Tag Archives: sending presents abroad

50 Days To The World Cup: Day 2

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It’s our second day of looking at some of the favourites for the World Cup in Brazil, which is now only a few months away. They’ve dominated the world of football for the last four years and are the current World Champions after winning the tournament in 2010. They also won the European Championships in both 2008 and 2012 and possess some of the greatest footballers of a generation. They are of course, Spain.

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The Spanish national team introduced a brand of football that inspired clubs and countries across the world. They are widely respected for their attractive, fast-flowing approach to the game. So what are Spain’s pros and cons when it comes to their World Cup challenge in Brazil?

Pros

They’ve managed to win the last three major tournaments that they’ve been involved in, excluding the Confederations Cup, so they certainly have the pedigree to go on and win it. You’d certainly be a brave individual to bet against them at this stage, with the likes of David Silva, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro and the prolific Diego Costa in their squad.

Cons

In all honesty, there aren’t many. It’s possible that Barcelona’s recent dip in form might influence a lacklustre performance in the World Cup this time around, whilst there are a few teams capable of putting up a fight against them, including the host nation Brazil.

If you’re interested in sending a parcel to Spain, why not get a quote today from us here at RAND?

Celebrating Easter in the UK

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On our final day of looking at how Easter is celebrated across the world, we concentrate on the traditional Easter celebrations in the UK. With a large Christian population in the UK, Easter is celebrated in various different ways. The traditional pagan aspects of Easter are also adopted by the vast majority of the population in the UK. Here are some of the things you might expect to notice throughout the upcoming Easter weekend in a typical British household.

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There is a special service carried out in by most parishes on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday to commemorate the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection. On Good Friday, Catholics do not sing hymns at mass and leave the church in silence.

Easter Sunday is a day of celebration across the country, regardless of your religious background. Most Christians will visit church in the morning to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, whilst Christians and non-Christians alike typically follow pagan traditions by organising Easter egg hunts for the children and giving out chocolate eggs to one another as gifts.

The vast majority of working organisations are closed down for a long weekend, spanning from the end of Thursday to the beginning of Tuesday. Hardly any shops are open on Easter Sunday, with limited public transport available as well. It is a quiet day that encourages families to get together and celebrate the bank holiday weekend.

For more on RAND’S unrivalled delivery service throughout the UK and abroad, get in touch today. We’d be delighted to hear from you!

Shipping Restrictions in Finland

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Do you have a friend or relative who has a birthday coming up, or are you doing research on sending parcels to Finland in preparation for Easter? Either way, RAND Logistics can give you invaluable advice regarding the shipping restrictions and prohibitions of when importing goods into Finland. For express parcels to anywhere in Finland from Helsinki to Tampere, and anywhere else in the world, choose RAND Logistics!

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When sending meat and meat products, prior authorization must be obtained from the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture for the recipient. Parcels can be addressed to a street address or to a post office box, but a telephone number must be provided when the parcel is addressed to a post office box.

It is prohibited to send live plants and animals to Finland as well as any form of human remains, including ashes. An invoice is required on the outside of the parcel with the PS Form 2976-E with the customs declaration for all commercial shipments, regardless of the value.

RAND Logistics offer all our customers the most competitive deals and prices on shipping across the world. Whether your parcel needs delivering as soon as possible, you have a heavy parcel, or you are just looking for a secure delivery service, RAND Logistics can help.

Prohibited Items of Interest in Germany

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It’s our last day of looking at the more bizarre prohibited items in countries across the world. It’s always helpful to know what’s prohibited in the country you are posting to as you don’t want to risk losing an item you’ve sent as a gift or that you’ve cherished for its value in the past. Today we’re looking at some of the prohibited items of interest in Germany.

Playing cards are a common gift and are probably one of the most recognised forms of gaming in the entire world. Germany has playing cards on there list of prohibited postal items unless they are complete decks that are properly wrapped. Germany prohibits loose playing cards as they are often used to carry drugs through postal networks.

Other unique items on Germany’s prohibition list include pulverised cocoa beans and the alcoholic drink Absinthe. Pulverised cocoa beans are a reasonably common food ingredient and Absinthe could potentially be sent as a gift.

It’s vital that you take a look at our list of prohibited items in Germany to ensure that you don’t lose anything you cherish when posting to Germany. Playing cards are often regarded as valuable collectibles which is why it’s important you only send properly wrapped and complete decks to Germany.

Prohibited Items of Interest in Canada

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On the penultimate day of the working week we look at some of the more bizarre prohibited items in Canada. Many people relocate to Canada as a result of its stunning scenery, imposing mountainous regions, extraordinary wildlife and exciting winter sports.

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For this reason, many people tend to post abroad to Canada from the UK so it’s essential that they are aware of what could be intercepted by customs. Whilst there are some expected items on the prohibited list there are also a few surprises.

If you’ve got any reprints that are copyrighted to Canada in the UK, it’s not advisable to use these as gifts. This could be any kind of publication or image that was originally made in Canada. If you’ve travelled to and from the country in the past, this could be you.

Other interesting postal restrictions in Canada include second-hand bee supplies. Whilst it’s unlikely that you’re friend or relative in Canada is a beekeeper, a jar of honey or anything along those lines would be prohibited.

Other unique items on Canada’s prohibition list include smoke-making devices, parcels with caution labels on them and commercial tags of metal.

If you need to send a gift to Canada, why not make the most of RAND’s international shipping service to Canada? 

Prohibited Items of Interest in the UK

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It’s the third day that we focus on peculiar items found on postal restriction lists and we’re today we’re concentrating on the UK. Many people who live abroad may not expect to find some of the following items on the UK’s postal restrictions list, so it’s important that any friends or family living abroad are aware of what items or gifts could be stopped in their tracks.

Walkie-talkies are often regarded as an excellent gift for a child so they are often bought for Christmas or birthdays. However, any device that is capable of transmitting frequencies cannot be posted to the UK, so keep this in mind before sending a gift along these lines.

Any item that was made in a foreign prison cannot be shipped into the UK, whilst comics or magazines associated with horror genre are also prohibited. Other items you may not expect include batteries, pesticides and matches.

RAND Logistics provide a collection and delivery service throughout the UK and internationally, so get your quote and make the most of our unrivalled services today.

Prohibited Items of Interest in China

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We continue our week of interesting items on postal prohibition lists across the world with China today. There are some rather unusual items present on China’s list of prohibited items, including items you might not expect to be too much of an issue.

As ever, it’s important you’re aware of what you can and can’t send to any country as you risk losing the item to customs.

If you’ve got someone you know in China a smart looking wrist-watch, think twice before posting it to him/her. Watches are on China’s prohibited list so keep this in mind when sending a sold item or gift to China.

There are plenty of other electronic devices that can’t be sent either including cameras, sewing machines, televisions, radios and much more. Electronics are commonplace on many public shopping sites such as eBay, so make sure your item being sent to China is not on their prohibition list.

Finally, don’t try and send anything that could potentially harm the cultural, political or economical damage to China. This includes any kind of document, film or photograph so choose what you ship carefully.

If you’re interested in sending a parcel to China but want to learn more about what can’t be sent there, check out our prohibited items section for China here.

Prohibited Items of Interest in Italy

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There are some particularly interesting items on the postal restrictions list of many countries across the world, with some more bizarre than others. This week we take a look at some of the prohibited items you might not to expect in preparation for your trips abroad.

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Losing an item to customs can be a real bother, so it’s important to know what you can and can’t take to certain countries. Today we’re focusing on Italy, a hugely popular holiday destination.

There are some notable items present on Italy’s postal restrictions list, whilst some are both puzzling and intriguing. Clocks and any clock supplies cannot be posted to Italy, so be careful when sending an antique clock to Italy as a gift.

There are many other unusual products included, such as any kind of footwear, musical instruments, leather goods and even toys that aren’t completely made from wood. If you’re planning on sending pictures, photographs or albums of images to a relative in Italy, don’t do it by post! All of those items are prohibited and won’t be allowed into the country.

If you are concerned about what can and can’t be sent to Italy, take a look at our shipping restrictions page for Italy to learn more about their restrictions.

Christmas in Russia: How is it different?

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Whilst you gear up for your Christmas dinner on the 25th December, you might start a conversation with the rest of your family about Christmas worldwide and how it’s different in other countries across the world. It’s a subject that interests lots of people simply because Christmas is such a huge annual event.

Whilst you have many countries across the world not celebrating Christmas for religious reasons, there are also many countries that celebrate the big day very differently. One of these countries is Russia, the giant nation that remains to this day an ambassador of older annual traditions. Here are a few reasons why Russia celebrates Christmas differently compared to the vast majority.

Christmas was actually hardly celebrated across the Soviet Union if you look back throughout history. Nowadays it is widely celebrated, but not on the day you might think. In fact, Russia’s Christmas has already gone this year, about 11 months ago today.

Russia celebrates Christmas on the 7th January because they stick to the older “Julian” calendar when referring to religious events. Advent, the catholic celebration, lasts for 40 days in Russia, unlike in the UK where it traditionally lasts from the 1st Sunday of the Christmas season to the last. In the UK this year, the first Sunday of advent was on the 1st December and the last will be on the 22nd.

So if you’re getting your gifts ready to send internationally this year and you have a friend in Russia, you might want to consider that they celebrate Christmas Day on the 7th January. Wherever you choose to send your parcel, make sure you use the RAND Logistics services this Christmas!

Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 5

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It’s the last day of the week which brings to an end our series of Christmas gift ideas. As we’ve covered a variety of different groups of people it’s time to focus a bit more on context, which is why today’s Christmas gift ideas focuses on fashion. From the biggest hits of this year through to the trendiest outfits, we take a look at the gifts available out there that could really appeal to the modern audience.

Every year, there’s a wide range of different clothing trends throughout the Christmas period. Last year saw incredible success for the “onesie” as a Christmas gift and it looks like this year we’ll be seeing a lot more Christmas jumpers flying off the shelves. The knitwear has proved to be a big hit with all generations this year despite being ridiculed in the past were anyone foolish enough to wear it outside of their Nan’s company. The biggest stars in the business have flaunted Christmas jumpers this year already so it’s no surprise they are proving a massive success in all major clothing outlets.

It’s incredible when you compare the major trends of the last 50 years with this year when it comes to toys. There was a whole host of crazes that went in tandem with some of the most popular TV shows and films of the last few decades, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Buzz Lightyear and the infamous Furby.

Today, Christmas toys are incredibly varied, with the Kuri 4S touch tablet device tipped to be a huge hit. Lego has always been a success at Christmas thanks to its innovative concept, whilst another hotly tipped toy for this Christmas is the Megableu Creepy Hand Game, a robotic hand that chooses the player to answer question itself!

With all these Christmas crazes set to hit the shelves, it might be a good idea to stock up on them before they go out of stock. Once you’ve got hold of them you can ship any gift internationally with RAND. Until then, a merry Christmas from everybody here at Rand Logistics!