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ChinaLady · Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2005 9:38 am Post subject: the Chinese Post Office

I almost dred posting anything negative as I will be put on a list to never receive anything ever again. the usual letters get through but forget items from your home country that can be eated. a great friend sent over homemade fudge in November. we got a half a box in January. guess they had to taste it for drugs? my hometown vet sent me some worm pills for cats. this time, nothing got through. ah, well, we know the customs people in Beijing now do not have worms? a warming thought?
sending out? well, I am used to them pawing through everything. so, now I carry the items in a paper bag, they pack it, wrap it and post it. I watch.
expensive? not!! I mailed myself some clothing from the states on the last trip home - I packed it and wrapped it. cost? almost $100 USD. I should have lied and said it was books. now that is cheap! but will take 3 - 4 months.
for a controlled state business, the Chinese PO does okay. not great but okay!

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

If you want to feel extra sure about everything, go to a post office that has closed circuit TV that can monitor the people behind the counter -- the one I used to go to in Shenzhen had that anyway. Also register everything you send.

Another good thing to remember is that there are two kinds of slow mail, if you have heavy stuff that doesn't have to arrive somewhere quickly. There's the air/sea mail, which takes about a month, and the all sea mail that takes two months. I used to mail four kilo packages to my friend's store, and with the first service, it cost 188 RMB, and for the second it was 138. The prices go up in increments of 1 kilo, so if you're sending 1.1 kilos, it'll cost the same as 1.99 kilos, so that's something to remember. Preweigh your packages if you can.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Registering snail mail in China: doesn't afford you any safety at all! They may give you a receipt, but your mail may be discarded. Nearly happened to me in Shenzhen - the reason was I had used a non-standard envelope, and the clerk silently collected her dues from me, then left the envelope lying in a spearate place; I asked her, and she told me point-blank it was not going to reach its destination.
With the help of her supervisor I did finally iron this last wrinkle.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong