Mail a box a stuff home

[Pascal Ma]

I study in Beijing (BLCU), and I have a bunch of stuff, mostly gifts, that I want to mail back home. I know they'll be late for Christmas, but it's ok, let's call them Chinese new year presents. :rolleyes:

A friend of mine tried to send two small boxes (very light) to Canada, the lady there took two small boxes (instead of one bigger one) and said it was 150¥/kilogram, but then said that it would be 300¥. I guess because two boxes and it's probably minimum 150¥ per box. Anyway, my friend ended up asking a contact to bring her package in her luggage when she goes home for the holidays.

Now, I also wish to send a package home, but it will be bigger (a few presents, some of them heavier). Not more than 2-3 kilos though... But this is expensive. I know this is airmail also...

I found this :

Link to China Post website with Google Translation

Which seems to confirm the 150kuai/gongjin, even though the website calculates it by each 100grams.

What are people usually doing? Sucking it up and paying? Or is there an alternative that I am not seeing? How slow is surface mail?

Thanks!

[roddy]

Are you looking at sending it as a small packet (小包) under the letters (函件) tariffs? That can work out cheaper for small parcels due to the 100g minimum and increments, but for 3kg you're probably better off with the parcels (包裹) tariff. I'd guess it's a bit slower, but you're going to miss Christmas anyway.

[fanglu]

The website you linked to shows a 2kg package sent to Canada by SAL (combined air and land) as costing 144rmb, 209rmb for air or 108rmb for land, not including the 'receipt fee', customs inspection fee etc.

You need to look at the page headed 国际包裹资费计算, the title in the menu on the left is 国际包裹资费.

I have used land transport to Australia before and it took about 6 weeks.

[Moving_away]

Just for reference, since I just did exactly the same as the OP wants to only a week ago:

On the 9th of December I sent out a package of about 3.3 kilo by airmail to Europe. I was told it would take about half a month to arrive but I guess I was lucky and it already arrived the day before yesterday (16th) so it only took a week. I had to pay 372.40元 for sending it, plus some extra for the box etc., totalling to 390元. As said, just to give an idea.

One tip: Don't pack it in packaging paper. I was lucky and only had to open a few, but if they doubt or just want to be exact, they can make you open everything and there's no use for your packaging paper any more (unless you enjoy unpacking you own gifts ^_^ ). Plus keep in mind that you might be refused to send some stuff. I almost was refused to send some cookies because (as I heard them discuss among themselves) they contained butter!

[abcdefg]

How slow is surface mail?

From China to the USA, the post office usually says "up to 3 months" but my experience has been that it generally only takes about 6 weeks. I don't know about other destinations.

[Pascal Ma]

Thanks everyone for the explanations and clarifications.

I think this should be fairly straightforward. I'm thinking of using these silk shoe bags I got at Hongqiao market as wrapping, so easy to open for them and cute wrapping still. B)

[Tianjin42]

I sent two small parcels from Beijing to England last week. I did a little research so I will pass on the information here.

First of all, I was informed at the post office that air mail ("fast mail") for my small parcels should be 8-10 days before delivery. "Slow mail", I was told, would be around 1 month.

As an example, 1 parcel weighed 659 grams and cost RMB170.30 to send by air.

[JenniferW]

Why not go into the campus post office with the stuff you want to mail, and ask them the cheapest way to mail it to Canada? One parcel or two, slow, slower or slowest, etc. If you plan on the time it will take, I've found post office staff really helpful. And if the campus post office staff are stressed out with students and Christmas parcels, the big post office down the road will sort it out - they know the answers to everything in there!