Missing Mail

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  • #42525
    Avatar photoMerior
    Participant

    In the past year out of 7 packages and 5 letters, sent airmail from the UK, US and Aus, only 1 letter has been delivered. The address used was typed in pinyin and verified by the local post sorting office in Tonzilin as being valid. To the best of my belief, socks, coffee and herbal (non prescription) ointment, credit cards and bank letters are not of interest to Chinese Customs & Excise. They have always been successfully delivered in previous years.

    Is this a common experience and is there a way to overcome the problem?

    #42527
    Avatar photoDaniel Wikstrand
    Participant

    I did a bit more than five years in Chengdu and I quickly found our I only got mail that was sent as registered mail, no other letters or post cards reached me, never lost a regitered mail though. Not sure if it’s me having bad luck or what but it might be worth trying out.

    Daniel

    #42558
    Avatar photoChris Ziich
    Moderator

    Did you include a Chinese phone number with the mailing address?

    #42561
    Avatar photoCharlie
    Keymaster

    Did you include a Chinese phone number with the mailing address?

    Definitely include a phone number, and I recommend putting a Chinese address on the package. If they can’t find you and there isn’t a phone number on the package, it can very easily get lost.

    #42563
    Avatar photoRick in China
    Participant

    I didn’t even use Pinyin man, just my company’s English-ized address, and got a package..contained a vacuum sucked brick of baby clothes. I don’t think it was registered mail, didn’t have to sign anything.. just a pack arrived at office, I got it, done. Had a phone # on it, but it wasn’t used. Sent from Canada Post via I think just normal mail — took about 6 weeks? I think.

    #42564
    Avatar photoDaniel Wikstrand
    Participant

    Phone number helps.

    Registered mail from Sweden usually arrived within 7 days and like I said, I never got any of the non-registered ones.

    Those who lost packages, it might help to go to your local post office and ask if there is any packages waiting to be picked up.

     

    I was asked numerous times at my post office if I knew the people for all those undelivered packages…

     

    Daniel

    #42565
    Avatar photoRick in China
    Participant

    Sheeeeeit, time to go collect up at the ‘lost and found’! Hope some people shipped some sauce mixes, I’m running low! “Yes! He’s my friend. I’ll bring it to him.” “Oh, her too, I work with her *grab grab*”.

    Poor lost shipments 🙁

    #42569
    Avatar photoAM
    Participant

    I used to have a subscription to 4-4-2 (a well known football magazine). About half of them didn’t arrive. Recently a t-shirt I bought from a website in the UK didn’t arrive.

    The address was written in pinyin and chinese characters.

    Other things have arrived without problems. It just seems to be luck of the draw what arrives and what doesn’t.

    #42652
    Avatar photoMerior
    Participant

    Sorry – been off sick.

    The trouble with Chinese characters is that they don’t print unless the computer has been set up for them. EBay and credit card companies have rules and will only post to an address that matches my registered address and that is in pinyin. Apart from that I wouldn’t think that the overwhelming number of suppliers outside of China could actually print Chinese characters. Expecting them to accept photographic or postscript images is pushing my luck albeit that it might work with something posted by the family who are more tolerant in these matter.

    I tried chasing the local post office for my missing mail and they just asked me for the China Post number of the package then shrugged their shoulders when I couldn’t produce one because it wasn’t domestic mail. While registering a letter might be a good idea, some suppliers are just not interested in customer service – HSBC in the UK, for example, told me that they could not post my credit and debit card to my registered home address in Chengdu except by surface mail or airmail. I suggested that I would happily pay for a courier but it they declined as it “was not part of their service”.

    My latest idea is to change my registered address logged with my bank to my son’s address in the UK and get him to post me the bank cards by registered post. On receipt I will change the registration address back to my address in Chengdu. As for buying things on eBay – that doesn’t seem to be an option any more.

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