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muriele

Apr 8, 2005, 3:35 PM

Post #1 of 10 (2504 views)

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Forwarding Mail

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We will be moving to Mazatlan in early May and would appreciate any suggestions about the best way(s) to have mail forwarded from the States (Denver) and any other helpful hints regarding mail.

Marlene / Moderator

Apr 8, 2005, 11:07 PM

Post #2 of 10 (2487 views)

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Re: [muriele] Forwarding Mail

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Regular mail gets delivered to me in about 10 - 14 days southbound. The mailmen are more conscientious than I was used to with Canada Post. I received a Christmas card from Spain which didn't have my street address on it, just the colonia name. The carrier diligently tracked someone down that knew me and left it off with them. That's not going to happen up north.

For northward deliveries many folks bring a packet of US or Canadian stamps down with them, so that other returning travelers can be enlisted to carry the stamped envelopes to an appropriate mailbox north of the border.

DHL Courier is known locally as the most reliable for rapid or important deliveries either south or northbound. Your delivery can be tracked on the internet.

ncferret

Apr 9, 2005, 2:46 AM

Post #3 of 10 (2482 views)

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Re: [muriele] Forwarding Mail

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As Marlene mentioned, getting regular mail here isn't really a problem. We have never had a letter "lost" that was sent from the States or Europe.

However, that doesn't really answer your question about forwarding mail that was sent to an address in the states. Our US address is in Colorado too (Fort Collins). We have a friend that goes through all our mail. Anything really important (like a notice from the IRS - lol) we get an email and can decide what to do. Otherwise, the mail we need is put in a small box and carried down with one of our friends. Someone is usually visiting once a month or so. If something important comes along that we need before the next visitor arrives (like a replacement credit card), we simply have it mailed by normal US Air Mail and it gets here in 10 days or less.

You could pay a mail forwarding service (like MBE) to do the same thing, but they pretty much send it all down in bulk and that gets kind of expensive. There was a small mail forwarding service in Ft Collins that would toss the "junk mail", but we decided to use a friend's help instead.

The key is preparation before you move. Before we left, we did everything we could to reduce the amount of mail we got. All our banking, investment, and credit card accounts are handled online, so there is no paper. All our tax information is handled electronically as well. With all of the services available online (like electronic bill pay and electronic scanning and storage of check images), there really isn't much need for paper. I did leave pre-paid Air Mail envelopes for forwarding, but in the past six months I think we used only 1 for a new debit card (your debit and credit card usually get replaced every 2 years).

The address below will help prevent "junk mail" from getting to your US address (you can sign up online):
http://www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist

Honestly, I think we have gotten our mail down to around 2 or 3 pieces a month now.

Marlene / Moderator

Apr 9, 2005, 5:54 PM

Post #4 of 10 (2456 views)

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Re: [ncferret] Forwarding Mail

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Did I err in assuming the US Postal service has an international address change/mail forwarding service like Canada does? Someone once told me the same service existed but I hadn't thought to verify it.

All my mail was forwarded by Canada Post via regular mail and received in about 10 days time. My situation does not involve keeping an address in Canada so this works very nicely for those like myself that move abroad permanently. It is less costly than paying a mail holding/forwarding service, and no imposition on friends or family. Just another option to explore.

ncferret

Apr 10, 2005, 6:26 AM

Post #5 of 10 (2442 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Forwarding Mail

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A few problems with using the USPS for mail forwarding:

1. The rates are different for international mail (60 cents versus 36 cents). So a letter with a domestic postage on it won't be forwarded internationally. It will be returned to the sender.

2. The forwarding service (change of address) of the US postal service only works for 6 months.

3. USPS mail forwarding is meant to be temporary - it isn't that reliable. I have had mail lost by the USPS when I changed addresses.

4. Without a US address, many of the services available from US companies (like banking and investing) are unavailable.

5. If you do not maintain a US address (the first test for US residency), you may be required to pay Mexican taxes on all your worldwide income, but that is a whole separate can of worms. Before you give up your US address (even for a permanent move), I suggest you talk to an accountant and lawyer about the implications of such a decision.

It is possible that the USPS offers a separate mail forwarding service (like MBE), but I never heard of it and it would probably be priced similar to any other forwarding service.

You Canadians have lots of extra "free" services that your poor neighbors to the south don't have - like healthcare for everyone!

(This post was edited by ncferret on Apr 10, 2005, 9:31 AM)

ncferret

Apr 10, 2005, 7:03 AM

Post #6 of 10 (2440 views)

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Re: [muriele] Forwarding Mail

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You might want to also check out this site:

http://www.mail-forwarding-advisor.com/

It looks a little commercial and slightly biased, but it does have some very interesting information. Looks like the cost of using a mail forwarding service would be around $1000 a year. I've heard $80 a month from other folks here in Mazatlan, so that's a good ballpark figure. If money isn't a consideration, it's another option and a number of companies are listed.

There was a mail forwarding service here in Mazatlan (with direct ties to a US company) that was popular, but recently they have gotten quite a bit of negative feedback.

(This post was edited by ncferret on Apr 10, 2005, 9:32 AM)

Marlene / Moderator

Apr 10, 2005, 11:52 AM

Post #7 of 10 (2421 views)

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Re: [ncferret] Forwarding Mail

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You Canadians have lots of extra "free" services that your poor neighbors to the south don't have - like healthcare for everyone!

Healthcare in Canada is not free.

ncferret

Apr 10, 2005, 12:51 PM

Post #8 of 10 (2416 views)

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Re: [Marlene] Forwarding Mail

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Well you're absolutely right Marlene. Very little is free in this world and certainly nothing that comes from any government - there is that little thing called taxes...

A discussion of the US versus Canadian HCS is probably not a really "Sinaloa" topic, but since you brought it up:

- At least all citizens in Canada have access to health care as a basic "right". 48 million Americans have no coverage, the majority of those are "working poor".

- Canadians annually pay $5545 per person in taxes and Americans $6708.

- The US ranks as #1 in foreign debt, Canada isn't even in the top 50 countries in the world.

Americans pay every single dollar of healthcare coverage (unless an employer shares in those costs) in addition to our higher taxes and the obscene amount of money we borrow against our children's future. Free, of course not. A significant burden on many Americans - absolutely. I know some Candians also pay part of prescription drug costs, but even those are significantly lower than in the US. Luckily, we have much lower costs for healthcare in Mexico as well.

To bring this topic back to relevance here in Mexico - specifically your move from Colorado to Mexico. When you move, you might check to see if your health insurance covers you in Mexico (assuming you have health insurance). Many US policies only cover emergency care while in Mexico. However, you can get a very good policy here in Mazatlan, assuming no pre-existing conditions, for about 1/10th of the cost for similar coverage in the US. Many folks here think the quality of care, although not as high-tech, is better than NOB.

(This post was edited by ncferret on Apr 10, 2005, 3:36 PM)

muriele

Apr 12, 2005, 7:20 AM

Post #9 of 10 (2369 views)

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Re: [ncferret] Forwarding Mail

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Thanks for all of the helpful information. As suggested we have taken the steps to do as much as we can in an online / electronic fashion. The forwarding companies that I have contacted don't give me a high level of confidence and don't seem to be worth the effort (at this time). I think we will initially rely on USPS to forward our mail, which we hope will only be a couple of pieces a month. Thanks again!

ekammin

May 23, 2005, 8:15 PM

Post #10 of 10 (2267 views)

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Re: [ncferret] Forwarding Mail

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Yes, you're right. All Canadians have access to health care, which, although it sometimes seems somewhat slow-moving, speeds up nicely when the need is there (I got an MRI in 48 hours when my doctor thpought my condition warranted it).

Our main problem is fighting off all the insurance companies and HMOs that would love to come crashing into Canada with all their profit-making "services", and the local wannabee Americans who would just love to welcome them.

Incidentally, in Ontario anyway, senior citizens get most prescriptions filled for less than $6 Canadian. Sure, it all comes from our taxes, but then, we don't have a great, big war to fight.