Korean Job Discussion Forums

daxdefranco · Joined: 04 Jul 2009 Location: chipyeong-dong, gwangju

I'm nearing the end of my contract and over the course of my time here, I've acquired loads and loads of books, many of which i'd rather not part with. I'm not prepared to make an at all accurate weight estimate, but i think there are 50 or more books. some heavy, some not so much. I would take a majority home in suitcases and just pay a bit for extra baggage, but I'm planning on travelling around Asia. I've sent things using the Korean post before, but never anything very heavy.

What are the speeds for post? Do they have a very long (ie, very cheap) option to send parcels? I tried the site for korea's post service but it wasn't terribly informative for anything beyond letters and small parcels.

Are there any other private services available that offer good rates? Thanks for any help!

Misera · Joined: 12 Oct 2008

To the US, the largest size box you can use is the size 5 box (dunno it's dimensions.. walk into a post office and you'll see it :p). The surface mail is slow-- up to 2 months (only takes a month and a week to Atlanta though). It starts at 25,000W I think.. My 10kg boxes cost me about 35,000 with insurance. Pretty cheap compared to taking an entire extra luggage home. There's a price listing for the weight on Korea's post office website.

Tobias · Joined: 02 Jun 2008

Sea parcel is the cheapest way to go. It takes several weeks, but you're not in a hurry to get those books back home anyway, right?

There is another way that may work. You could inventory your books, leave them with somebody or simply throw them out, and replace them all when you arrive back home. Why spend 200 or 300 on shipping these books back home when they could be replaced for half that amount or less? Amazon always has great deals on books.

daxdefranco · Joined: 04 Jul 2009 Location: chipyeong-dong, gwangju

Sea parcel it is. I'm satisfied even if it's 100,000 won and it seems like it won't be. Thanks for your help!

Tobias · Joined: 02 Jun 2008

Glad I could help. I've sent many a package back to the USA via sea parcel. It's not ultra-cheap, but it's definitely a lot cheaper than air mail.

sapeoblast · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

Quick follow up on the shipping question as I have the same issue. At the PO, how do I convey that I'd like to use the slowest, cheapest method possible?

I've been shipping various sized packages for a few months and the prices seem to be remarkably inconsistent. Sometimes I fill out the green customs form, sometimes not. Sometimes a small package costs 20,000krw and other times its under 5,000krw, even for similar weights.

Can you let me know exactly what I should be asking for or what forms, if any, I should be using to send big parcels back?

Also, if I use the insurance sheet, does that increase the cost? On that note, is it even worth the insurance in that once I'm gone, even if the packages never arrive, I'll have no way of claiming them from the States?!

Thanks!

Misera · Joined: 12 Oct 2008

sapeoblast · Joined: 11 Jun 2009

Sounds great, thanks! I'll try to remember to post an update if it works out, or, if it doesn't!

rayjoy · Joined: 19 Jan 2008 Location: Dynamic Busan

I just sent two boxes surface mail that weighed 8 kg ea for 24,000 each... earlier that week I brought in a giant box and they kind of pantomimed "too big!"

Just say "surface." No problem. Max weight is 20 kg. Max size is 200 cm (though I wasn't sure about how they reached that measurement exactly... the smaller boxes I sent were still pretty big).

There has been someone here who said they visited a PO that didn't offer surface mail. So just be prepared for that and go to another one if they tell you that.