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Betting on the Philippine Postal System
When I went to the States a few years ago, one of the very first things I did was to order something online and have it delivered to my aunt's house via regular mail (United States Postal Service). It was such a novelty for me to buy something and have it delivered through regular mail, and then not worry about whether or not I'll receive the item. Pwede pala yon?:p
Maybe I'm just overly optimistic or maybe I haven't lost hope, but I finally did the unthinkable and ordered something online ABROAD without using FedEx or any other courier service. That's right, I'm relying on our good old Philippine Post Office to deliver my items intact, without charging me an arm and a leg on taxes. Oh yes I did.
The first thing I bought were these two lots of glass beads for my charm bracelet from Cecilia Cohen, a glass sculptor from Israel who sells via Etsy.
I spent $14 for this shipment ($9 for the beads and $5 for shipping), that's roughly around Php600.
I guess I was feeling a little trigger happy after buying from Etsy, so when I read that ASOS (a UK brand) offered free shipping worldwide without a minimum amount, I immediately checked out the sale section and picked out this navy blue dress for GBP12 (around Php850).
Again, I chose the regular shipping option.
So I've officially wagered Php1450 on the Philippine postal system, betting that the Philippine Post is efficient and trustworthy enough to deliver these 2 obviously personal and non-luxury items to my doorstep. Will it happen or should I just start berating myself now for even bothering? I'll keep you all updated :)
*PhilPost building image from the PhilPost website.
**Updates: Good news and bad news.
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Hi! did you ever receive your package and may I ask how long it took? my ninang called to tell me she sent me a gift through USPS. when i tracked it, it says the package arrived at pickup point a week ago. i'm just getting a little worried because i haven't received any notification yet. thanks! :)
Hi Allison,
I received the beads but never received the dress. Please check out this link for all the posts connected with my Philpost experience: http://kikay.exchange.ph/search/node/asos
Will also update this post.
I'm crossing my fingers that your package reaches you safely!
Hong Kong Disneyland sent me a gift last year for a commendation I made for one of their hotel staff. The Post Office (in San Juan) sent me a card that I had to pick up the package from their office and that I have to pay ++ taxes for the item. It's just strange as they were asking me to declare the value of the items to compute for the taxes. How could I if these were given as gifts? The Post Office guy then offered that I could just pay him P200 however I will not be given a receipt. Pang suhol ba. Hehe. But, just the same, I told him strongly stood to my point that these were gifts sent to me from Hong Kong and not personal purchases. With much arguing and bickering with the Post Office guys, I was able to leave with my package without paying the Post Office nor the guy a single cent for a package that I did not even ask for.:)
Wow! Ang kapal talaga!:(
Good on you that you didn't succumb to the "easy" way.
Philippine Postal Office will never deliver to your house. You will pick up the items from their office instead.
What's more irritating is that they sent me a card first informing me of the delivery. If they were able to send the card to my house, why didn't they just carry the items with them on their way to my house?
Dahil it will incur more expenses pag dala na nila ang mga items? Maybe true, but come on...picking up the items from their office? Very stone age...
Hi Kuh,
Very stone age indeed! But probably the only way they can collect taxes :(
I love purchasing online bec. it gives me great deals, even online purchases from abroad. But the thing is, whenever my items leave the country of origin, I just can't help but feel nervous of whether my package will arrive or not. I can't help it bec. I lost some already. So I can say that it's not a hundred percent reliable. What your package needs is the right time and the right people in the post office when it arrives (let's pray for that!). The post office will charge you I think P35 as storage fee(?). Anyway, this is not to scare you dear, but just to let you know that things like these happen. God bless! :))
Hi Colette,
It's sad that we have to play this "wait and pray" game with our packages :( But your 80-20 success rate gives me hope just the same! Both of my items have already been dispatched, so I'm crossing my fingers that I receive a postal notice in about 2-3 weeks.
Update us then sis. I hope yours will be a success. God bless! :)
Thanks Colette!
It's been almost 3 weeks since I placed my orders, so I'm expecting the postal notice to come any day now :)
hi i ordered thru ebay us and they said i had to claim it sa quezon city post office. ist it hard ba to claim the package? im afraid they might hold it or have some interest in it and will not give it to me. perfume kasi sya. hmmm
I had to pick up a package from the Las Pinas post office years ago, and from experience, it was very easy to do. I presented the claim notice at the post office and received the package right away (I don't know now if I paid any taxes on it).
hi
wondering if philpost delivered and if they charged you for taxes? any updates?
currently browsing asos website and i want to order heheh!
cheers!
Haven't received any postal notice yet for either of my orders:(
I'm trying to be positive about it though, since it's been only 1 month and I'm giving it up to 2 months before I call it quits :(
it really is a hassle for those who work (like me) to schedule going to the post office. Most of the time I ask my husband to get the packages for me because his work hours are more flexible. You can send someone to pick up the package for you. Just prepare a letter of authority and give her your id to show them. Your rep should also bring an id along. Customs will ask for the value of your items, and some will require that you show them the online receipt. Just print it out just in case.
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for the tips! I'll make sure to furnish my rep (aka my hubby:p) with an online receipt and an authorization letter :)
I bought a couple of shirts from Amazon.com 2 years ago, I think, and had them delivered just through postal service. It took me forever to receive it, and you have to pay some fees pa upon claiming it from the post office. The fee depends on how much your purchases were.
Hi Mic,
I'm not too worried about the taxes, it can't possibly be much for Php1,400 worth of items:p
Uhhh... good luck! My friend recently went to Paris and as she knew she had a lot of excess baggage, decided to have a box shipped back here through our local post system. It did come... opened and expensive items missing! Looting is very common there, and this is as per my friends who have HIGH ranks in the govt.
Oh no! That's horrible :(
I dont think you have to worry though, since the things you bought arent those expensive gadgets or what not. I bet you'll get em fine. :)
I hope so! I'm waiting for the registry notices :)
Hi, I'm happy to be your first on-line purchase and delighted to add the Philippines to my list of client destinations. If anything goes wrong with the shipment, do let me know. But I'm betting on your postal system, too :-)
Yours,
Cec in Israel
Hi Cec,
Thanks for dropping by my blog :) I'm crossing my fingers that I receive your gorgeous beads, a recent post about a box shipped from Paris has me worried again :(
They won't deliver the items right at your doorstep; you'll have to pick them up at the nearest post office. :) I've had pretty decent luck with small items from eBay, so I don't think you should have any trouble getting these.
Hi Lauren,
I really, really hope so too! I wonder if it matters where your post office is? You're in Antipolo right?
You did the right thing. Shipping them over takes about 3 weeks to a month, but I can guarantee you your items will arrive intact. I've been using the Phil. postal system to send and receive items abroad and it has not failed me yet. I'd like to share my experience: http://dearbloglovehatsuko.blogspot.com/2010/08/im-loving-philippine-pos...
Hi Joanne,
That's great to hear! I'm feeling more confident now about my purchases reaching me in one piece :)