Fastest Postage to Ukraine

makeorbrake

**Mods - if there is a more appropriate place for this query, by all means move the thread. I couldn't find a better place to post - and although it doesn't fit exactly with this sub-forum, I would imagine people reading through this section would have knowledge of postage times, etc.**


I need to get a standard letter to the Ukraine asap. What's the best option? The only option I'm aware of is express post with An Post. What expectation should I have with this in terms of delivery time? Is it tracked?

Is there any other option?

makeorbrake

The An Post website refers to Express Post International. However, when I went to the post office, they said that there was no such thing as 'express' post - just ordinary or registered post (the latter providing tracking). Estimated delivery time of 5 days.

International Courier post -offered by Anpost - but via DHL - was going to cost 150% more - but they could still only offer 5 days delivery!


Very frustrating...

Dodge

And if you send by 'registered' post outside of Ireland, there's no guarentee it'll be tracked when it leaves here.

makeorbrake

Dodge wrote: »

And if you send by 'registered' post outside of Ireland, there's no guarentee it'll be tracked when it leaves here.

Yes - aware of that - but I didn't feel I was left with any other option. Sent a parcel before christmas and that took 4 weeks to get there!

rubadub

If it really is ASAP I think some couriers will do overnight delivery, but expect to pay a fortune.

http://www.tnt.com/express/en_ie/site/home.html

Have you looked at other options, like scanning & emailing or faxing or something.

makeorbrake

rubadub wrote: »

If it really is ASAP I think some couriers will do overnight delivery, but expect to pay a fortune.

Thanks rubadub - I guess I did want it there yesterday but not so much that I would go above €30.

rubadub wrote: »

Have you looked at other options, like scanning & emailing or faxing or something.

Again, good idea in principal - but there is something very small but tangible inside envelope - so not a runner in this instance.

makeorbrake

Posted on Tuesday, the 10th. Still showing on tracking as "despatched from Dublin Mail Centre".

Very frustrating. I doubt this will even get there within their guideline of 5 days either....

sandin

makeorbrake wrote: »

Posted on Tuesday, the 10th. Still showing on tracking as "despatched from Dublin Mail Centre".

Very frustrating. I doubt this will even get there within their guideline of 5 days either....

most of an post guidelines are quite good except for busy times of year. Currently its a quiet time of year, so I doubt if it will even take 5 days unless the system in Ukraine is very slow and if it is held by Ukraine customs.

next tracking info will probably show that it is in local sorting office in Ukraine - they can't physically scan everytime it moves otherwise the cost would be nuch higher.

my guess is it goes from local po to dublin mail centre, then onto international hub in amsterdam or wherever an post send their international mail, it may then go on to another hub and then to Ukraine or possibly straight to Ukraine. Then its down to the local service.

makeorbrake

sandin wrote: »

my guess is it goes from local po to dublin mail centre, then onto international hub in amsterdam or wherever an post send their international mail, it may then go on to another hub and then to Ukraine or possibly straight to Ukraine. Then its down to the local service.

had a parcel - sent before christmas. It went via London and Bahrain. Took forever! (4 weeks) ...but I am hoping this was just because of Christmas.

makeorbrake

Tracking still showing it at "Dublin Mail Centre" ....:mad:

jor el

Once it leaves the country, An Post have no control over it, or ability to track (unless the receiving country has a system in place that they can access). As such, you won't get any more updates on it. You may be able to track it in the receiving country's postal system.

makeorbrake

jor el wrote: »

As such, you won't get any more updates on it. You may be able to track it in the receiving country's postal system.

On the last occasion, (when sending a parcel at Christmas), it did have tracking on the other side (via 'Bahrain Post'). However, this does not seem to be the case this time round. The fact that the barcode had a fold in it - whatever way he slapped this on in the post office, he had to wrap the end of it around the back of the envelope!! - wouldn't help I would imagine (i.e. I doubt that it can be scanned, it would have to be keyed in manually...and who's going to bother doing that!).

Still no sign of it surfacing today either.


I'm not sure if there is any other way I can do this if I have to do so on the next occasion - without it costing an unreasonable amount of $

I wonder if I got someone to post it up north, would their (Royal mail/parcelforce) be any better?

5500

Possibly try tracking via http://17track.net/IndexEn.html

Whilst anpost tends to update their sites tracking with the info from the other postal service (provided they supply this) sometimes I find there's a delay in the information showing. The above site has shown items arrived in other countries for me a day or so before it has shown up on anposts site.

jor el

makeorbrake wrote: »

I wonder if I got someone to post it up north, would their (Royal mail/parcelforce) be any better?

It would be no different for any postal carrier. Royal Mail can't even track post that gets sent from the UK to here. All carriers are dependent on what the carrier in the receiving country (or intermediate countries) will do.

The only way past this is to use a courier, where they handle it themselves all the way from start to finish. You pay for that privilege though.

makeorbrake

5500 wrote: »

Possibly try tracking via http://17track.net/IndexEn.html

Whilst anpost tends to update their sites tracking with the info from the other postal service (provided they supply this) sometimes I find there's a delay in the information showing. The above site has shown items arrived in other countries for me a day or so before it has shown up on anposts site.

Thanks for that. It can only generate the an post tracking page once again. I guess it would be more beneficial if the item had been assigned an international tracking number - but none listed on the site (as yet in any case)...

makeorbrake

jor el wrote: »

The only way past this is to use a courier, where they handle it themselves all the way from start to finish. You pay for that privilege though.

Seems it would be €70 with DHL for 3 day delivery....:(

jor el

http://postage.anpost.ie/rates.asp?country=UA&cname=Ukraine&rname=&zone=3B&item_type=Parcel&weight=0.05&service=EI
International Courier post would be €23.05 to Ukraine. It's handled by DHL too.

makeorbrake

jor el wrote: »

http://postage.anpost.ie/rates.asp?country=UA&cname=Ukraine&rname=&zone=3B&item_type=Parcel&weight=0.05&service=EI
International Courier post would be €23.05 to Ukraine. It's handled by DHL too.

They offered me this - but told me it would take exactly the same time i.e. 5 days.

However, I guess the chances are that really was 5 days - whereas this is now gone beyond 5 days!

jor el

It would also be traceable all the way there, through DHL. And you know it's DHL handling it( or one of their agents) and not the local postal service which so far has proven to be very unreliable for you.

makeorbrake

jor el wrote: »

It would also be traceable all the way there, through DHL. And you know it's DHL handling it( or one of their agents) and not the local postal service which so far has proven to be very unreliable for you.

Finally got to the other side. 8 day delivery - 3 over what was suggested. Not so bad I guess (I had fears of the situation in December repeating itself i.e. 4 weeks!).

pleasant Co.

makeorbrake wrote: »

Finally got to the other side. 8 day delivery - 3 over what was suggested. Not so bad I guess (I had fears of the situation in December repeating itself i.e. 4 weeks!).

Well, 6 working days, weekends don't count