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[tarzaninchina]

This thread contains successful how-to's to send things abroad via the Russian Postal system in Moscow (with which I've been successful numerous times in sending and receiving everything intact).

To make this easy for people to skim, please save your thanks to emails, teachers' rooms, and/or seminars.

In my experience, standard airmail to/from North America takes 3-4 weeks and surface mail 2-3 months.

You can do DHL at any one of their outlets or at the central telegraph post office across from the Tverskaya school, although the cost is exhorbitant (over 5 times the Russia Post rate)! However, that I'll leave for those who like spending 4,000p on a letter....

[tarzaninchina]

From my experiences, I am aware of only two places in Moscow where you can mail books, magazines, newspapers, cards, etc. abroad. They are (1) the post office at the central telegraph building across from the Tverskaya school and (2) the central post office.

At the central telegraph post office, buy your envelope from the left side of window 24. (If it can't fit in an envelope, go to the central post office.) Then, go to the slanted desks and fill out the address. Then, return to the same place to pay for stamps and submit it for shipping. Finissimo.

To get to the central post office, go to the Turgenevskaya or Christy Prudy metro stations and follow the city exit signs for Myasnitskaya ulitsa. This will bring you out to street level across the street from the Pochtamt building (26 Mayasnitskaya).

As you enter, keep to your right and you'll see a large hall with lots of windows, a number of them selling stamps and envelopes. If you need stamps and envelopes, just go to one of the windows selling them. If you have too much for an envelope, proceed to what appears to be the far half of the large hall and go to one of the windows on your left (where queues are typically shorter). Here, they'll wrap it up for you in the traditional style with postal paper and twine (no parcels/boxes necessary) and you can send it surface mail, airmail, registered, or non-registered.

Anything that can't be included, they'll tell you (don't argue as you will end up paying for it to be returned to you saying 'undeliverable due to contents'). Everything will be placed on a weighing scale and the clerk will tell you if it can go together or in multiple packages, which is nice to know upfront.

Your address here in Russia goes on the top-left, the receiver's on the bottom-right (and you don't need to forfeit your place in line as writing it on the spot is standard practice). Pay for everything and be on your merry way.

[tarzaninchina]

To send non-paper-based items abroad, there's only one place I know of in Moscow that can do this and that's at a special part of the central post office (pochtamt). It should be noted that postal clerks here deal with ONLY non-paper-based items at this place.

The location is Hall 3 of the central post office (not the same building, but the same area).

Go to the Christy Prudy / Turgenevskaya metro station and following the exits to the Myasnitskaya ulitsa. This will bring you out to street level across the street from the Pochtamt building (26 Myasnitskaya). Cross the street; so you are now looking directly at the double doors not 1m away from you. Turn to your right (when looking at the double doors from the outside) and walk down about 70m. At this point on your left, you'll see a passageway between buildings (bigger than the one for the Tverskaya school) with a sign for a bar above it. Walk down this 12m passageway and you'll enter a courtyard. Immediately on the right, you'll see a door with Zal 3 (in Russian letters, of course). Enter.

Now you'll be at the front of a bustling room with people and packages. Go to one of the two large empty tables. Here, you'll need to fill out TWO customs forms for every parcel you want to send - which MUST be filled out entirely in English or French. These forms are kindly written in French and Russian, but it's pretty basic to know where things go. If you can't find any forms, go to one of the windows and knab a few (they're free and people won't mind you butting in line for those because they may have had to as well).

Parcels are professionally wrapped in postal paper and bound by twine. If you really feel you need a box to put your things in for protective purposes (in addition to the wrapping and twine), you can buy one at one window. As you enter Zal 3, it is the window furthest to your right. The boxes are on display, so let the clerk know how many of what size you want and pay for them there. Then, go back to the table and fill out the address forms on the box as well and have fun determining what goes in which box. DO NOT tape the box shut, as the contents need to be inspected.

Once all of your stuff is sorted out and you have some pre-filled customs forms, stand in line for window 46. Put the items for one parcel/package on the weighing scale and then the clerk will go and wrap it up. Any non-acceptable items will be handed back to you. When handed the parcel, you'll need to fill out the address on the label the clerk will have put on the package (don't worry, do that on the spot and you won't need to lose your spot in line - standard practice - but do let the next person have their stuff wrapped while you're writing - also standard practice).

Hand the completely filled-out parcel back to the clerk and say where to and which postage options you want (air, surface, registered). Pay for it and be on your merry way.

Oh, and the clerks at the central post office do not speak any foreign languages!

[tarzaninchina]

Here are a few trans-literated Russian words to help you at a Russian post office. If someone could provide them in the cyrillic script, that would be muchly appreciated.

airmail - avia pochta

surface mail - nazeemanya pochta

parcel/box - pakyet

registered mail - zakaznoom

postal/zip code - index

from - eez

to - B (the Russian 'v' sound)

[tarzaninchina]

Here are some helpful translations of French words for the customs form for sending non-paper-based items abroad.

declaration en douane - customs form

nom - name

de - from

a - to

rue - street address

pays - country

ville - city

quantite - quantity

valeur - value

code postal - postal/zip code

date et signature de l'expediteur - sender's signature and date

[tarzaninchina]

Ok, so your family and/or friends have sent you a massive care package (a box more than 25cm-cubed) and now you have the postage slip to go and pick it up. It ain't anywhere near the Kremlin, so make sure you have many miles saved up on your Moscow Metro card.

Hop on the green line to the Dinamo station and come out of the southeast entrance (as though you're heading back downtown). Keep walking straight with the busy street on your right and the park on your left. After a little over 100m, you'll need to navigate two separate pedestrian underpasses to cross the busy intersection. On the other side, you will see the Sovietsky Hotel. Go there.

When standing in front of the hotel, walk down Raskovoy ulitsa, about 250m. Then you'll come to the Raskovoy ul. and Raskovoy per. intersection. With the hotel far behind you, turn right. The post office will be about 15m on the right. Head inside, stand in line, and enjoy the usual drill for picking up an international package (including the presentation of documents).

Hope you can carry it home!

[jpvanderwerf2001]

I always say that you can learn a lot about a country by looking at its postal service. Your posts, while very helpful and gracious, illustrate exactly what I mean.

[mdk]

Dis fella him belong spika da pidgin Russian.

No problem send and/or get de letter and package from any Russian post office. Sho can do!


post office near my old flat in Bibirevo sho nuff easier than main po on Tverskaya. You betcha!

[revmira]

I didn't have a problem sending packages to the US from a regular post office in another city in Russia with a variety of items, pre-wrapped. Also, my mom sent me a digital camera in the mail and i got it.
They often secure the paper box with a wax seal so that it is hard to tamper with.
I think the most important advise is if the clerks are ignoring you is to act angry and say how you have been waiting so long. sometimes it takes emotion to register on a clerks attention barometer. Then they will be more likely to help you. (I don't mean to say be an ass though)