Postal service in Finland opens an office for customers from Russia

Russian customers are so unhappy about the Russian Post that they even go to Finland to pick up their parcels. Finnish postal service even hired Russian speaking employees because of that.

More about it in the news report from the Russian television company NTV (video in Russian)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReV60QFHcx8&w=560&h=315]

Middle name required for postal shipments to Russia?

USPS has notified Shipito that customers will need to use their middle names when sending packages to Russia. So Shipito freight forwarder asked customers sending packages to Russia to add their middle names to the name field in the Shipito account.

Russian Post only requires name, surname and address to identify the recipient. Russian Post can not violate the rules of the Universal Postal Union. And this is perfectly described on the Russian Post web-site.



Update
Shipito recognized that it was misinformed by a USPS representative. Middle name is not required.

SPSR Express plans to deliver goods from US and European shops to Russia directly

SPSR Express courier service will be delivering pacakges from British and American online stores directly. Expected delivery time is 3-7 days while the price will be about $20 per kilogramm. It is significantly faster than USPS Priority Mail International and USPS Express Mail International (Russian post and EMS).

Starting February 18th, 2013 SPSR Express will start getting packages from International delivery services directly (thus avoiding Russian post). SPSR has signed agreements with British WorldNet Direct and Scandinavian Smartguy already. The former helps to deliver packages from about half of the British online retailers including ASOS. WorldNet Direct has been testing SPSR Express services. SPSR Express is planning to sign an agreement with american Fiftyone that delivers purchases from more than 200 american online retailers inlcuding DKNY, Macy's, Sears, Shoes, etc. By the end of the year SPSR expects to deliver 20% of international packages to Russia.

Hopefully Shipito freight forwarder will sign an agreement with SPSR Express as well. Otherwise it will lose many customers from Russia who can use SPSR Express directly or via other freight forwarders (like Pochtoy, Qwintry, Shopotam, NYCMSK).

Russian shipping forwarder Shopotam (ex. EbayToday) offers more shipping methods bypassing Russian Post

Many major shipping forwarders offer alternative shipping methods bypassing state postal services and major courier services like DHL, Fedex, UPS. This allows to get better pricing and/or faster delivery. Moreover alternative shopping methods are more secure than state postal services.

For example, one of the biggest shipping forwarders in Russia Shopotam (former EbayToday) offers express delivery by SPSR Express and economy delivery by Boxberry. Both bypass Russian Post completely. And while you can deliver by SPSR Express much faster (5-10 days), the rates are comparable with USPS Express Mail International (EMS).



You may find more details on the Shopotam web-site.

Russian Post Standard - a new way of delivering packages with lithiumbatteries to Russia by Shipito

Russian Post Standard via Berlin is a new service offered by Shipito in cooperation with Russian Post branch in Berlin.

Packages are first shipped by truck to New York Los Angeles, then by air courier to Berlin, and after that put on a train to Moscow from where it is delivered to local branch of Russian post office. Each package has a Russian Post tracking number which will start working after the packages arrives in Berlin and is cleared through EU.

Limitations:

• Weight limit is 20kg (44 lbs)


• No size can be longer than 105 cm (41 inches)


• Sum of all three sizes should not be more than 200 cm (78 inches)


• Dimensional weight applies


• Maximum value and insurance is $2,500


• Insurance rate for losses or damages is 3% of the product value

This shipping methods works the best for heavier and smaller packages (like 26"x13"x13", 18-20kg).

Delivery time: From Shipito warehouse to New York: 5-6 days. From New York to Berlin - 2-3 days.
From Shipito warehouse to Los Angeles: 2-3 days. From New York to Berlin: 2-3 days. From Berlin to larger western cities like Moscow or St. Petersburg: 2 weeks. For very remote areas, this can take up to 5 weeks. The total time to deliver is then 3 to 7 weeks. Speed of delivery is not guaranteed and depends on Russian Post.

Currently available only in California warehouses. First shipment will be sent once Shipito has at least 1000 lbs. Once Shipito sends the first shipment they might wait for your feedback, before this becomes a permanent option.
As of December 2013, Russia Post Standard shipping method is available in California, Oregon and Nevada warehouses. The fastest mail out is from California warehouses as the plain is leaving from Los Angeles to Berlin (direct flight).

I've checked the cost of the new shipping method using the Shipito calculator for my last package (37.5 lbs, 36"x17"12") and found pretty interesting rates:



Please note that the dimensional weight applies.

Shipito recommends to use the Russia Post Standard shipping method, because it is the safest shipping method based on the number of insurance claims (just few claims in 2013).

Personally I still use USPS Priority Mail Express International (former USPS Express Mail International) for most of my packages:

• Examples of fees charged by USPS Express Mail and Shipito shipping forwarder in 2013 for sending packages from the United States to Russia
• Examples of fees charged by USPS Express Mail and Shipito shippingforwarder in 2012 for sending packages from USA to Russian Federation
• Some samples on how much it costs to send packages/parcels to Russia using USPS and Shipito (2010-2011)

This is due to the fact that the Russian Standard Post shipping method is very slow, is not offered in the Oregon warehouse and is not cheaper than USPS Express Mail International. Lack of alternatives to USPS (like SPSR Express) is one of the main reasons for customers from Russia to avoid Shipito. Other parcel forwarders shipping to Russia offer much better and cheaper services than Shipito. Although I must admit that I haven't found anything cheaper and better than Shipito for other countries of the world.

Is it risky to send packages from USA to Russia via USPS Express Mail / Priority Mail?

Of course Russian Post is anything but careful with its packages. For example, see the following video showing how they can unload package:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MReC1XqwJrQ&w=420&h=315]

Sending anything via Russian post has always been risky. However the discounts in the USA make this risk very moderate for me. Personally I have never had any content of my packages damaged because of the shipping.

I think that the largest risk is when shipping electronics and this is due to the following facts:

1. You can get a malfunctioned item.


2. Your item may break down during the warranty period.


3. You package can be lost.


4. Items from your package can be stolen.

Note that for most electronics the warranty is valid in the USA (or North America) only.

I recommend to ship packages via USPS Express Mail. It is faster than USPS Priority Mail and it is only slightly more expensive. The faster it is the safer it is. Besides I believe that EMS attracts better professionals than the rest of Russian Post.

Also please note that you can insure your USPS packages. And although USPS is far away from ideal when paying the insurance for lost packages, shipping from the USA to Russia becomes less risky.

Make sure to open your package in the post office to verify its content. When tracking your package at russianpost.ru make sure to pay attention to any changes in the weight of your package.