Liz, I get both packages, parcels and letters sent from the UK regularly - a
letter usually comes through in 4 - 5 days; a small package in about 7 - 10
days, and a parcel anything from 7 days - 14 days.
Not from UK, but I went to the PO today to discover the various rate/time schedules of shipping to OZ. The "small package" is no more, in the US -- it's all under or over 4lbs now. The airmail rate for "under 4lb" (slightly cheaper than "over 4lb") is, roughly, twice the amount of that charged for "surface mail" (that's what it's called here. It suggests non-air transport *within* both countries as well as without).
Expected delivery time? 4-6 weeks for "surface" (though, when I ordered something for another Ozzie, to be delivered directly, I was told "up to 8 weeks"). We had a bit of a laugh when it came to *air* mail... "*47 days????* I screeched in my best soprano, "more than a month and a half??? By air???? At that price???" It appears that my hearing is going along with the rest of the senses; it's "4 *to* 7" days... :)
Although the post offices in both countries still "sell" sea mail, I believe
that there are no boats actually bringing mail to Australia any more - so "sea
mail" seems to be a euphemism for "we'll stick it on the bottom of the pile and
forget it unless it's convenient for us to do something with it".
If cargo ships are still coming into Oz, then chances are some mail is coming on them -- esp the larger stuff. But, in general, I agree with you; the "surface mail" seems to be a half-price ticket to semi-oblivion. In support of your theory that all small stuff is now being moved via air is my experience (several times) of sending something via "surface" (not time-sensitive, so why spend extra) to UK and to Poland (also 4-6 weeks expected delivery time), and to have it delivered within a week or 5 days. Since even a direct (no stops on the way) boat takes 8-10 days (depending on the season) to get to Poland, it's obvious that the things had gone via air. I expect the PO assumed that nobody could be as stingy as to think of saving a dollar or two on the "slow boat" route, and stuck them in the air pile with everything else :)
I always get my books from Fay (in Germany) via surface mail (it's free, and books don't spoil en route <g>), and although I ususally send my order in a letter (sent airmail), I get the books within 4-5 weeks -- on the lower end of time. Mail between *Spain* and US is a totally different story -- takes forever, even via air :)
The guys at out PO claim that things like "registered" and "insured" slows down the process; that's borne out by airmail (but registered) letters which take twice as long to arrive here from Poland as the "plain vanilla" ones do.
----- Tamara P Duvall Lexington, Virginia, USA Formerly of Warsaw, Poland http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/
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