Since postal services in countries not sharing the same alphabet are involved, I duplicated the mailing address on a few items I shipped to Россия. The post, however, proved unreliable and for the address in St.Petersburg we used a proxy in Finland and the company sent a courier to collect the items.
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I regularly ship to Bulgaria, which uses pretty much the same cyrillic alphabet, but I always write down the address in latin. Haven't had problems at all. I suggest you use latin.
Right. I don't expect from American postal workers knowledge of Cyrilic alphabet.
Interestingly if you use cyrillic, how is the US post office going to read the address, so they can send it to the right destination ?
That's a good point.. I've never had trouble mailing stuff to Russia, although I will admit it is a very rare event. The other way not the case. (I love Russian teflon caps and certain tubes.)
Interestingly if you use cyrillic, how is the US post office going to read the address, so they can send it to the right destination ?
I guess if you do send it in cyrillic that you just need to put "Russia" in english at the botton. USPS only needs to know what country it's going to and the rest doesn't matter to them.
I would put both english and cyrillic, but the Pitney-Bowes label system I'm using only allows one or the other.
I'm just going to send them both how they were given to me and see what happens. Worst case I lose $40.
I guess if you do send it in cyrillic that you just need to put "Russia" in english at the botton. USPS only needs to know what country it's going to and the rest doesn't matter to them.
I would put both english and cyrillic, but the Pitney-Bowes label system I'm using only allows one or the other.
I'm just going to send them both how they were given to me and see what happens. Worst case I lose $40.
Anyway you risk to loose, regardless of spelling: people from DiyAudio.RU have a topic open called "Hate Russian Postal Service Topic"
My wife is Russian.
We frequently send parcels - photos, children's clothes, etc - back to the motherland.
As above, put "Moscow, Russian Federation" (or whatever city) in english. that will get it out of the country on the right route.
The actual local address is best in Cyrillic, in descending order, ie District/City, code, on the top line, apartment number on the bottom.
Failure rate is high: about 1/3 items we have sent disappeared.
From the UK there is a registered (ie signatures all the way) service worthwhile for important documents. some airlines also have (had?) a "hand-carry" service.
We frequently send parcels - photos, children's clothes, etc - back to the motherland.
As above, put "Moscow, Russian Federation" (or whatever city) in english. that will get it out of the country on the right route.
The actual local address is best in Cyrillic, in descending order, ie District/City, code, on the top line, apartment number on the bottom.
Failure rate is high: about 1/3 items we have sent disappeared.
From the UK there is a registered (ie signatures all the way) service worthwhile for important documents. some airlines also have (had?) a "hand-carry" service.
Google translation, from diyaudio.ru:
Another brick in the direction of mail.
Waiting for a package from Peter. Postage 1st class. Large box, there are lots of packing paper and bubble, and 3 are not cheap radio tubes.
I look at tracking - "Arrived at the place of delivery" 15.09. On the calendar, the 16th. I call my parents' advice to send it? - No no. "
I go to the post. I'm actually turn. I went to the window, "Make it so in my name come from?" - She left somewhere between five and seven minutes was looking for, then says - "No no, wait a notice!"
Today again went to the post, listing himself with tracking from the site address. Shove out the window - I say keep looking. It is 2 days as you have to lie to.
Deushka takes the paper away. Again, it's not 10 minutes (in the back and presses while quietly swearing crowd).
Had to bring another piece of paper with printing on them trekinga.U mail is another internet connection, not like us. Even the picture site looks different. At ihnemtrkinge parcel number of arrivals is not in 076 post office, and 060. She handed me a paper and says, you see, your parcel we do not. You can get it in the post office. And it's across town. Please call her back and find out about this parcel. Another 5 minutes goes into trying to get through. In the crowd one of the grannies loudly indignant. others support it. At the head of the noise goes ON. Let me explain the problem to her. It calls on his cell at the 60th division, and it turns out that there is such a premise has not been seen.
I tell her, let's make out the loss of posting. She says, wait and go .... after a minute or two brings me that same parcel. Take said. A total of six hours of time and hell knows how many millions of nerve cells ..... okay though bulbs are not broken down the road.
Horrible translation, but you can get a clue how Russian post offices work...
Another brick in the direction of mail.
Waiting for a package from Peter. Postage 1st class. Large box, there are lots of packing paper and bubble, and 3 are not cheap radio tubes.
I look at tracking - "Arrived at the place of delivery" 15.09. On the calendar, the 16th. I call my parents' advice to send it? - No no. "
I go to the post. I'm actually turn. I went to the window, "Make it so in my name come from?" - She left somewhere between five and seven minutes was looking for, then says - "No no, wait a notice!"
Today again went to the post, listing himself with tracking from the site address. Shove out the window - I say keep looking. It is 2 days as you have to lie to.
Deushka takes the paper away. Again, it's not 10 minutes (in the back and presses while quietly swearing crowd).
Had to bring another piece of paper with printing on them trekinga.U mail is another internet connection, not like us. Even the picture site looks different. At ihnemtrkinge parcel number of arrivals is not in 076 post office, and 060. She handed me a paper and says, you see, your parcel we do not. You can get it in the post office. And it's across town. Please call her back and find out about this parcel. Another 5 minutes goes into trying to get through. In the crowd one of the grannies loudly indignant. others support it. At the head of the noise goes ON. Let me explain the problem to her. It calls on his cell at the 60th division, and it turns out that there is such a premise has not been seen.
I tell her, let's make out the loss of posting. She says, wait and go .... after a minute or two brings me that same parcel. Take said. A total of six hours of time and hell knows how many millions of nerve cells ..... okay though bulbs are not broken down the road.
Horrible translation, but you can get a clue how Russian post offices work...
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Explanation of this translation: in Russia Postal Service does not bring boxes to recipients. They traditionally drop into mailbox a notice, so he must go to postoffice, stay in line, and take the parcl.
Today they have Web sites and tracking numbers, but in this particular case according to website the parcel was already in the post office, but they denied that and suggested the guy to wait for a notice. After he insisted she looked at some website and said that the parcel is in he different post office, on the other side of the town. Somebody called that post office and found that they have no the parcel. Then he suggested to do paperwork and claim the loss, after that the lady found the parcel during one minute.
Today they have Web sites and tracking numbers, but in this particular case according to website the parcel was already in the post office, but they denied that and suggested the guy to wait for a notice. After he insisted she looked at some website and said that the parcel is in he different post office, on the other side of the town. Somebody called that post office and found that they have no the parcel. Then he suggested to do paperwork and claim the loss, after that the lady found the parcel during one minute.
It's a shame really. The few parts I sell, I try to make available to people in other countries who might not be able to get the parts locally or where shipping cost from a distributor is too high.
I can send a small packet anywhere in the world for only 2USD. I take on a lot of risk though since there is no way to track delivery. So far I have only had one complaint of a lost package out of close to 300 packages sent. Another was sent back with a failure to deliver notice from Latvia, but the only thing lost there was the postage cost.
If either of these packages fail to get delivered to Russia I will unfortunately have to refuse further shipments there.
I can send a small packet anywhere in the world for only 2USD. I take on a lot of risk though since there is no way to track delivery. So far I have only had one complaint of a lost package out of close to 300 packages sent. Another was sent back with a failure to deliver notice from Latvia, but the only thing lost there was the postage cost.
If either of these packages fail to get delivered to Russia I will unfortunately have to refuse further shipments there.
Wavebourn, the French post office isn't much better. I send stuff to my son in Paris from French online stores, Amazon, FNAC, etc. He usually has a hard time claiming it, just like your translated story. The video camera I sent for Christmas? Poof! Gone.
People here complain about the US post office. I say "count your blessings!". It's cheap and mostly reliable.
People here complain about the US post office.
I say "count your blessings!". It's cheap and mostly reliable.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Translation: "Man, don't you see we have a lunch break."
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