Category Archives: International parcel delivery

Uses for Junk Mail; Confetti

Posted on by
Reply

Junk mail is an issue that most people have to deal with nowadays. Even if you subscribe to a removal service, there is still the odd occasion where a leaflet or two about TV licensing for example, can slip through. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if there was a use for all this junk mail? Well with a bit of imagination, we here at RAND have thought of a whole week’s worth of different uses for junk mail. Starting with:

Paper Bedding

If you have any kind of small animal, shredding up some of the paper leaflets can make a great alternative to buying paper bedding. Just be sure that you don’t use anything too colourful, as some younger or smaller animals tend to eat the paper, and the ink may be harmful.

As Confetti

confetti-rand
Budget confetti may seem like a half hearted attempt at celebrating, but nobody can fault your ingenuity, and your recycling prowess. Plus so many advertisers nowadays use brightly coloured designs and shiny paper, so shredding some leaflets and junk mail together could create some really colourful confetti. Try it!

For first rate services in record times, use RAND Logistics when sending your friend or relative a gift to celebrate a special occasion in India. Try our Quick Quote form to see what you can save!

Ways to Prevent Junk Mail

Posted on by
Reply

Everybody gets junk mail. Some of it is just slightly annoying however some junk mail can prove insensitive to the individual receiving it. For example a person who has recently suffered the loss of a loved one to a car accident would not be too happy to receive an advert for cheap car insurance. It seems unnecessary and insensitive. However there are measures you can take to prevent companies and businesses from sending you unsolicited mail and junk mail.

Send them a stern letter

Sometimes all it takes is a little communication. If you send them a letter back kindly but firmly asking them to remove your address from their mailing lists, they are legally required to do so. Keep in mind that this doesn’t apply to bank companies to whom you owe money, or to international mail.

Register for a Catalogue service

If you don’t want thick, heavy catalogues thumping onto your doorstep, you can register for a removal service. There are various companies that will provide you with the removal or prevention service for free or for a small charge, so that you don’t have to worry about having to get rid of large catalogues.

If you want to be taken off the ‘subscribe’ list, you can sometimes do it online, but these only tend to last around 5 years. For peace of mind indefinitely, write a letter.

Want to send a friend or relative living abroad in Austria or even further afield like Singapore a gem among all the junk mail? RAND Logistics can provide you with first class service, worldwide.

Preparing for Chinese New Year

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve focused on some traditional events taking place in January all over the world this week and we’re concluding with our build up to Chinese New Year. The oldest festival in China is just two weeks away now, with the celebrations of the year of the horse taking place on the 31st January. If you’re gearing up for Chinese New Year or know someone in China who will be celebrating in two weeks time, choose RAND as your logistics company to send parcels to China.

On the eve of Chinese New Year, families will spring clean their homes in preparation for a new beginning. Once cleaning is over, everything used to clean is put away to symbolise the idea that good luck will not be brushed away. Once New Year s Eve arrives, families will host a large dinner with all sorts of traditional Chinese food. The theme of good luck is maintained as phrases wishing happiness and wealth are present across the household.

The night is filled with huge fireworks displays that are meant to scare away any evil spirits along with dragon costumes and red clothing. Children are given red envelopes by their parents and grandparents that contain treats and money, a further sign of prosperity and good luck. The festival continues for 15 days, concluding with a lantern procession at night.

Make sure you check out RAND Logistics range of services this Chinese New Year or contact us for more information about how we can get your parcels from A to B on a worldwide scale.

January – The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad

Posted on by
Reply

Earlier this week, Muslims across the world celebrated the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. Mawlid an-Nabi or “Birth of the Prophet” is an annual celebration that takes place in most countries with an Islamic population or culture. It is only observed by Muslims. The term Mawlid is used in countries such as Egypt to symbolise the birthday of many other religious and historical figures. Countries such as Egypt, Dubai and Morocco regularly observe Mawlid on January 14th as these countries host a large Islamic population.

Muslims observe this date by treating it as a national holiday. The celebrations are similar to that of “Eid”, with large firework displays, decorated crowds and prayers all dominating the schedule of the day. Friends and family will meet and share a meal together after gathering at a mosque for prayers. Many countries will show programmes that commemorate the event, especially in places like Egypt and the U.A.E. Interestingly, Saudi Arabians tend not to celebrate the birth of the prophet as it is not a significant date registered in the Qur’an.

Are you planning on sending something to a family member or friend to commemorate Mawlid an-Nabi? RAND Logistics provide an international delivery service to the U.A.E and other countries that celebrate the event.  Take a look at our range of services or you can contact us for more information regarding your shipment.

The Australian Open and Australia Day

Posted on by
Reply

January is a very important month for those living in Australia with the Australian Open tennis tournament currently being held and Australia Day approaching on the 26th. Andy Murray will be hoping to build on a successful 2013 by winning the Australian Open after returning from injury, though the sweltering heat in Australia is something all the players are having to deal with at the moment.

australian_flag

The tournament is held in Melbourne during the last fortnight of January. The current champion, Novak Djokovic, is one of many world class tennis players that take part in the tournament, making it an excellent destination for tourists in January.

The national day of Australia marks the anniversary of the first arrival of British Ships to the shores of Australia. There are various community events to behold on the 26th of January whilst families often make the most of the special day by organising gatherings.  You may well have a relative staying in Australia who is preparing for Australia Day, in which case you can make the most of our international parcel delivery to Australia.

Need to get some forgotten sandals to a loved one in Australia this month? Maybe you need a postal service that’s a bit more local? Either way, makes the most of our services here at RAND Logistics, which includes both a collection and delivery service.

 

Coming of Age Day in Japan

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday was Coming of Age Day in Japan, a national event that has been celebrated for over a thousand years. The ceremony surrounds a young prince’s passage into adulthood by wearing glamorous robes and being given a new hairstyle. Most of the young adults who attend Coming of Age Day in Japan are 20 years old, except for some who are actually 19 and have birthdays that are between April of last year and April of this year.

Coming of Age Day is a big thing in Japan, with government officials attending local offices to give out presents to the new adults. The women that celebrate the event are generally dressed in a style of kimono, though they will usually visit a beauty salon to look their best for the day. Many of these kimonos are passed down through generations as the traditional Coming of Age dress is particularly expensive. In most cases, the young adults will finish the day by heading out to parties or bars for the evening.

Do you need to ship a parcel to Japan? RAND Logistics offer a global service that includes both collection and delivery. If you know someone who is celebrating their coming of age today and you need to send a gift to Japan, you require our services here at RAND!

It’s OFFICIALLY 2014

Posted on by
Reply

Its January 13th so Happy New Year! Whilst it may seem a bit late to offer best wishes to 2014 in actual fact, this is the day that the old Gregorian calendar would celebrate the coming of the New Year. Many religions still treat today as the official turn of the year, so there’s an excuse to consider opening a bottle of champagne this evening! If you’re one of the few who may be celebrating New Year’s today instead, make sure you ship your gifts internationally using RAND!

Speaking of gifts, there may be many of you out there who have sorted your Christmas gifts and decided that a few of them just aren’t worth keeping. They might not be your thing or maybe you’ve got two of them already. Either way, you probably don’t want to let the person who gave it to you to know you’re selling them online. Take advantage of RAND Logistics services if your gift was something a bit more heavy-duty. We can pick items up from you and send them on their way, so you don’t have to sneak off to the post office!

If you’ve got any unwanted Christmas gifts lying around, get a quote from RAND today and ship your unwanted gifts internationally with us!

Did You Know? Postal Facts Final Day

Posted on by
Reply

The first pillar boxes designed by the Royal Mail were in fact green, not red, to blend in with the landscape so as not to be an eyesore. However they blended in a little too well and the Royal Mail office was flooded with complaints from people who couldn’t actually find their local post box. The decision was then made to paint them red in 1874, which took around ten years for the repainting of all the post boxes to actually take place, so the iconic red post box was not actually fully recognised until the late 19th century. Although their design has not changed one iota since.

It is actually possible to send dead animals as well as live ones, so long as the packaging or animal itself does not violate local postal laws about shipping biohazard materials. If the animal has been cleaned and preserved properly, and is kept in an air tight container then it is perfectly legal to be allowed to ship it.

If you absolutely have to ship your brothers dead hamster to his home address by sending a parcel to Peru, find out how RAND Logistics can provide you with excellent service by using our Quick Quote function.

Did You Know? Postal Facts Day 4

Posted on by
Reply

There are over 7500 different courier companies listed in the yellow pages for the UK alone. The US Postal service is thought to be the largest in the world, and every day it sorts through and attempts to deliver over 700 million packages of varying size and shape. In comparison to that, the Australian postal service delivers up to 94 million items a week, which is an intense difference. However it comes as no surprise as the entire population of Australia could fit within the densely populated city of Tokyo.

When sending parcels to America, although the direct delivery of mail to people’s homes was present from 1863, the actual mailbox or mail slot was not used until 1923 when it became commonplace. Plus, although the red pillar post box has become an iconic representation of Britain, it was not the first country to store letters in pillar boxes. In the early 50’s of the 19th century, Anthony Trollope saw such pillar boxes in France and Belgium and proposed them to the UK Postal Service in 1852.

Make sure your package gets to where it needs to go by using RAND Logistics. Our rates are second to none for international shipping.

Did You Know? Postal Facts Day 3

Posted on by
Reply

Just fewer than 6000 postmen were bitten by dogs in the USA alone in 2012, the highest rates city being Los Angeles, which suffered 69 separate incidents of letter carriers being attacked. Surprisingly, this was a decrease from 83 attacks in the previous year, which is a little bit of good news, albeit still making it the worst city in the continent.

In 2001, the Postal Service in Germany decided to take decisive action and taught courses on dog psychology to couriers to decrease the number of attacks, as there were around 3000 letter carriers a year attacked in Germany, leading up to around £8 million worth of medical bills.

Some dog bites have been so severe that they can lead to fatalities, or if the courier is an elderly citizen, can lead to heart attacks, although this is rarely the case. On the 15th July 2013 the Royal Mail launched its first Dog Awareness Week, as dog attacks have resulted in the loss of over 4500 working says since April 2011.

Take care when sending a parcel to Los Angeles for your friend or relative, as dog attacks tend to increase during school holidays. To find out our excellent rates for international shipping, use RAND Logistics quick quote form.