it's just not cricket

Hi guys as was just after a bit of advice in regards to sending a parcel back to England.

I have been on the USPS website and it says that to send a 2lb parcel to England will cost $16.90 First Class and $27 Priority Mail.

My question is have any of you used first class and if so how long did it take to get to England as I am worried they will stick it on a boat and it will take 2 months to get there.

Should I stop being a tight wad and stump up the extra $10 for Priority Mail.

Thanks in advance.

Sally Redux

I don't remember using priority and parcels take about a week but 2lb is quite heavy, I suggest asking in the post office itself.

emailrob

providing its still airmail, should be 3-5 days, sometimes a little more

Jerseygirl

Take a look here:

http://www.usps.com/international/sendpackages.htm

md95065

First class should get to the UK in about a week - 10 days at most.

Priority Mail to international destinations seems to be a bit hit-or-miss - there isn't a guaranteed delivery time and most of the other services such as tracking don't seem to work for international shipments. I used it a few times until a package I sent to the UK got lost without trace and someone at the post office essentially told me that Priority Mail was a waste of money unless you were also going to buy insurance for the package and I should just have sent it first class.

Ozzidoc

For while, mail was taking 10 days to get to me (California to East Anglia)

cranston

My experience has been between 7 to 10 days.

Sentosa

I sometimes use priority mail to the U.K if you get the free boxes or packets from the post office, regardless of weight it is a set charge the packets are $12. something and the boxes $37 something. Everything leaves the U.S by plane, there is no surface mail now, so don't worry about it being put on a boat.

NC Penguin

First class is air mail and in general for me, items sent this way take five business days to reach their destination. However, I live in NC.

I've used USPS flat rate "Priority" envelopes and boxes numerous times. In my experience, recipients have never received such mail any faster than first class.

If you don't follow USPS rules about packaging and addressing items correctly then your package could take as long as two months to reach its destination. As the name suggests, first class is faster than surface mail. When you take your package to the post office, you should be given all possible mailing options with estimated arrival times.

Tip: Those APC machines cannot be used to mail items overseas (even though there's an International option). You'll have to stand in line and interact with a USPS employee.

chartreuse

Something similar happened to us. The mother in law (in the US) sent us (in the UK) some papers, priority mail, which failed to arrive. So far, not much of a story.

So, after a few weeks, she went to the post office, to complain, and was told that it had ended up in Argentina! "That's the last we'll see of that", she thought, and organised replacements.

Blow me down if, a couple of months later, the original package didn't turn up at our house in England. I can only conclude that an elite squad of USPIS inspectors must have parachuted into Buenos Aires, rescued the package during a pitched gun battle then fought their way to the extraction point, just over the border...

"Neither Rain, Nor Sleet, Nor gloom of night" indeed!

Sue

When I go to the Post Office to send parcels they don't offer the 'surface' route anymore, only Airmail or Priority mail. I just use the airmail option and the parcels I send normally take 7-10 days to get to the UK