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Q: Any issues receiving mail in China?
I am waiting for some important documents to be delivered to me in Shanghai already for more than 3 weeks. Before I never had any issues and stuff arrived after around 2 weeks. Letter had address written in Chinese and English. (I am talking about regular mail, not email). Just wondering if someone experienced some issues before?
10 years 51 weeks ago in Transport & Travel - China
A DHL package took 8 weeks to arrive to me. Apparently it traveled between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou several times. I was in Hunan province. then they wanted me to pay for it AGAIN before delivering it to me. Other than that NO post arrived to me at all, despite being sent from different parts of the country - all the (correct) addresses were in Chinese, with the exception of my name.
I think 2-4 weeks is what I usually expect. If it is something really important I will use DHL or the likes, in that case it is just a couple of days.
If you are waiting on mail from abroad, and the sender did not write down your address in Chinese, the letter will sit at th Postal Office until someone shows up that can do the translating. I have my home address written in Mandarin, made a nice shipping label with my name, address and phone number in Mandarin, and my mail from abroad arrives pretty fast. My only mistake (since corrected) was to also write China in Mandarin, and my first lketter trying my smart idea went to Korea first, then Thailand and last to China. But I got it. Now it also says P R of China in English.
luggi:
I put complete address in CHinese and English, that should not be the problem, even had my phone number on it.
Hit and miss. I have had mail written in English arrive in three weeks, and I have had mail where they pasted my address in Chinese, with my girlfriends phone number on it and it never arrived.
Even calling the post office was no help.
Like i say, hit and miss.
Like GuilinRaf said, it's hit or miss.
When it comes to mail being sent from back home I'd say about 30% of the time it gets "lost" and I don't receive it. China's postal service says it's a problem with America's postal service and America's postal service says it's a problem with China's postal service and nothing gets resolved.
Receiving mail locally has been great though, like when I order things from Taobao. Only once did a package from Taobao get "lost" but the seller sent another one free of charge so no problem.
Little bit of advice though.... DO NOT, have expensive things mailed to China from abroad. My experiences with that and the experiences of others I've talked to is horrorific. Most of the time it gets "lost" AKA someone pocketed it.
Don't have anything sent that you do not want to lose. I have had stuff mailed with all information written down in English and Mandarin, and it did not show. Expect the worst.
If mail is sent to you addressed in 'western' script it can take 2 - 3 months as often it will sit in the local sorting office waiting for a translator. What is worse, it appears that frequently the 'translator' (or local workers) can't be 'bothered' and just lose that piece of mail. If you want to be more sure of receiving your mail, and in a reasonable timescale, then get the sender to attach (or write) the Chinese address in Chinese script (Hanzi).
luggi:
As I said: "Letter had address written in Chinese and English." With Chinese I mean Hanzi (I dont consider pinyin to be "Chinese"), so thats not the problem. It even had my phone number on it.
Lots.
Even when the address is in Chinese, you get no notice that someone has been to try and deliver something to you. I mean China Post etc don't leave a notice to state that they have called.
Everything is China is set up so that it is so infuriating and challenging to send even a bogey to China, that you don't want to bother.
Yet another example of unfair practices that favour their own companies. This is so because they can send things abroad very easily - too easily.
I did order a jacket and never received it....still waiting so I would have to say yes!
Well, just updating this topic, after 3 weeks and a call at the post office, the letter finally arrived. I saw in another forum that letters without registration are either slow or never arrive here... Lesson learned, will not send anything else than as registered letter from now on...
icnif77:
You were right, Luggi! My 2 parcels arrived today. I sent them on April 23rd, from Dalian.
However, Chinese teacher who was helping me with China Postal Service brought 2 parcel said to me: 'I had to pay 11 Rmb, because your parcels were late.'
In China, when postage is late, sender (receiver) must pay additional fee. Don't think, it is Post Office fault!
It was my fault for delay, I just don't understand what did I do wrong! Anyway, I'm happy!
luggi:
just pay the foreigner tax and be glad that you finally received your stuff^^
luggi:
delivery that takes 1 month within china lol... i wonder how they transport it?! maybe some guy delivering it on his scooter all the way down there?^^
I saw your Q few days ago, but I just skip it. I didn't want to be remainded.
Last month, I sent 4 parcels with my belongings from Dalian to Urumqi. I don't know, how is with other parcel mailings in China, but you must bring open parcels to the Dalian Post Office. I am guessing, that's because I was sending parcels to Xinjiang.
Firs two parcels, I sent on April 23rd. Last two parcels, I sent just before my departure from Dalian, on April 28th.
I arrived to Urumqi with very light luggage. Only absolutely necessary things.
Two parcels I sent from Dalian last, arrived on May 9th. The most important (and pricey) stuff is in the two parcels which I sent it first, and didn't arrived yet.
School rep. went to the Post Office this Friday, and required about my two packages. I gave her receipts from Dalian Post Office. She returned, and said: 'Your two packages are in Urumqi. They will arrive next week!'
Me: 'Are you sure?'
Rep.: 'Yes, I am sure!'
Tomorrow is Monday, first day of 'my week'. Hopefully, end of my 'issues' with Chinese Post Office.
luggi:
China Post is extremely slow, took almost a week for a letter from Beijing to Shanghai. Especially to remote areas like Urumqi I guess its even slower. As long as you have a registration code you should be fine.
I once sent post cards back home, 2 cards in different post offices. The one I posted 1 week later arrived after 3-4 weeks, no big deal. The earlier posted one arrived after 3 months... I already gave up on them...
'My week' is here. 
My mom sent a package with Fedex that got hung up in customs for 2 weeks. Fedex China is quite possibly the most unprofessional organization I've ever had to use in China. My mom paid over a thousand bucks to mail a 43 lb box to me and then they sent it to the wrong warehouse which was in Panyu, about 2 hours away from my home in Haizhu, Guangzhou. The customer service lady actually requested that I come to get it myself despite my mom having paid them to do it. I went biblical on this ho and they had to me by the end of the day.
i ve never had problems with mail, but have heard from my friends not receiving their stuff for a long time.. I think the best thing to do is to call them and ask politely/patiently (bad service attitude is not unusual..) when ur things r gonna be here
A DHL package took 8 weeks to arrive to me. Apparently it traveled between Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou several times. I was in Hunan province. then they wanted me to pay for it AGAIN before delivering it to me. Other than that NO post arrived to me at all, despite being sent from different parts of the country - all the (correct) addresses were in Chinese, with the exception of my name.
