Job Discussion Forums

HeatherN · Joined: 26 Aug 2005 Posts: 4

I'm looking at moving to Guadalajara from Australia next year, can anyone tell me how reliable the postal service in Mexico is?

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

50-50, by my experience. Use a courier, like DHL. If you are shipping goods, expect Aduana (Mexican Customs) to peg duty on it.

joshua2004 · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:57 pm Post subject:

Anything of value or importance should be shipped with reputable carrier. such as DHL, UPS, FED-EX, and the other established agencies.

You can send things through the Mexican postal service, but do not be surprised to find your packed was opened during shipment and/or it doesn't arrive.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

A couple of years ago I sent Christmas presents at the last minute from the little town in Mexico where I lived to Australia. I used FedEx and it cost about $700 (pesos), which was more than the cost of the things I was sending. After having a little holiday in Customs in Sydney, they all arrived fine, and before Christmas, so the kids were happy.

The same year, my mum sent me various items (a small plastic Christmas tree, and hand made decorations) via Australia Post and it all arrived fine. However, I think DHL was involved somewhere along the line because I don't think my town had the facility for handling parcels.

Standard intelligence is not to send shoes or candy because customs will grab them. Don't forget that if you are travelling via the US, you are not restricted to the 20kgs that we are for travelling around the rest of the world. Each bag can be as heavy as 32kg!

Good luck!
Lozwich.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Even DHL can be tricky, if customs gets hold of your pack. My mother once sent me a care package...a set of sheets, a small coffee maker, 1 kg of coffee, some other doodads, and the video of my wedding. Got several calls from DHL saying that there was duty to pay, then aduana called me to say I had to pay 300 pesos. They called the next day to say I owed 1000 pesos. They called the day after that and said that I owed 2500 pesos. I called DHL after the last extortion call by aduana and told them to ship it back to Canada...I could buy a plane ticket, pick it up myself in Ottawa, and bring it back here for less time and money.

MO39 · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 6:30 pm Post subject:

For what it's worth, I recently sent a card and small present (in a large padded envelope) from Mexico City to a suburb near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (in the U.S.). They took two weeks to arrive, which I thought was a really long time. But both items arrived in perfect condition, which is the most important thing, �verdad?

Saludos a todos,

MO

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I've mailed several letters and postcards. They've taken a week to 10 days to arrive.
I think packages are a different story. If they contain anything of value, use a courier.

Ms. Atondo · Posted: Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:43 pm Post subject:

I sent a small package to Canada and it was pretty much looted at Customs even though the fellow who packed the box and sent it DHL said it would all be fine. Only took 3 days to get there, though. On the flip side my mom sent me a package from Canada full of candy, spices, and a brand new pair of brand name jeans and a shirt. All arrived intack but I waited almost 3 months for the package and the box arrived full of dust (?) and bound in twine....

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

aroha · Joined: 08 Oct 2004 Posts: 66 Location: Mexico

I heard it was Drop it Hide it Lose it...

I've had a couple packages sent from New Zealand. They arrived intact and it took about two weeks. Definitely make use of the 32 kg luggage allowance. I brought a bicycle with me and stuffed lots of bits and pieces into the bicycle bag.

On the reverse side, I have been trying to send a package from Mexico to NZ by normal registered mail, but the post office is only open from 9am to 3pm on weekdays, and Saturday morning. I finally resorted to FedEx today as it was kind of urgent.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

I know I wrote above to use a courier rather than the Mexican postal service, but unfortunately I can't always follow my own advice. In September and October I bought about a dozen small items on eBay, and the shippers used USPS Global Airmail. So far, about four have arrived (Nov 21). Rolling Eyes

I have a couple of USPS tracking numbers but when I key those into the USPS web site, all it tells me is that the items were shipped - one as far back as September 27! I've tried talking to the local post office, but they aren't much help; they just tell me that they haven't seen the packages come in.

danielita · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 281 Location: SLP

My friend sent me some candy, spices and a cd by registered mail. It took 7 weeks to get here and the box looked like it had been dragged through the desert by a rabid donkey, but everything arrived in tact. I have only send greeting cards and post cards back home, and they take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks to get there. I think it is hit and miss with regular post. It depends on how interesting your package is, compared to the rest of them in the post office that week...

D

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Been running at 100% delivery through normal Mexican mail lately..books from ebay mostly, though the time it takes varies from one week to still-waiting-now-4-weeks.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

It takes 3 to 6 weeks for me to receive letters and cards mailed from the States. It takes about 2 weeks for letters and cards that I mail from here to arrive at their destination in the States.

There are big red mailboxes scattered throughout the city, but I think postal employees check them only about once every 4 or 5 months to see if letters have been deposited in them. There are also branch post offices for different sections of the city, but letters mailed at those tend to sit there for several weeks before going anywhere. Whenever I mail anything, which isn't often, I go to the main post office downtown.

By the way, I'm still waiting for a Mesquakie Casino Tee-shirt and some paperback books that my mom mailed to me in September . . . of 1998. Confused

samizinha · Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 174 Location: Vacalandia

I had been expecting three packages from Canada, and had not recieved them for two months through the regular postal system. I decided to go to the post office and they told me that if it was put into the mail, it would be at my house! Hmmm. After a very friendly chat, they took me to the back of the building to meet the deliverer for my area.
This man remembered exactly which parcles he had been given to deliver, the house he had brought them to, and the name of the woman who had accepted them! It turns out that the items had gone to the wrong house on my street, to a woman who claimed that I lived there. Eventually, after being shamed by the people in my neighbourhood, the woman dropped off my things.
Now, if I have something that I�m expecting, I just ask my postman to keep an eye for it.