Tag Archives: RAND

5 Unusual Things the USPS Can and Can’t Send

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The second day of our week dedicated to the US is all about the stranger things people have tried – and sometimes failed – to send to or within the US. If you know any of your own, please let us know in the comments!

  1. A man building a house in Alaska tried to send his materials brick by brick through the postal system, finding this the cheapest way to transport everything. This prompted the USPS to outlaw the sending of construction materials.
  2. Several civilians have attempted to post themselves in the US mail, but to date nobody has been successful.
  3. You may or may not be familiar with the black and white custom FedEx planes. Did you know that these planes have transported many pandas between zoos in China and America?
  4. If you’re going to send any poisonous creatures through the US mail, it can only be live scorpions for research purposes only. Be sure to label the box to let the post handlers know what they’re dealing with.
  5. FedEx and UPS will ship human body parts for medical purposes.

If you’re sending something a little more normal than these items, check our quote finder now to discover how much it will cost to send your parcel to America.

5 Interesting USPS Facts

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We’re starting off a rather chilly Monday morning with some fun facts about the thing we know best – packages. We’re going to be focusing on the US postal system today, looking at all the weird and wonderful things package-related.

  1. Did you know… that the US Postal Service parcel delivery Chevrolet Long Life Vehicles have a right-hand drive as opposed to the usual left-hand drive in the US? This helps the delivery drivers, who don’t need to leave their seats to deliver mail.
  2. Did you know… that in Loma Linda, California, mail is delivered on Sundays, but not on Saturdays? This is because there is a large population of Seventh-Day Adventists who observe the Sabbath day on Saturday rather than Sunday.
  3. Did you know… that the American equivalent of the postcode, the ZIP code, was implemented in 1963 in order to help postmen find the right address? The numerical value of the zip code increases from the East coast (starting in New York) to the West coast (ending in Alaska).
  4. Did you know… that the most remote US Post Office is the Anaktuvuk Pass Post Office in northern Alaska? Everything has to be flown in and out, meaning the residents could be waiting for some time for their packages.
  5. Did you know… that after Walmart, the USPS is the largest employer in the country with more than 650,000 employees?

To send a parcel to the US, use our parcel quote finder today.

Interesting Peru Postal Restrictions

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We’re rounding up our week of postal restriction posts, about items you can’t send to countries around the world, with a look at Peru, which prohibits the import of lots of products through the international post system. It goes without saying that anything illegal, such as drugs or weapons, will not be allowed into Peru, but along with this there are some other interesting restrictions which would be useful to know.

Clothing

If you’re an eBay seller and are having a wardrobe clearout, remember that you can’t send any clothing, footwear or accessories to Peru as they will not be allowed in. This includes everything from gloves to coats to hosiery to boots, and while no clothing is allowed, it is specified that fur products are also not allowed, so it might be best to avoid Peruvian buyers of your prized fur coat.

Contraceptive products or apparatus are also not allowed into Peru. As a religious country, this is understandable. However, there are some stranger items on the list, including carpets, suitcases, shoe waxes, wooden utensils and interior ornaments, including artificial flowers. And if you’re thinking about sending any communist propaganda, don’t – this is also prohibited and will not be allowed into Peru.

Interesting Italian Postal Restrictions

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For such a laid back country, you might not expect Italy to have so many restrictions on the items you can send to it. However, on top of the usual items which we hope you wouldn’t dream of sending internationally (illegal substances, weaponry etc.), there are lots of other surprising products on the list that will not be allowed into the country through its postal system.

If you have relatives or friends in Italy and you’re thinking about sending Christmas presents to Italy, you might need to get a bit creative, especially where children are involved. You can’t send toys unless they are made entirely of wood, and you can’t send any type of footwear, along with a wide range of haberdashery and sewn articles. The golden rule, as always, is when it doubt, leave it out.

Perfumed goods apart from soap are also not allowed, and while we’re on the topic of scented items, nutmeg, vanilla and saffron should also be left out of your package. You can’t send clocks or clock parts, artificial flowers, leather goods, playing cards or, bizarrely, ribbons for typewriters. There are many other prohibited items for Italy, so make sure you check an official Italian postal service source before you send anything.

Interesting Israel Postal Restrictions

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All this week, we’ll be listing some of the stranger items you might not realise you can send internationally to various countries, and today the spotlight is on Israel. In a country of such political unrest, you should make sure you’re extra careful about what you send to Israel to minimise the risk of any security alerts, but there are a few things you might not realise will be a problem.

Lottery ticket

Israel is a deeply religious country, which may explain why games of chance and anything relating to lottery games are not allowed. In an attempt to minimise fraudulent activity, blank, headed invoices will also not be allowed into Israel.

Lots of the restrictions apply to food and agriculture. Tools used for farming are prohibited through the international postal system, as these may be contaminated by plant or soil diseases in the host country; likewise, organic fertilisers and soil and sand. But for something you might not expect, used beehives are not allowed into Israel, so if you were thinking of sending your old beehive to a friend living in Israel, unfortunately this won’t be possible.

Interesting China Postal Restrictions

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Following on from yesterday’s post about the things you can’t send to Afghanistan, today we are replicating this with a list of some of the more unusual things you won’t be allowed to send to China. Some of the items China don’t allow are very sensible. As with many other countries, you will not be allowed to send any meat products to China, as if these are contaminated they could affect the native livestock supplies which could be catastrophic. However, once again, there are a few things you might not expect to be a problem that are on their prohibited items list.

Used clothing and bedding are important things to note for eBay sellers. If you’re selling your beautiful designer coat but it’s been used, remember not to send it to China. Also, you may not send any material which might do harm to China on a political, economic or any other level, whether this is a book, a magazine, a video tape, a CD or even photo negatives, so check everything thoroughly before you send it.

Sewing machines are another unusual prohibited item, along with other basic machinery and electronics such as radio sets, wrist watches and tape records, so steer clear of sending anything along these lines.

Interesting Afghanistan postal restrictions

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This week, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the more unusual postal restrictions that apply when you send a parcel internationally. It goes without saying that weapons, drugs or anything dangerous should be omitted from your package, but there are lots of things you might never have considered that are prohibited from entering the country by international mail.

Chessboard

Today we’re looking at sending a parcel to Afghanistan. Probably the most unusual is chessboards. We’re not entirely sure of the reasoning behind this, but just remember not to send a chessboard if you’re trying to think of a way to keep soldier friends and family entertained in Afghanistan. The same applies to children’s toys with the exception of sporting goods, so don’t send any dolls, board games, action models or anything else which could be considered a toy.

Also on the list are tapestries and lace, silk products and books and any other publication which could be offensive to the people of Afghanistan, whether this is their morals or religion or anything else, so double check that what you’re sending won’t contain any material considered offensive to the people of the country.

Halloween!

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Halloween

We’re rounding off our week of celebrations around the world with a much-loved celebration in many Western countries – Halloween! The holiday is particularly popular in the US, and the day is celebrated by taking part in all sorts of spooky activities, such as dressing up in costumes, decorating the house with scary decorations and trick or treating. The day has Pagan and Christian origins, and it is a way for us to celebrate the dead and other living beings. Traditionally, this may have included fairies, spirits, vampires and other mythical creatures, when the doors of the current realm were opened to welcome everyone and everything back in for a day. Now we consider Halloween more of a fun occasion, with pumpkin carving, Halloween parties for children and horror films all being normal elements of the day. If you want to send a Halloween gift to relatives in the US or elsewhere in the world, RAND offers excellent rates on international parcel delivery, so use our parcel quote comparison finder for the best prices on your Halloween gift sending.

The Privatisation of the Royal Mail

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Recently, it has been announced that the Royal Mail will be privatised in the coming weeks. This means that employees will be given a share of the postal service with members of the public being able to buy shares from £750. It has long been recognised that there are flaws in the Royal Mail, but is this necessarily a good thing? It is too early to say yet how this will affect the post in the UK, but one thing is for sure: it won’t affect the way RAND operate. We can still offer the same high level of parcel delivery anywhere in the world, and you will always have the option of fast, reliable delivery wherever in the world you’re sending your items.

eBay Seller Tips

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If you have started selling on eBay, you may be wondering how some people manage to keep the costs of postage and packaging so low, especially when sending internationally. One tip is to bulk buy packaging materials, such as padded envelopes, tape and parcel paper, as this will reduce the cost of sending each individual package. Lost parcels can also mean you have to push up your prices overall, as you will lose both the item and the money you have to refund to the buyer, so use a reliable courier service to send parcels to other countries to make sure it gets there. You should also make sure you don’t waste money by sending oversized boxes, as parcel delivery rates are estimated by the size and weight of the package, so keep it compact to keep costs down.

To check the price of your eBay parcel delivery, use our Quote & Book service.