Job Discussion Forums

[jeffinflorida]

Can anyone tell me if the postal service in China is reliable and economical in terms of mailing parcels back to the U.S.A. / Canada?

The reason I ask is that I plan on mailing gifts back to North America and would like to know the reliability of the Chinese postal service.

I traveled around the Middle East and Europe last year and everything I mailed got home safely, need to know if I can expect the same service from China.

[carken]

Yes, I found the postal service to be quite reliable in getting parcels sent back to the U.S. Nothing was ever lost, damaged, etc., but the cost is a little high on a teacher's salary unless you send it surface mail.

[Roger]

I am undecided!

Domestic items seem to have a knack for getting mislaid or misdirected. I posted a parcel to Hangzhou - it never arrived, and I posted books from Hong Kong to someone in Shenyang - it arrived almost 4 months later!

But sending mail overseas seems to work better though I wouldn't be overly optimistic.

The CHina Post is, after all, a monopoly enterprise; nobody gets any bonus for doing their job well.

[kev7161]

I have often sent things overseas and they have always arrived (via airmale) within two weeks or so. Packages seem to get here to me in a timely manner too - - except for one magazine subscription that is about 3 1/2 months behind (as opposed to the 6 weeks they said it "should" be).

[Nauczyciel]

China Express:

Three sheets of paper in a cardboard envelope

posted in China on 2005-02-04

arrived in Poland on 2005-02-08

Cost: RMB 380

[Guest]

I have had a lot of mail coming into China during the past 18 month including large parcels from all over the World and I have only had one parcel go missing. That was from Canada and should have arrived here in July last year and never turned up.

I have not sent that much out of China, but basically I think the Postal Service here is quite good. I have been impressed anyway.

One of the teachers who has just left here posted two boxes of clothing back to the U.K. She also did that last time she was here and even though it took 8 weeks to get there, it was okay.

The 20 kilos cost her around 200 r.m.b. from memory.

[millie]

20Kg sea-mail costs closer to 400RMB to Australia and takes a month or 2.
I have sent a lot of such boxes without problem but the PO must inspect the contents before you send them.
If you want to send DVD’s then you must have a legitimate receipt.
M

[garbotara]

There is a major scam going on at the Foreign Post Office in Beijing.I think they just pocket the money and not send anything out. I have had to seriously watch them to make sure they putt he customs form on correctly. That they put the postage on the parcel. What? Do people just hand them the money and just go? You are sppuosed to get a reseipt when sending a parcel. I sent a box in early December airmail to Canada. It still has not arrived.

[benno]

usually the postal service in china is excellent

i have posted many things back home, no problem,
apart from the fcukers in Dublin nicking anything they can get their hands on (like a lovely Italy footy shirt i sent home!)

but yesterday i sent a big parcel home
a problem
there is a strike in ireland, so i cant send it!!
but the funny thing is, there is no strike on in ireland at the moment (their was a postal strike on in december, but thats ages ago!)
so i have to wait till i get clearance from beijing!!!!!
strange

[Roger]

in other words: you are gambling, it is a lottery! I have more bad memories than good ones, and some of my worst memories are kafkaesque.
I have for years relied on Hongkong Post. I know this is not the answer to most, but at least it has saved me embarrassments, loss of postal items and sloppy treatment.

[kev7161]

I almost had to take back my endorsment of the China Postal Service when it seemed to be taking an extra long time for a recent package I sent to be received. It was a bunch of Valentine's letters to the students back home with whom I am doing a letter exchange (my students here that is). As luck would have it, the package arrived exactly on V-Day - - I couldn't have asked for better.

[Jolly]

I think the postal service is good in China but expensive. The post office I use in China made me use one of their boxes that are very heavy, and it was empty, adding extra weight and postage. Plus, I have to show what is being mailed in the package. I don't like that, although I have no secrets! I just think it's an invasion of privacy. But hey, it's China, so go with the flow.

Every package that has been mailed to me in China has gotten to me. I usually mail stuff to myself when I'm home to my address in China. Also, when I'm home and mail stuff to my Chinese friends in China, they get it.

Hope this helps.

[Roger]

I have over the past 4 months taken part in a mail monitoring project in which letters were posted to me from Hong Kong and other places outside of China; I got U.S. 60 for my little help which consisted of filling in electronic forms that required me to enter the letter's ID tag and the arrival date.
In the first 2 months, 18 items were sent my way; 17 arrived, though at varying speeds.
In the second 2 month period, another 18 items were mailed to me. Today, the last 4 letters arrived, though they were all long overdue.
Interestingly, 2 of those letters arriving today bore the postmark "2005.02.08", and the other two had the postmark "2005.02.17".
On 18 February, however, I received 14 letters, all postmarked between mid-January and mid-February (including 18 February, 2005!).

[Jolly]

[Roger]

Ah, Jolly dear... it was a commerciallymotivated correspondence; the sender was the company that paid me to count the letters I received. I found their ad on another website some time ago - now it's gone. The U.S. dollars are in vouchers that I can redeem with Amazon. Some of those 60 yoyos will go, I am afraid to say, to the post again!

If you are serious, jolly, PM me and I will give youtheir particulars so you can join them too.