Today, purchases abroad are gaining popularity, particularly in the United States. Using the Internet, this is very easy. The advantages of such purchases are obvious: you can buy a thing of good quality relatively cheaply, and paying with PayPal will make the purchase as safe as possible.
However, many Russians have repeatedly come across the fact that it is much easier to buy a little thing you like than to get it. The fact is that the delivery of goods from overseas can take quite a lot of time and be fraught with certain difficulties. So, how long is the package from America and what shipping method is best used? Consider the most popular options.
America Post - First-Class Mail International
One common way to get goods from the United States is to use America Post Services (USPS). In the United States, such a service is an analogue of Russian Post. Here, customers are offered various tariff plans, the cost of which depends on how soon you would like to receive the shipment and how large it is.
The first, cheapest, but not too reliable tariff plan is First-Class, or the departure of the first class. A parcel from America sent in this way can go to the addressee from 25 to 40 days or more. Delivery is carried out to the post office in Russia, which you specify when filling out documents.
There are a lot of disadvantages of this type of forwarding :
- firstly, cargo insurance is completely absent, it cannot be purchased even for an additional fee;
- secondly, it is impossible to track a parcel from America sent in this way, it remains only to wait patiently and hope that everything will be fine.
Also for this tariff plan there are other restrictions:
- parcel weight - not more than 30 kg;
- length - up to 90 cm;
- girth (2 widths + length + 2 heights) - less than 2 m.
If you have been sent an identifier number that begins with the letters LN, LC, LJ - you are "lucky", get ready for a long wait.
Other tariff - Priority Mail International
Consider the following, most popular tariff plan. A parcel from America sent in this way will arrive in Russia in at least two weeks. The maximum waiting period can reach a little over a month. There is no compulsory insurance for such a shipment, but if you bought something of value and are afraid that the parcel will be lost or deteriorate in transit, you can purchase it separately.
The policy is quite inexpensive. A package insured for $ 50 will cost you an additional $ 2.50. In this way, you can send a parcel weighing no more than 20 kg, a length of up to 91 cm and a girth of up to 2 m. Departure will also be delivered to the nearest post office. Parcels sent using the “Priority” tariff plan are marked with the letters CP, CT, CQ, CJ or RR. Unlike the previous one, such a departure can be traced both on the official website of the American postal operator and on the Russian Post portal after crossing the state border.
Pretty fast - Express Mail International
A parcel from America sent by express delivery will reach Russia even faster - in 15–25 days. All shipments sent in this way are compulsory insured for at least $ 100. You can purchase a policy and more expensive, but at an additional cost. The maximum insurance amount is $ 5000.
For this delivery method, there are also restrictions on the weight and dimensions of the package:
- weight - no more than 31.75 kg;
- length - up to 152 cm;
- girth - no more than 274 cm.
If you ordered the delivery of your goods in this way, then the identification number of the shipment in this case will begin with the letters EM, EG, EB, EV, EH or EC. When the parcel arrives in Russia, the courier will bring it directly to your home. Shipments made in this way can be tracked along the way: first on the USPS website, then on the Russian Post portal. There is also a special free hotline in the country. By calling 8-800-200-50-55 and calling the departure code, you can get any information that interests you.
Super Speed - Global Express Guaranteed
The most expensive, but also very fast way is sending from America under the Global Express tariff. You will have the goods somewhere after 4-5 days, well, a maximum in a week. The shipment will also be insured for at least $ 100, and the maximum amount of coverage will be 2.5 thousand American money.
Restrictions on the weight and size of the cargo are almost identical to the previous tariff:
- weight - up to 31.5 kg;
- length - 116 cm;
- girth - 274 cm.
The parcel is assigned a ten-digit code, consisting of only numbers, the courier also brings her home. Unlike the previous method, you can track the cargo only on the official USPS website, and in Russia you just have to wait patiently (not for long). Probably the only drawback of this method of sending is its price - it is quite high.
All these methods have one common indicator. In order not to pay customs duty, no more than 1 thousand dollars worth of goods with a total weight of up to 50 kg can be sent to one individual within a month.
Courier services
If the American mail does not suit you with something, it is possible to deliver parcels from America using private companies. Such services, for example, are provided by international carriers DHL, EMS or FedEx. The delivery time for such operators is small and is about a week. But, on the other hand, their services cost a lot. In addition, parcels sent in this way are often detained at customs. The thing here is in exceeding the monthly limits, for private traders they are slightly lower.
The undoubted advantage of contacting private carrier companies is that they can be used to send heavier loads than is possible in the USPS.
How to send a parcel to the States
Well, we have already talked about the ways of sending goods from the USA to Russia , but if you need to do the opposite?
Sending to America from Russia takes about 2 or 3 weeks, perhaps a little more. This service is provided by Russian Post and the same private carrier companies. You can find out more detailed information on this issue (terms, cost, weight and size restrictions) on the websites of these companies. On the official portal of the Russian Post, you can also see a list of things prohibited from exporting from the country. These include, for example, animals and organisms (except for bees and leeches), tissues and organs, all types of weapons, pornographic materials, perishable goods, and so on. There you can download the customs declaration form , as well as see a sample of its completion.
Russian Post offers 2 types of delivery:
As you know, the price of these services differs quite a lot, also about 2 times.