never a problem with receiving forbidden goods 

[Wienerin]

I've been mailing big boxes of everything you can imagine to Russia for 14 years - by International Express, with no insurance but the post office one for $100. Not a single box, not a single item was lost. They bring it home straight to the hands of the addressee.

The ladies from the RF forum keep mailing boxes to a children's asylum in Siberia - nothing lost.

BUT - these are all big boxes with a variety of items (including jewelry, electronics - motherboard and hard drive, memory chips, external drive, mps players, cameras, etc - I buy stuff at a discount outlet and it's 2-3 times cheaper than in StP)... my guess would be that a single-item small package has better chance of being "lost" in the mails

[ConnerVT]

I've no actual proof, but after reading many posts about shipping things to Russia by mail, and extensive experience myself (40+ packages), I believe that the problem lies in the "last mile".  If a package does get opened, and items taken, it most likely happens at the local post office in the city/town that it is delivered to.

Above, Kuna sounds like he may be right.  If you haven't met this woman yet, the very best way to deliver this item is in person.  It may be more expensive, but it is certainly much more cost effective.

[russianfront]

Thanks all! This forum is so informative its unbelievable..
I decided not to send the camera through the mail. Its a good one, well was a good one, these things devalue quickly! and I wouldn't want it to dissapear along the way. When I go to visit I'll buy a new one as a present, or give her this older one in combination with other stuff. Someone said that electronics cost more there than here and I think he is right. I remember being in Moscow and looking at all the electronics thinking what the heck they are cheaper at home! And the people here have much lower wages (often MUCH lower) so how the heck does this work?? We were looking at buying a new TV for the folks at this time. Regarding Kuna's advice, I understand where you are coming from completelty but please remember I am not new to this. There is 0% chance she is a scammer and in my opinion only a very low chance that we would not get along once we meet. And I would go over sooner but I broke my leg in a snowboarding accident a month ago and will not be fully mobile (without crutches) for at least another month then I have rehab so it will be July at the earliest when I can go. She knows all about this, I even sent her a pic of me in a lower leg cast to see if it would freak her out and it didn't so thats great!

[chivo]

Someone said that electronics cost more there than here and I think he is right.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother posting. 

[Wienerin]

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother posting. 

If you mean that everything you write should be taken as holy writ - then I also wonder  You wrote about your experience and general considerations, I wrote about mine experience and may continue with more specifics. Our (my son's and mine) mode of operation is - we go to online sites, here, to Microcenter and in StP and Moscow, or we do independent research at the stores and computer fair - with a shopping list in hand. Also e-bay, of course.

In a very rare case that it's cheaper or more convenient (as with a laptop) to buy there, then I either help with financing or not... But the things I've already wrote about - are more expensive there as of 3 weeks ago. Again I repeat - 2 to 4 times (as with MP3 players, which I buy here for $8-9 or even less, and there they're still at least $25-30)

[Kuna]

Thanks all! This forum is so informative its unbelievable..
I decided not to send the camera through the mail. Its a good one, well was a good one, these things devalue quickly! and I wouldn't want it to dissapear along the way. When I go to visit I'll buy a new one as a present, or give her this older one in combination with other stuff. Someone said that electronics cost more there than here and I think he is right. I remember being in Moscow and looking at all the electronics thinking what the heck they are cheaper at home! And the people here have much lower wages (often MUCH lower) so how the heck does this work?? We were looking at buying a new TV for the folks at this time. Regarding Kuna's advice, I understand where you are coming from completelty but please remember I am not new to this. There is 0% chance she is a scammer and in my opinion only a very low chance that we would not get along once we meet. And I would go over sooner but I broke my leg in a snowboarding accident a month ago and will not be fully mobile (without crutches) for at least another month then I have rehab so it will be July at the earliest when I can go. She knows all about this, I even sent her a pic of me in a lower leg cast to see if it would freak her out and it didn't so thats great!

You may not be new to this... but IMHO you're starting out the wrong way if you're offering gifts in the mail and promises via any method.  I can understand you're excited but the path you've chosen (same as mine) is a high risk one and you'll be best off to remember it's not yet a relationship.  Would you send any other stranger electronics in the post?  I didn't think so...

1. She may think you're just another stupid American throwing money around (You now some FSUW think like this right?);
2. She may think you're frivolous with your money and not a good provider in the home because of that;
3. She may think electronics grows on trees where you come from;
4. She may end up with a distorted picture of what life with you will be like.

Like many men,  you're just forgetting that your view of a situation is often very different than the other persons view. 

... and sending gifts before meeting is a little silly IMHO. (Flowers on special days are different).

[Chicagoguy]

I have sent digital cameras and laptop computers by U.S. Mail International Express with no problem. If you put value on the package they might ask her for duty.

Why send an expensive camera. I do much photography and unless she NEEDS 8X10 and 11X14 photos the cheap cameras are fine.

[UTRO]

1. She may think you're just another stupid American throwing money around (You now some FSUW think like this right?);

Nah, he's a Stupid Canadian! Just kidding RF!!

[mendeleyev]

You may not be new to this... but IMHO you're starting out the wrong way if you're offering gifts in the mail and promises via any method.  I can understand you're excited but the path you've chosen (same as mine) is a high risk one and you'll be best off to remember it's not yet a relationship.  Would you send any other stranger electronics in the post?  I didn't think so...

1. She may think you're just another stupid American throwing money around (You now some FSUW think like this right?);
2. She may think you're frivolous with your money and not a good provider in the home because of that;
3. She may think electronics grows on trees where you come from;
4. She may end up with a distorted picture of what life with you will be like.

Excellent points.

Another good reason that you didn't send it is that you'd have perhaps stepped into a pile of ____ as there's a little war going on between Russia and frequent shippers of mail order merchandise like Amazon, Staples, UggStop, etc, at this moment.

The Russian postal service was privatized years back, but that doesn't mean the stockholders don't all reside in and around the Kremlin area. Right now all parcels & packages from mailorder companies are being stamped консигнация (consignment) including even some private parcels which they suspect could result from an online purchase if it meets certain weight, size, description and/or value specs.

The war with Russia and Amazon, etal, is over taxing items purchased outside the country. Russia insists that these are ordered (they don't like to use the term "purchased") in order to be resold inside Russia. Russian customs has been instructed to:
A- Ascertain and collect an additional fee for the parcel entering the country, or
B- Return the item to the sender (sender loses money and understands that nothing will be delivered unless Russia gets a cut of the sale).

What does that have to do with you shipping a camera to a Russian citizen? Russian customs has no idea of your relationship. To their thinking you sold a camera on Ebay and she is the buyer. Again, Russia wants a cut of anything purchased online. Somebody will pay whether the end user or the shipper.

It can help if you put everything on the outside in Cyrillic however as US postal regulations require the receiving city and country be in English on the last line the Cyrillic may not get you past prying eyes all the time.

We sent a package from Phoenix to Moscow in mid December for the 7 January Christmas season and it arrived in March. Our middle daughter sent some things to her younger sister that she needed for the spring term at MSU. It was mailed in January and has yet to arrive. My wife posted some art supplies (moderate size package) to our Moscow home. She departed the USA 3 weeks later and it has not yet arrived. She got back in the USA last week and wanted to know if it had been returned. No word.

To complicate matters Russian customs now changes postal tracking numbers on certain types of parcels upon entry. So you can track it to the point of entry but to continue tracking could require the new tracking numbers from customs.

There are on line discussions about the issue: http://www.tks.ru/forum/

The reason for the delay of 45 to 90+ days in parcel delivery is price research backlog by customs--Russia wants all such items valued at the normal retail price, not on the actual price paid. So lets say you as a Russian citizen purchase a book from Amazon at $24. The same book normally sells at $55 elsewhere. Because they claim you will re-sell the item (used or new doesn't matter) you are expected to pay the "consignment" tax at the $55 dollar value which for many items wipes out any savings from the discount.

The tax free limit is supposed to be set at 10,000 rubles for the postal service or at 5,000 rubles via a contract courier like FedX, Meest, DHL, etc. Those limits are being ignored at the point of entry during this customs war.

They could have impounded your used digital camera (worth $80 today) and given it a value of $500 new (and owing a consignment tax) before allowing your lady to pick it up. After she paid the tax.

[russianfront]

mendeleyev, wow that was a very enlightening post, thanks much. As expected everything to do with Russia is a beaurocratic nightmare (as I would expect). Reading your post should turn almost anyone off sending anything of commercial value there. It seems the only way to get stuff into the country (like a camera, etc.) is to personally carry it there yourself. Sweat equity shipping...I can just imagine all the headaches that this "war" as you call it is having to senders and recievers...
I will soon just send something simple like a teddy bear to see if it gets through and how long it takes. From my past experience when my ex wife was sending even simple snail mail letters it takes WEEKS. Dissapointing. When I send a letter to my German friend he gets it sometimes in 4-5 days!! Why is Russia always trouble? Why can't they get their act together!

[Faux Pas]

mendeleyev, wow that was a very enlightening post, thanks much. As expected everything to do with Russia is a beaurocratic nightmare (as I would expect). Reading your post should turn almost anyone off sending anything of commercial value there. It seems the only way to get stuff into the country (like a camera, etc.) is to personally carry it there yourself. Sweat equity shipping...I can just imagine all the headaches that this "war" as you call it is having to senders and recievers...
I will soon just send something simple like a teddy bear to see if it gets through and how long it takes. From my past experience when my ex wife was sending even simple snail mail letters it takes WEEKS. Dissapointing. When I send a letter to my German friend he gets it sometimes in 4-5 days!! Why is Russia always trouble? Why can't they get their act together!

I'm sure what mendeleyev states is true. He's arguably the most informed member on the forum concerning Russia. There is something to consider, there hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of packages being shipped to Russia daily. The players involved are at war with specific packages and companies. I posted earlier what I have done and trust me, it is very doable. Priority mail, plain package, very simple looking, declared personal items and insured low amount of value, specifically to Tomsk and it will arrive in 3-4 weeks. I have sent many this way and no problems. Some even arrived before I expected. The Russian postal system does work.