USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

https://www.usps.com/shippingdates/welcome.htm

I know last year it was a nightmare with the flights being delayed due to the bad weather etc and some of us recieved and vice versa, parcels weeks after Christmas so be prepared this year ;)

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Thanks for the info. I really need to get my backside in gear and sort out gifts/cards for the UK. My mum sent my kids stuff for last Christmas around Dec 6 and it finally arrived mid January! :frown: Must do better this year!

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Yep same here every year I say it "must do better this year" do I!!! :o

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Thanks for the heads up. I'm going to make this a sticky

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Same here...:)

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

So what prices are people getting?

The medium sized flat rate boxes that are $10 anywhere in the US, cost $45 to the UK.

A similar sized Priority Air Mail box is $38 for 4 pounds of weight.

Might be cheaper to send multiple smaller parcels, anything under 4 pounds is easier anyway...

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Really on the $10 box that's odd I sent one a couple of months ago for about $20 something I thought!

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Yeah, cheeky sods raised the cost and it's probably only going up because of the holidays...I asked this morning....not to impressed :D

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Pleased you mentioned that, I wonder how many poor sods will get caught out!!

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Not only have they put the prices up but the flat rate boxes are smaller. I have one I received a couple of years ago and its huge by comparison to the large size boxes now.

Just sent a 17x17 box to the grandudes ... $58 :\ Dread to think what the smaller parcels to the UK are going to cost. The guy at the post office said if I get them off by the end of this week they should be there in time for Christmas ... should ... hmmmzz

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I just sent Christmas gifts to my friends newborn son in the medium sized flat rate box to N. Ireland and it was $45.50 while the website says it is $43.23 international. Not too much of a difference thankfully or I would have been really annoyed.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I sent one off yesterday back to NI. Had to use our own box as the medium flat rate was too small. Cost $59.40 for a 10.5 lb parcel, said it would arrive 6-10 working days, so by the 20th/21st.

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I got an email from my friend in Magherafelt, NI that the package I sent her on Monday morning arrived with her today. :thumbsup:

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Hell's bells. Did you send it priority, or bog standard cheapo mail (like I did :o)?

At least my folks will get their presents before Christmas this year, I think it was December 29th when I sent their box last year ...

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I thought regular airmail but looking at the receipt it says Priority on it. Would that be because I used one of their flat rate boxes do you think? All the cards etc I am sending seem to be arriving in about a week. Mailed a friend a card with a fridge magnet in it, as she wanted one from Canada when I went there last month, on Thursday last week and it arrived today too.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I think there is a priority flat rate box, so maybe that's what you got.

Normal 1st class usually takes about a week to go (to and from), parcels can be a bit more variable in my experience.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I mailed my big box of stuff off to the family yesterday, thinking it was the deadline. The post office lady said that they've extended the deadline till today (the 10th) in case anyone needs to know.

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You know I thought I was imagining things. I had a medium flat rate box in the closet from over a year ago, unused. So I used it last week and it's nearly as big as a large flat rate is now. Weird! the small got smaller too.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

The missus found one from years back, was something like $5 to send to the UK and as big as the large one almost....very cheeky :D

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I just sent a box, not sure it will get there before xmas, I doubt it.

They have completely changed the way things are sent since last year, a lot more forms to fill out

Also yesterday I got one from England that took 8 days, and that was guaranteed in 10, so that's nice.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Anyone has any issues?

I mailed an item on the 10th of December via First Class Airmail, it's still not there. Will be 4 weeks on Saturday.

My Christmas Cards took almost 3 weeks to get there also.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

My mother still hasn't gotten her package yet either, but then only sent it a week before Christmas, but it was meant more in time for New Years, as she isn't big into Christmas.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I mailed some things to my parents, in-laws and brother on Dec 6 by 1st Class Airmail and it is still not there. Pissed off about it as they can't easily be replaced! :frown: Hopefully they will all turn up soon. :fingerscrossed:

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Yeah, we'd be a bit pissed off as well as everything we sent was hand made, the missus even spun the yarn for a scarf as well as some footprint butterfly pics we made with the girls.

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Not quite as bad as yours, I mailed my box of presents on the 8th and it didn't get to my mum's house until the 28th. It cleared customs on the 23rd but didn't make it to Belfast on time for the last post, it would seem.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

All mine got there on time.

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

When did you send them out? I suspect it is customs that is the variable, some packages just take longer to clear.

Next year, I think we'll send ours in November :)

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

On the 13th. I think I sent it regular priority.

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Has to be customs then - or the extra hop across the water for my package to get to NI. I sent mine 5 days earlier, but the same class of mail.

Oh well, lesson learned ...

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

I sent various packages to both London and NI on the Monday before Xmas. London ones got there on Xmas eve so I was well impressed. The others got them on the first delivery after Xmas so not too bad. The only thing I didn't like was that my brother is being charged Import tax.

I looked it up and thought that if no gift was over 40GBP for one person then it was allowable.

Turning out to be an expensive gift! Just as well the gifts are worth more than the 20GBP plus I think my brother is looking forward to getting the denim jacket embroidered with Yoda and "Strong with the Force I Am" on the back for his 1 yr old!!;)

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Just got an email from my mum to let me know that the package I sent her on December 6th has finally arrived. 4 weeks for 1st class airmail?! :confused: Exactly what is first class about that?! The package had copies of my kids school photos and a photo of my daughter in her cheerleader uniform with her squad. If they had not arrived I would have had to re-order them all. Now I wait to see if my dad, brother, brother in law and mother in law all get theirs today too! :fingerscrossed:

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I sent my brother some Abercrombie & Fitch cologne and a perfume for his wife. (His request and he reimbursed me for them and shipping) Total cost was $100. I couldn't send it by USPS as it was classed as hazardous so it had to go by UPS. Shipping cost $144. It was held up briefly at clearance and we thought that he was going to have to pay some sort of fee on it but in the end he didn't. I honestly don't understand what went on! It was held for 2 days for 'additional documentation' and UPS called me and my brother to find out how many people the gifts were for.

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I posted my Christmas cards early this year at the beginning of December. They didn't get there until after Christmas. :frown: Next year I will revert to sending them around the 20th December...they are always delivered on time when I send them late.

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Talking of pics, I noticed with Boots, it's 5p per print if you get 200 pics or more.....with free shipping, which is so much cheaper than bulk printing over here with Target...

Seriously thinking of just getting a set done online with Boots sent to my mothers place every quarter instead now :lol:

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I've done this with some pics. I use Apple's iPhoto print shop to send prints back home, rather than get them sent to me and then forward them on. Works pretty well.

I think in the US there is a card company that will actually address and post your cards on your behalf. You could do the whole thing online if there was a similar set up in the UK.

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We did the Boots photo thing for my ma and it worked out perfectly. Didn't cost too much and we were able to surprise her with a bunch of photos of the (then) new baby delivered right to her!

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I did a photo book from Shutterfly for my parents last year at Christmas, and made it a "year in the life of the Brats". They were over the moon with it and I intend to do it every year while we're here. Just thought I'd let you know.... :)

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Aye, Shutterfly is decent too, we use it for our footy teams so parents can post photos and that, works out quite well ...

Re: USPS Shipping in time for Christmas 2011!
 

Moonpig? Something like that I think...which probably isn't a bad idea.