Mail to Russia

[John and Anna 0]

OK, I have never sent anything to Russia before but now I have to send a box of documents to Elena for her interview next month. Whats the best way? UPS, DHL, FedEx? Also, do I use her Russian language address? English? Both? This is a pretty important package (obviously) so I need advice...

I always use USPS express mail. The price is very reasonable and it will get there in about 1 week. You do not need to write the address in Russian alphabet, English will be fine.

Tracking is not so good with USPS. Fedex has great tracking and about the same as USPS till you get over a couple of pounds (1k) so if its over 1k then make copies and send USPS. DHL for some reason is 30% more than Fedex.

[slim 1,523]

Did you guys all miss where neonred just told us about free shipping to Russia?

Ship it DHL then call and complain, citing the guarantee. They'll refund the money = FREE SHIPPING TO RUSSIA!!!

Awesome!

[Milenka 0]

If I trusted DHL I would use them at least DHL that goes through Poland (not sure whose rules they use) With documents it should be fine, and like Slim said, probably free, but for other things like presents, I wouldn't use them again, I had to pay over $100, to get my own clothes (not new, or anything) back from them, just because my dad sent them using his business account, then we had to send about a fax 20 different times, with revised lists of EVERY item in the package...It should have been to us in 3 days, but I got if after 2 weeks, and they wouldn't give me any refund...

[mrsushi66 0]

Neonred, I looked at DHL website can you post where they garuntee time to russia??

Paul and Anna

[Neonred 3,553]

This applies to documents and that is what I was sending a few years back. Now they are quoting 3 days for non-dutiable shipments.

http://www.dhl-usa.com/TransitTimes/IntlTT...IntTransitTimes

http://www.dhl-usa.com/IntlSvcs/detail/Int...DocumentService

see the service guarantee?? Look here....

http://www.dhl-usa.com/resources/Service_G..._New_DHL_v5.pdf

Both times I sent document packages (the DHL envelopes) it took a week or more. I was able to track the shipments and one of them ended up in Belgium for a while. They both did get properly delivered after several days. I called and complained and asked about the "service guarantee". They took my information and told me they would investigate. Sure enough after a few weeks I got full refunds both times.

I am not suggesting you consider this for "free shipping" to Russia, I only want you to know that if they screw up you are entitled to some compensation. I was really surprised to get anything back from them, no less a full refund. I don't think many people know about this policy......and I won't be surprised if they change it soon.

[Boris 0]

i sent package to Russia via regular mail,it took 3 months.

Edited June 21, 2007 by Boris

[russ 1]

This applies to documents and that is what I was sending a few years back. Now they are quoting 3 days for non-dutiable shipments.

I have corporate accounts with Fedex and UPS. Another way you get screwed is that they charge things to your account that you did not ship. They credit the money back to you, but it is a pain to fight with them over it.

[Waitlisted 0]

I wouldn't recommend addressing your package in English. Especially if she lives in a smaller city.

And under no circumstances, should you ever, NEVER send money in the mail. I have never sent

money but, I have sent plenty of packages and almost all were reported to have been opened

before they arrived.

Anyone else have this problem? My packages were sent to Tver. (TBEPb) Maybe that has something

to do with it?

[russ 1]

i sent package to Russia via regular mail,it took 3 months.

Everything I have ever sent has arrived promptly. (Addressed in Cyrillic, case

doesn't seem to matter much for names. Written in block letters and cyrillic script.)

Packages sent to me from Russia have either taken many months, or not arrived at all.

[Neonred 3,553]

My wife's daughter sent her a birthday gift a few weeks ago from Rostov-on-Don (what else but a pair of shoes!) by Russian post and it arrived here exactly one week after it was sent.

When cards were sent to me the time varied from a few weeks to more than a month.

[slim 1,523]

Seems like a crapshoot either way. And, there's no rhyme or reason to the size/weight of the packages and the transit time. I've sent an 8 oz. envelope and it's taken three weeks, and I've sent an 8 lb. box, and it's taken three weeks. So, who knows.

Just remember if you have time-critical things to send (like K-1 papers) send them with a company, not the postal system. If you have time... post office is cheaper.

[Nancy2015 2]

My mom sends me stuff from Russia sometimes, I used to send stuff to her too. She writes the address in both languages, I write in English only. Packages tend to take 1-2 weeks to arrive. During the Xmas season they may take forever - I got my mom's Xmas gift by the end of January this year, although she sent in early December

[mendeleev 68]

I'm about to send my next parcel to my wife by USPS Express Mail. I've lost count how many parcels I've sent this way -- about 25. Every single one has arrived -- and everything with them has also arrived every single time. I sent photos, books, clothes (for her and the grandson) cosmetics for her, MIL, daughter-in-law, organic green tea, chocolate -- those sorts of thing. I used to have concerns about the Russian postal service -- and each time I mail something I wonder if this will be the first time something went astray. Delivery time to Novosibirsk is reliably about 13 days. The tracking system has gotten better and now I can use the USPS tracking numbers and see when the parcels clear customs in Moscow. This wasn't the case a couple years ago. Some things in Russia are getting better.

(At my new address here in Colorado, I had to work with the local post office, visiting my postmaster several times, threatening to get my Congressman involved, before correspondents stopped telling me that their mail was being returned to them as undeliverable. I got some mail from day 1, and it took them months before they appeared to get it right. In my experience, the Russian postal service is *MUCH* better than this.)

My wife has sent me birthday cards a couple times by normal post.

When I sent my wife documents for her K1 interview, I used DHL. DHL did not deliver within the guaranteed time (6 days) but they did within 9 days. I was able to track my parcel throughout. Was it worth the extra $100? (USPS parcels are $32-40, depending on weight. The DHL parcel, among the lightest I've sent, was $155.) Yes, because the documents were irreplaceable.

Recently, when my wife sent back to me signature cards (since I moved, I'm changing banks and setting up a suite of new joint accounts) we used UPS. The cost was about 65 USD -- extravagant to her, but I covered the cost.

Edited June 25, 2007 by novotul

[slim 1,523]

We need to set up a VJ delivery system. People go to Russia pretty regularly from our forum, so maybe we can start hand-carrying small parcels for each other. I wouldn't mind throwing a K-1 packet in my bag for someone.

But, I don't have the money to get to Russia for quite a while, so I'll be "on the list" (probably near the bottom) for a year or two before I can help.

[Satellite 1]

We need to set up a VJ delivery system. People go to Russia pretty regularly from our forum, so maybe we can start hand-carrying small parcels for each other. I wouldn't mind throwing a K-1 packet in my bag for someone.

Very common practice in the Russian community here in the states. However, all we usually do is just repackage and dump it off at the local post office in the town we are going to. Unless it is the same town nobody goes out of their way to hand deliver. And we usually get the stuff from locals, here on VJ we'd have to mail stuff domestically first. I don't know who to trust more, random people online or the Russian postal service?!