What Postal service??? Posting to South Africa.

[CLEM]

Ello chaps, I've got a parcel to post to South Africa, now the reason I am asking who to use UPS, FEDEX is twice I have posted parcels to SA and twice they have not been received. Both times I sent via Royal Mail. So who do you use and who do you suggest I use. I really don't want this to vanish a third time.
Thanks in advance chaps 👍

 

[bopdude]

I can't give you an answer but from my 7 years living there can tell you that more often than not anything with an overseas stamp addressed to me failed.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Goatboy]

Last time my neighbour was posting a heap of parcels abroad; many of them odd shapes & sizes which madept the Royal Mail prohibitively expensive, I Google something like "...cheap parcel postage abroad...." and a list of companies came up who by unused space in courier services vehicles & freight containers.
You popped in the amount of parcels and their dimensions and it gave you a price. Ended up that a company like UPS or DHL (forget exactly who it was) picked up the packages from her house and they were in Romania two and a half days later. The cost was more than a third cheaper than te quote we got from the companies website the ended up sending them. The company I found is able to do this as they are buying "dead space in others vehicles/containers in bulk. The freight companies don't want dead space as it's a waste of fuel and you're also being more eco friendly as it saves wasted fuel.
Will try to dig out the company we used for you tomorrow (though it's just a quick Google yourself if you want a go) as I'm on my phone tonight but have internet access tomorrow.
Was really amazed at how much we could save.
Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[CLEM]

I tell ya talk about saddening, maddening and just outright disappointing. My friend she was so excited by these last two parcels and so disappointed for them to be stolen.

 

[Goatboy]

Hi Clem,

Here are a couple of the brokerage courier services I was talking about: -

http://www.interparcel.com/

https://www.parcel2go.com/

https://www.parcelmonkey.co.uk/

Have a play around and see the differences in prices, also as said before worth checking it against the company who's picking it ups price as it's usually cheaper than their own website by quite a bit.

 

[forrestdweller]

do*nt send anything with DHL: only time i used them it took them three weeks for an express delivery [instead of three days] which meant the document i needed was late-- costed me one thousand dollars extra... . seems i*m not the only one who had bad experiences with them

 

[Arya]

Getting post to and from Africa is, in my experience, a nightmare. My father lives in Nairobi, and several of our parcels have never showed up. Seven out of ten parcels have been eaten by the postoffice monster so far...

 

[CLEM]

Thanks folks. Will let you know how it goes. 👍

 

[rik_uk3]

Hi Clem,

Here are a couple of the brokerage courier services I was talking about: -

http://www.interparcel.com/

https://www.parcel2go.com/

https://www.parcelmonkey.co.uk/

Have a play around and see the differences in prices, also as said before worth checking it against the company who's picking it ups price as it's usually cheaper than their own website by quite a bit.

I've used the first two a lot when selling stoves abroad with no problems to date.

Places like RSA and Israel can be problematic, that said Italy (for me) gave issues...stoves arrived but it took weeks. DHL, certainly within Europe has done me proud.

 

[widu13]

My company sends weekly to SA. It's an utter lottery. Best results with DHL and UPS. Even SA is rife with corruption. Including a client who went to collect a package which was on a shelf behind the guy serving him and they guy was unable to help him. The client said "It's there behind you" Guy says, "Perhaps you could do something to help me see it" A few notes exchange hands and the package is "found".

Other times, packages are held at customs for import duties and the client either not contacted or does not pay the import duty. Often the package is "destroyed" by customs for non compliance/payment.

It's much worse elsewhere in Africa. Lesotho is really hard to get a delivery to.

 

[Stevie777]

In 30 years time parcels will be delivered by drones, right in your bedroom window.....not much help in know, but can you imagine.

 

[santaman2000]

In 30 years time parcels will be delivered by drones, right in your bedroom window.....not much help in know, but can you imagine.

Nah. Drone delivery will be in less than 3 years. In 30 years time it'll be delivered by transporter beam.

 

[Goatboy]

In 30 years time parcels will be delivered by drones, right in your bedroom window.....not much help in know, but can you imagine.

Some "Parcels" are already being delivered by drone, right through the window. They tend to go bang though.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.