User profile: Shyam

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Forums > Living in Kunming > International Shipping With China Post

Hey Folks! I'm back in the U.S. now. I know that some of you wanted to know the outcome of my China Post shipments. Everything arrived...albeit not at the same time.

I sent a total of 5 boxes. One arrived about a month ago. Then, it was another week until I saw the second one. Then, the remaining 3 arrived within a couple of days of that. My guess is that China Post handles a huge volume of packages and even though I sent all of them at the same time from the same office, they just got tossed into a huge pool of packages and were scattered. I guessing that they were sent on different ships.

Everything arrived in good shape. The China Post guys did an incredible packing job. I sent 30 pieces of lab glass samples back and all arrived safe. I also noticed that all of the nylon strapping they put on was intact, so its evident that nothing was inspected, or tampered with.

So, my final verdict on China Post international shipping is overall very positive. Just pay attention to the details given in this thread and you shouldn't have any surprises.

Good luck...and Happy Holidays!

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Forums > Living in Kunming > International Shipping With China Post

On my last trip to the U.S., I had an shocking, yet funny surprise. After my carry-on was X-rayed, the security guard said to me, "You have a knife...yes?" Confused, I said, "no, I don't think so". This led to detailed search of my bag. After a few minutes, they pulled out this blue carabiner that I bought in Shenzhen to hold my bag straps together, when they ship. I've done this for years and I am always buying new ones to replace ones I lose. In this case, the carabiner had a little hidden surprise. The security guard pulled at this metallic tab that I always assumed was some sort of locking release. To my horror, it turned out to be the most vicious little serrated, mini survival knife. I was speechless. Fortunately, the security lady didn't pursue it any further.

Ahh...beware the mysteries of the East. :)

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Forums > Living in Kunming > International Shipping With China Post

Actually, there is a vast difference between knives you can carry in checked vs. carry-on luggage. Any sort of weapon is totally banned, along with weapon-like knives. In general, no knives are permitted in the cabin. But, in checked luggage you seem to be able to take non-weapon like knives. I plan to pack my kitchen knife and kitchen cleaver in checked luggage. Take a look at the Air China regulations and see what you think:

www.airchina.com/[...]

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Forums > Living in Kunming > International Shipping With China Post

I recently needed to start closing up my Kunming home office and return to the U.S. for business. I'd imagined being here much longer, so I actually purchased a good bit of "dongxi" for my place. Suddenly, I needed to leave and I immediately figured I'd need to sell/discard everything, due to the price of international shipping. But, there turns out to be just one exception to this: China Post Surface shipping. Their rates for surface (sea) shipping are low, by anyone's standards.

If you can put up with the 45-60 day delivery time, its the way to go. Anything up to 1kg is 83.5 RMB ($13.58). For every kg over this, you add 20 RMB ($3.25). The maximum shipping weight is 30 kg. The maximum size is maximum package length + maximum package circumference, up to 3 meters. So, there is quite a bit of latitude for what you can send. The biggest, heaviest package you could have would be $107, but this is unlikely. Most of my boxes were only 9-10 kgs. The biggest was a digital safe that I really liked that was stuffed with other things. The parcel held about $600 worth of stuff and cost about $83 to ship.

China Post gives you a nice value-add, too. In addition to packing your stuff, they provide these nice, heavy-duty boxes, bubble wrap, heavy-duty tape, AND they apply this heavy nylon strapping so your box can't burst open, or be easily tampered with.

But, there are some things you need to know:

1) The China Post folks need to inspect and pack your stuff. There are certain items (like knives) that are prohibited. Take the stuff to the China Post office for them to box, or you can buy boxes ahead of time (for 11 RMB) and don't tape them shut.

2) Take a friend who speaks and writes Chinese with you. The staff usually speaks little English and the forms require some Chinese information.

3) Create big "To"/"From" address labels in your destination country language, for your packages. This is a simple precaution to take, in case the China Post label is lost, damaged, or illegible for the postal workers in your country. Either attach them to your boxes beforehand, or take them (along with a roll of clear packing tape) to the China Post. After they pack your box, they will allow you to attach it. (Note: Take your own clear tape.) Use the tape to cover the entire surface of the label.

4) Be prepared for some strange objections to what you send. For some reason, you can't send knives of any kind. They kicked out my scissors, kitchen knife, and pocket knife. For some reason, they didn't let me send my Brother P-Touch labeler, or the refill tapes. They also get a bit nervous with anything that looks like medication. (In my case, they let me send most of the stuff I had.)

Here are some helpful links:

parcel.upu.org/[...]

www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/postal-service/

www.travelchinaguide.com/essential/postal-service/rate.htm

Good luck!

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Forums > Food & Drink > Burger King

Hey Folks! Been out of town on business, but I've taken the opportunity to fulfill my burger lust. I'm happy to say I've loaded up on Burger King in the past week. Aside from the garlicky mayo and slightly smaller portion, it was pretty-much like what we have in the U.S.. Absolutely yummy!!

I'll definitely be the first in line, when the Kunming BK opens up!

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This is one issue that I think the Central Government is totally correct about. Bad tourist behavior gives the Chinese people a really, really bad image around the world. I've seen thing for years. On my last return trip from China, I saw this kid on the plane who learned how to unlock the restrooms from the outside. Several times, he did this while people were in there. He ignored flight attendants and his parents didn't seem to have control of him. This is so typical of the type of disregard for rules that a lot of travelers have.

I think the first thing that the government should address is air safety. They should impose fines for people who unlock their seat belts before they get to the gate. I've often wondered what an emergency evacuation of the plane would be like with a plane load of people who don't regard instructions.

During my time in Yunnan, there were a few things that appeared to be inevitable. Among them was the fact that the province would one day become a tourism Mecca. The weather, the natural beauty, the ethnic diversity, the location, the big international airport, etc...just makes this very likely. Also inevitable are the things that will enable this trend. Among them are the development of more Western-style hotels and other "accommodations". Among the latter are clean bathrooms.

I wonder if there is the potential for a new tourist industry here? In Kunming, you already pay 1-2 kuai to use one of their filthy public bathrooms. I bet that most tourists would gladly fork over 6 kuai to use a deluxe, Western-style bathroom.

For those of you who don't know, there is a reason for Nicholas Cage to be taking the quantity-over-quality approach to his films. He got into some extremely serious tax debt in the U.S.. I forget the exact amount, but it was in the tens, or hundreds of millions of dollars. For that reason, he supposedly made over 30 films in the past 18 months, including a schload of foreign films. The ironic thing is that the foreign film makers tend to pay him proportionately much more than Western film makers.

But, if you were wondering why such a truly talent actor is making such schlock now, there's your reason. I only hope that when this debt is paid off, he will still have a career.

How terribly sad, especially after surviving all of the tumultuous history of the past 50 years. I'm reminded of the words of a wealthy friend I have: "You just never know how long God is going to let you stick around.|

What could be more natural? A Chinese farmers market/flea market/food festival. My biggest concern is how far from my home it will be.

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