Job Discussion Forums

[VictorianChick]

Hi All,

Has anyone recently shipped boxes of books to the Gulf from The States? (Or back, I guess?) I'm wondering about cost and carriers.

Much thanks for anyone who can help.

VC

[veiledsentiments]

I haven't done it for a number of years, but I used to just call British Air and drop them off at the air freight office at IAD (Dulles Airport). Even if I remembered the cost, it would be irrelevant at this point, but at that time it was the cheapest way by far to get things there relatively quickly.

I'm assuming that you are referring to texts rather than casual reading material. For that these days, I'd buy a Kindle or Nook or whatever.

VS

[VictorianChick]

VS,
Thank you. So, do all airlines have a freight service like this, then? I was reading about "M-bags," have you ever heard of them?

Yes, I'm talking primarily about textbooks. I'm trying to get all that I can digitally, but some just aren't available that way and are too big to scan.

Thank you!
vc

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

If timeliness isn't a factor over savings, you might check into the USPS as they have a "books-only" rate.

NCTBA (Note: This is NOT an endorsement of a bloated, government-owned monopoly that is unmotivated to improve service and professionalism, but rather constantly raise rates rather that admit that privatization would do it a WORLD of good and allow it to be competitive...

[veiledsentiments]

Where is JohnSlat? He used to have a cheap way to send over books, but it is very slow, so it may not work for you. I think that was the M-bag you refer to...

I found BA to be one of the cheapest and they had plenty of good connections. Check with various airlines. The problem is that you may not near enough to a big airport to take advantage...

One catch in sending them "to" the Gulf is that they tend to beat you there, so you need to have an employer that will agree to receive the stuff for you. (and have a "go-fer" to handle the customs) When you ship back, you have to go and take it through customs.

VS

[johnslat]

Dear veiledsentiments,

Re M Bags:

Alas, those sea transport M bags are no more:

"On May 14, 2007, the USPS canceled all outgoing international surface mail (sometimes known as "sea mail") from the United States, citing increased costs and reduced demand due to competition from airmail services such as FedEx and UPS. The decision has been criticized by the Peace Corps and military personnel overseas, as well as independent booksellers and other small businesses who rely on international deliveries.

The USPS provides an M-bag service for international shipment of printed matter; previously surface M-bags existed, but with the 2007 elimination of surface mail, only airmail M-bags remain. The term "M-bag" is not expanded in USPS publications; M-bags are simply defined as "direct sacks of printed matter ... sent to a single foreign addressee at a single address"; however, the term is sometimes referred to informally as "media bag", as the bag can also contain "discs, tapes, and cassettes", in addition to books, for which the usual umbrella term is "media"; some also refer to them as "mail bags".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service

See the USPS site.

http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immc2_022.htm


All categories of printed matter can be enclosed in an Airmail M-bag.

Printed matter is defined as paper on which words, letters, characters, figures, images, or any combination thereof, not having the character of a bill or statement of account, or of actual or personal correspondence, have been reproduced by any process other than handwriting or typewriting.

Minimum weight - There is no longer a minimum-weight threshold for Airmail M-bag usage. However, customers who tender Airmail M-bags that weigh less than 11 pounds are still required to pay the applicable 11-pound postage rate.
Maximum weight - 66 pounds (including the tare weight of the sack).
Identification - PS Tag 158, the Airmail M-Bag Addressee Tag, must be completed and attached to the neck of the sack.
Allowable Contents - Certain categories of merchandise can be combined with printed matter in an M-bag provided that all of the criteria are met for allowable contents."

But the cost is way high.

Regards,
John

[VictorianChick]

Thank you for the help. I've decided that whichever ones I can't get there at a reasonable cost, I'll tape to my body a la Midnight Express.

VictorianChick

[veiledsentiments]

Do tell us when and which airport... we want to come and watch how this goes with DHS and those fancy new x-ray machines and/or pat downs.

The trick is to cut it down to only the basics if this is your first year. Much depends on the resources at your employer. I had it down to two small boxes that followed me around the Gulf... one of books and one of materials.

VS

[Den of Earth]

I use my Kindle without restriction in KSA. It's hard to beat.