Almost every person had to send or receive a parcel at least once in a lifetime. Therefore, it seems that everyone knows how to send a parcel by Russian Post; the instruction seems to be unnecessary. But in practice it often turns out that this is far from the case. It seems to be nothing complicated, but a lot of mistakes are made in this matter.
For example, can everyone immediately say how to calculate the cost of a parcel? Probably not. It is likely that even the question of where to find such information can be difficult. So today we’ll talk about how to send a parcel by Russian Post. The instructions that we will compile will be quite detailed.
General rules
First you need to choose the right post office. The fact is that some of them work only with shipments weighing up to 3 or 8 kg, while others accept only bulky or non-standard loads.
We take our turn in advance and start packing our parcel.
We fill in the necessary forms.
We pay for the shipment and securely save the check for payment, it will have a special number on it - a track number of 14 digits, by which you can track the movement of your shipment.
That, in fact, is all. Now we will analyze each item in detail in order.
Weigh
As already mentioned, first of all, you need to estimate the weight of the parcel. Not only the choice of the post office for sending, but also the cost of shipping itself depends on this.
Depending on this parameter, the division may be as follows:
- standard: up to 10 kg, ordinary packaging;
- non-standard: up to 20 kg in individual packaging;
- heavy: 10-20 kg, ordinary packaging;
- oversized: up to 50 kg - large package, non-standard dimensions.
If your shipment weighs more than fifty kg, then a special transport company will deal with its shipment, or you will have to send it in parts.
Packing
The next step is to arrange everything correctly. First you need to accurately determine the type of package and select the appropriate packaging. A mail officer can help you with this. The contents of the package can be folded into a cardboard or wooden box of a suitable size. Please note that the box should not have traces of previously stripped tape or other damage, so it is best to purchase a new container at the post office. It is inexpensive, and there will be fewer questions for you.
The maximum dimensions of the box allowed for packaging are 425 x 265 x 380 mm. If you want to send something very large and non-standard, you can wrap it in several layers of plain paper without extraneous inscriptions.
Attention! In no case do not wrap the shipment with your own tape - this is prohibited. You will be forced to remove the glued, and the packaging process will need to start over. Scotch tape should only be branded with the logo of the Russian Post.
We fill in the forms
You already understand a little how to send a parcel by Russian Post? The instructions in the article are as detailed as possible. We dealt with the packaging, now we begin to fill out the documents, or rather form No. 116. You can get forms at the post office for free. For each shipment, one document is filled out, in which you need to indicate:
- F. I.O. sender;
- sender address;
- Name of the recipient;
- address of the recipient;
- the declared value of the parcel (approximately) is the amount that you can claim in the event that your shipment is lost or damaged.
If you do not know the exact address of the recipient, you can send the package “on demand”. If you are having difficulty filling out the forms, then ask the department employee for help or look for a booth on which there are all samples.
After you fill out all the documents, you need to pay the appropriate amount at the post office. After payment you will receive a check, a copy of which you can send to the recipient. So he, too, will be able to monitor the movement of goods across the country or beyond.
Tariffs
Calculating the cost of a package without knowing some of the subtleties is quite problematic. The departure price includes several parameters:
- postage;
- payment for money transfer (on delivery by cash on delivery);
- order amount;
- the price of delivery of the product itself;
- insurance commission - usually about 5% of the cost of the package;
- packaging and other parameters.
In order not to bother with complex calculations with many unknowns, you can simply use the online calculator on the official website of the Russian Post. There you can find various tables, depending on which category your cargo belongs to, and so on. For those who find it difficult to understand the tables, the site has a special auto-tariff, he considers everything himself.
Delivery terms
It depends on a wide variety of factors:
- distances between settlements;
- weather conditions;
- delivery method (water, land or air transport);
- serviceability of transport;
- various force majeure.
For those who know the parcel number, the Russian Post provides an opportunity to track the movement of goods across the country.
In order to find out how many days your departure will reach the addressee, you can also use special tables. Quite often they are hung out in the common room of the post office. When using them, it should be borne in mind that such tables indicate the delivery time between more or less large cities. If you sent the goods to the village, then the time will increase slightly. It is also worth considering the availability of weekends and holidays.
If you did not find anything like this at the post office, just ask the cashier.
Additional postal services
So, now you know exactly how to send the parcel by Russian Post (instructions above). If you want, you can also use some additional services for free:
- Notification of delivery - this means that the parcel will be personally delivered to the addressee, and you will be given written confirmation.
- List of attachments - you will be issued with a list of the contents of the package certified by the branch employee. The date of dispatch will also be indicated there.
- Cash on delivery is a valuable package that you can receive only by fully paying its cost. Attention! The amount of cash on delivery cannot exceed the declared value of the parcel.
- Declared value - you can document the amount at which you evaluate your shipment. That is how much you will receive in case of loss or damage to the parcel.
- SMS notification is a service that allows the addressee to immediately know that the package has arrived in his name, and that the sender has received the shipment.
- Airmail (airmail) - delivery is much faster due to the use of air transport.
Useful Tips
Carefully pack the contents of the package, fill all empty spaces with crumpled newspapers, cotton or bubble wrap. This will not add weight to the dispatch, but the likelihood that everything will be safe and sound increases dramatically.
Before sending anything, make sure that the addressee does not live in the “mailbox” - this is a special list of cities to which it is simply impossible to send the parcel for reasons of state security.
Carefully re-read the list of items prohibited for shipment. You can find it on the website of the Russian Post.
Remember: if the declared value of the parcel exceeds 5 thousand rubles, you will have to additionally issue a customs declaration. This can be avoided by halving the shipment or simply lowering the declared value.