[rescue] Happy New Year! RIP, Sun/Solaris...

[gsm at mendelson.com]

On Fri, Jan 07, 2011 at 10:33:13AM -0600, Dr Robert Pasken wrote:

>a one pound package can be sent to Guinea-Biseau for $10.31.
>
>The same package to Israel is the same price. Assuming 20% 
>tax/customs rate on a $5 controller means that it costs you about $17

Yes, but for $11 you  might as well write my name and address on it, wrap $11
in cash on it, and throw it in a public trash can. The probablity of it
abeing picked out of the trash, taken to the post office and being mailed
here is about as likely as it arriving if you took it the post office yourself.

The USPS stinks for international mail. Unless you send it registered mail,
(priority mail does not count), no one keeps track of it. You can get a
label by printing one off the internet, for any mail. Their system keeps
track of it that it was printed, and when you drop it off at the post office.

IF it is facing the correct direction (about 10% chance from my experience)
when it goes through the scanner at a sorting center, it will be recorded as
entering the scanning center. If it is not, it is not recorded. In any case
that is the last time it will ever be recordered. 

If it is registered, it will be recorded as being handed over to the Israeli
Postal Company. That is not 100% and we have had registered mail recorded 
as being handed over to the USPS by the Israeli post, and never recorded (nor
forwarded) by the USPS.

Once it gets here there is a good chance it won't, or it will get to the 
post office and the pickup notice will never get here. If it's registered, 
I can track when it gets to the post office and show up with a printout of
their web page and they will look for it. 

To summarize if you want to send a one pound package to anywhere outside of
the US and expecxt it to possibly arrive, you had better pay for Priority 
Mail (air mail shipping, delivery to your door after arrival in country) and
the extra fee for registered mail. This is going to run around $15-$20 for
postage and fees, plus whatever mark-up the vendor includes.

BTW the longest a package ever took that actually arrived from the US in the
last year was sent priority mail and took 45 days from sorting center arrival
to my door. 

The fastest deliver I've had recently as a set of mini to micro SIM adaptors,
which I ordred from Austia on Sunday and Wednesday morning of the same week
where in my mailbox. Similar items ordered from Holland, have yet to show
up. (two weeks later).

Geoff.


-- 
Geoffrey S. Mendelson N3OWJ/4X1GM
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to misquote it.