The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: franksolich on March 02, 2013, 02:05:38 PM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022450322
Oh my.
Kali (32,297 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 01:31 PM
does the post office ship international other than first class, express, or priority? I am old, seem to remember some really cheap slow way to ship...on a ship or something. Does that exist anymore? I can't seem to find anything on their website...cheapest fora 10 lb package is like $80! ouch. how do people ship furniture and stuff? I seem to recall getting a pretty heavy rug from Turkey for very little money and it only took a couple weeks to get here. That was only about 10 years ago.
^^^not to be confused with the bitter old Vermontese cali primitive; this one's from southernmost Texas.
freshwest (27,589 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 01:42 PM
1. Media is the cheapest rate, I've found. I'm sure they are all being flown now.
We used to put 'Air Mail' on envelopes, but then were informed, 'it's all air mail.' Guess the rate is by how long you are willing to let them ship 'less' priorities. I can't even imagine shipping furniture, but I expect that goes on ships with cargo containers and they wait until it's full to get started. That could take months?
2naSalit (1,418 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 01:56 PM
2. Probably so...
but maybe some other shipping entity could be cheaper! Everything that anyone does with regard to exercising their freedom is punished by steep monetary fees these days.
And I remember when "air mail" was a specific designation of classification of mail services. They even used to have special envelops for that.
MineralMan (50,905 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 02:12 PM
3. There used to be an International rate that was like Domestic Parcel Post. It seems to have been discontinued, according to the USPS website. Pity. I used to send mineral specimens using that rate. It wouldn't be possible to be in that business now, I think, at least for moderately priced specimens.
dipsydoodle (30,858 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 02:23 PM
4. I think they stopped shipping by sea years ago.
$80 to the UK is correct for a cased banjo and about $110 for a cased guitar. You can't gauge anything by what the reverse route costs from Europe to the US - all countries vary. Best just search for alternatives to Europe if you want a lower cost.
muriel_volestrangler (63,996 posts) Sat Mar 2, 2013, 02:37 PM
5. $60 for up to 20 lb to Europe
'priority mail' medium size box: http://ircalc.usps.com/MailServices.aspx?country=10113&m=13&p=0&o=1&mt=12
$78 if you need the large box: http://ircalc.usps.com/MailServices.aspx?country=10113&m=13&p=0&o=1&mt=11
$60 still seems steep.
Great story here, from when I was in the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants.
I was pretty much out of touch with the civilized world, and it wasn't like I could go somewhere and use a telephone to call someone back here. And it'd be months and months before a letter would get to me.
Someone sent a package to me via the post office (rather than a private delivery service) in early January 1995, apparently full of goodies such as aspirin, penicillin, and Bic pens. It went through the U.S. post office okay, no problem. But once it hit the socialist post office, well.....
I was way out in the isolated steppes of southern Russia the day the package arrived.....in mid-May.
It had of course been purloined; there was nothing in it other than the crumpled-up newspapers used for padding.
But it was the best package I'd ever received in my life; in fact, it was the best day of my life (thus far), period.
The newspapers were the November 8, 1994 and January 3, 1995 editions of the Omaha World-Herald, headlining that for the first time in my life, Republicans had gained control of Congress, and that Nebraska had once again won the national championship in football. (The first of course being much more important than the second; Nebraska had had other national championships.)
I was ecstatic, and did cart-wheels across the steppes.