Hi peeps what knows...
Since our post office is on strike...and I am hoping to purchase a certain effects pedal from the bay (unless I can talk my local music shop into a decent discount/trade deal for my 2 remaining pedals...lol) how does one know if they are sending via regular mail or courier?

"USPS Priority Mail InternationalTM"
"USPS Priority Mail Express InternationalTM"
"International Priority Shipping"

Are various options from various sellers... Are any of those "couriers"?

As far as I'm aware, all of those options will hand over to SAPO once it reaches our shores. You'd have to contact the buyer, and arrange to have it couriered with someone like UPS or Fedex etc to be able to be sure of receiving it.

Regards
G!

Big G wrote: As far as I'm aware, all of those options will hand over to SAPO once it reaches our shores. You'd have to contact the buyer, and arrange to have it couriered with someone like UPS or Fedex etc to be able to be sure of receiving it.

Regards
G!

Thanks for the info... Although I'm considering paying the bit extra and just buying it locally because of the risk now.

Yer, by the time you take courier costs and VAT on arrival into consideration, it probably wouldn't be much cheaper to buy from overseas anyway for a single pedal? It becomes more worth it when you can get a few bundled together, or if the price is significantly cheaper than here. Then it becomes more worth it.

Regards
G!

Don't even bother right now

I bought some stuff for about $180 and had it shipped to a mates house in Florida. USPS charged an additional $95 for postage. UPS the couriers wanted $890 for shipping!!!!

It shipped on 19th September, landed ORTambo 21 September, subsequently lost, or not scanned in yet due to the strike.

Greg Perkins wrote: Don't even bother right now

I bought some stuff for about $180 and had it shipped to a mates house in Florida. USPS charged an additional $95 for postage. UPS the couriers wanted $890 for shipping!!!!

It shipped on 19th September, landed ORTambo 21 September, subsequently lost, or not scanned in yet due to the strike.

I'm probably just going to get the pedal I want from the shop then...Line 6 Pod HD500X... Marshall had them on special for R7500 a while ago and the connection that is musical said they would be able to match that price... Getting there with the sale of my stomps ?

I've had quite a bit of success bringing stuff in via Myus - basically a package consolidation thing. You send the stuff there, they repack it and it comes in via fedex/dhl.

I've used it in the past to send a violin and it came out fine.

AS far as I know sending anything via USPS will translate to SAPO on our end works something like this:

Sender -> USPS (Waybill issued) -> International bulk Shipper -> Destination Country Warehouse - SAPO Jet Park (local Waybill issued) -> SARS Jet Park -> SAPO Jet Park -> Regional Distribution center -> SAPO Local Office - Collection by client.

That pedal is big and heavy,
postage costs way too much for a monster like that.
I buy from ebay all the time, and get everything ok, no delays,including last week.
I post stuff all over RSA, no probs
I don't know who actually is on strike but mail seems unaffected to me.
I also get all my bills on time every month
Everyone is so paranoid about delays and theft here.
Have a bit of faith

Pure luck if you got your stuff via SAPO - I have lost 2 parcels to the strike and know quite a few others who are affected. I haven't even received regular post for months.

Don't risk it.

I've been using myUS and postbox-courier.com for eBay purchases.

OK so I havent read all of the replies. But here is my experience. I order (or used to) quite a bit of stuff on ebay. And mostly from cina/Hong Kong (because you get the same or similar for like a fraction). And I used to get the apologies that due to free postage, delivery will be slow. So, you track it and it gets out of China and into SA in 1 maybe 2 days. And then you wait three weeks for notification to come and fetch your parcel. That was when there was no strike. Now i have been waiting 6 months about for some stuff. dont do post office!! see if they dont offer courier.

Well Durbans different then...too bad for all youse
I buy from ebay from china with free postage and it has always taken 24-29 days for years now
I've bought 4 times in the last two months, no probs, arrives on time.
I still get my all my bills on time
I send money in envelopes and birthday cards and never have had a problem.
I posted a 9kg box to Oudtshoorn on Monday was collected at post office on Friday
I don't use insurance as all parcels have tracking numbers
I must be the luckiest chap in RSA, but asking around, I'm not the only one.
Must be demographics then....

exsanguinator wrote: Well Durbans different then...too bad for all youse
I buy from ebay from china with free postage and it has always taken 24-29 days for years now
I've bought 4 times in the last two months, no probs, arrives on time.
I still get my all my bills on time
I send money in envelopes and birthday cards and never have had a problem.
I posted a 9kg box to Oudtshoorn on Monday was collected at post office on Friday
I don't use insurance as all parcels have tracking numbers
I must be the luckiest chap in RSA, but asking around, I'm not the only one.
Must be demographics then....

You are the exception. I've lost 3 parcels in the last few months (I hope they find it) along with most people using PO - businesses are closing, its real. For your own sake, DO NOT USE PO.