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SunFan

Oct 13, 2011, 6:35 AM

Post #1 of 11 (1420 views)

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Mail Delivery

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I've used the forum to do some research on forwarding mail from NOB but wanted to check my conclusions with Forum members who know what's going on.
We do all our correspondence, banking, investments on-line. The volume of non-junk mail should be pretty low - magazines, the occasional gem from government and so on.

I'm here in Ajijic now making arrangements for an FM2, house rental and mail delivery prior to our permanent move to Chula Vista in mid-December.

The options appear to be;

1. Have Canada Post forward mail to a friend or relative in Toronto who in turn would mail important items using conventional mail. Cheap but slow. Estimated cost $10 CDN per month.

2. Have Canada Post forward mail internationally to our house or P.O.B in Ajijic. Again slow and cost would be $130 CDN for six months.

3. Have Canada Post forward mail to a Texas mailbox rented form Sol y Luna, Mailbox Etc. or Handy Mail who in turn would deliver the mail to an Ajijic mailbox. Fastest but costly at $130 plus $144 USD for a few pieces of mail a month.

I'm inclined to go with option 1. Any thoughts?

For parcels it appears the best bet is just to use the Mexican Postal system and be patient or ship by FedEx.

Mucho gracias

Jorge

careyeroslib

Oct 13, 2011, 7:19 AM

Post #2 of 11 (1402 views)

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Re: [SunFan] Mail Delivery

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We´re Canadians. Option #2 (having Canada Post forward our mail to Puerto Vallarta) did not work for us. Not only slow, but very uneven. Some things took way too long to arrive for some reason. Ultimately, we didn´t really find it reliable.

I would suggest a modified Option #1. If it´s really important, have the friend send it by courier (Whatever is best in your area) if, for some reason, scanning and e-mailing or faxing is inappropriate. Mail can take anywhere up to 3 months (or never) to arrive from Canada. Not always, but, rarely less than a month. I would never trust regular mail with anything important being sent from Canada.

chinagringo

Oct 13, 2011, 7:42 AM

Post #3 of 11 (1395 views)

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Re: [SunFan] Mail Delivery

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I have never had the pleasure of going through the mail hassle but have talked to enough friends that have dealt with the logistics to have an opinion. While one can expect many things to be quite a bit less expensive in Mexico, receiving mail can be just the opposite when one has to rely on physical delivery in a timely fashion. We all have different expectations and requirements. If you fall into the category of "must have my mail" in a timely manner, then evaluating by costs involved may be one of those toss out the window evaluations. Not everything will be cheaper in MX!
Regards,
Neil
Albuquerque, NM

DavidHF

Oct 13, 2011, 7:56 AM

Post #4 of 11 (1388 views)

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Re: [chinagringo] Mail Delivery

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We've tried every option and concluded that HandyMail was the best for us. Totally reliable, timely, and moderate cost.

mazbook1

Oct 13, 2011, 9:49 AM

Post #5 of 11 (1364 views)

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Re: [SunFan] Mail Delivery

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I've been using your option #1 for 13 years now (US Post Office instead of Canada Post, though) and find it to be by far the best option. Not only is it the least expensive, I have never had to wait for my mail more than a month, but usually only 2 weeks or less. I really do get my U.S. forwarded mail faster than most of the folks I know who use Mailbox, Etc. (Ship@Post here in Mazatlán).

If you go with your option #1, the MOST important thing for speeding delivery in México is to be certain the person forwarding the mail writes your Mexican address PROPERLY, i.e., Mexican style. I wrote quite a long post on this here on MexConnect a couple of years ago. Here is where you will find it.

http://www.mexconnect.com/...ng%20address;#135700

One note about that post and the discussion thread: The post by sanjuan near the bottom of the thread concerning placement of the C.P. in your Mexican address is flatly WRONG. It is definitely NOT done the way he says, at least in México.

Good luck and bienvenidos a México

David Bodwell
Editorial Mazatlán
Mazatlán Book & Coffee Company

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Oct 13, 2011, 12:43 PM)

SunFan

Oct 15, 2011, 3:34 AM

Post #6 of 11 (1239 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Mail Delivery

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As I expected - excellent responses from the Forum members. Many thanks.

Initially, at least, I think we'll try.....

1. Canada Post forwarding to my daughter in Toronto.
2. She will check for anything that looks important and scan and e-mail to me.
3. Magazines, less urgent items, parcels can be bundled and mailed using regular postal services.

Then we'll see which whose post office is best at warehousing my mail!

Hasta pronto

Jorge

Martygraw

Oct 15, 2011, 7:39 AM

Post #7 of 11 (1204 views)

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Re: [SunFan] Mail Delivery

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We have lived here in Jocotepec for 8 years. The first 3 years we had a forwarding service from Laredo (MBE) sending our mail into Mexico at a cost of aprox 300.00 USD a year. We now have our mail picked up in Canada by a bro-in-law and sent direct to our PO box in Joco every 15 days. The mail takes about 15 - 20 days to get here and we have never lost a thing. Cost is 130 pesos a year.

sanjuan

Oct 16, 2011, 9:20 AM

Post #8 of 11 (1104 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Mail Delivery

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By international agreement it is supposed to be done in Mexico as everywhere else in the world. The postal code goes after the state and before the country. It is not only correct it is common sense. If you get a bill from Telmex check it and you will see that is how they do it.

(This post was edited by sanjuan on Oct 16, 2011, 1:05 PM)

sanjuan

Oct 16, 2011, 2:54 PM

Post #9 of 11 (1050 views)

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Re: [sanjuan] Mail Delivery

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I forgot to post what I meant to.
I do a modified version of option #1 and it works well for me. Rather than having to keep paying Canada post to forward my mail to a friend I changed my address to that friend's address. I only get about 8 letters a year. If it is really important he will courier it to me otherwise it is forwarded occasionally by regular mail or brought down by someone who is coming.
As to the position of the postal code it probably shouldn't make that much difference. The amazing thing is why the Mexican post is so slow-it must just sit and sit in various places. I can read the succession of date stamps sometimes. The mail gets out of Canada and the US very quickly but can take 10 days to go from Mexico City or Guadalajara to Ajijic and then another week to go a few miles west of Ajijic.

Minerva909

Nov 8, 2011, 2:37 PM

Post #10 of 11 (641 views)

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Re: [SunFan] Mail Delivery

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I do not have specific experience with forwarding mail to Mexico, but I travel a lot internationally for longer or shorter period and discover that the best, surefire method of forwarding important pieces of mail is to have someone to open it, scan it and email it. My daughter does it for me without griping, and i get what I need to get when I need to get it.

SunFan

Nov 8, 2011, 4:27 PM

Post #11 of 11 (615 views)

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Re: [Minerva909] Mail Delivery

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That's exactly what I've done. Of course it cost me the price for a scanner for my daughter!

George