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[wondershot.livejournal.com]

Not directly language related, but I hope you can still help me:

I'm mailing a package from America to a friend in Russia, but I've heard crazy tales about Russian post offices and I'm concerned that my New Year's gifts might not reach their destination unless I take some special precautions. How would you go about sending a package to Russia? This is my first time doing this.

For instance, I need to write the recipient address in English and Russian, right? And fill out the customs forms of course... I bet this will be so expensive :/

If this has been asked before or some other site talks about this, just point me to a link. Thanks.

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

I don't think this was discussed before.
About the address: write Russia, Moscow in Englush and then the complete address in Russian.
As to the custom forms, I am not sure but last time I sent something I think they gave me a green slip where I had to list what's inside the package and its price. My advice: see that the total price is not over $50 (I don't remember the exact amount but $50 should be OK), otherwise the addressee will have to pay custom duty. That's probably it.

[oryx_and_crake]

P.S. Doesn't have to be Moscow, of course - write the name of whatever city you are sending it to.

[firebottle.livejournal.com]

Even $350 will be OK - the limit is 10 000 RUB.

[oryx_and_crake]

That's nice. It used to be $100 or so, which means they have raised the limit recently.

[crimeanelf.livejournal.com]

Do you speak Russian at all? If you do, community inostranki discussed this problem like last week.

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

Not really, although I can when I really try.

[cassandraclue.livejournal.com]

Also bear in mind that what the USPS will tell you is only how long it takes to get to Russia on their side. Once it gets to Russia, it is anyone's guess how long the package will take to get to your friends. It took six weeks or so for a package from my parents to get to me, with the fastest shipping. Best way to send stuff to Russia is fedex.

[firebottle.livejournal.com]

Usually it takes a week or two. The common mistake is the lack of P.O. code - it should be specified both in English and Russian parts of address, as well as city or region:
For example:

Russia, 143400, Moscow region, Krasnogorsk
Россия, 143400, Московская обл., г. Красногорск, ул. Парковая, 54-321
Сидорову И. П.

This example is semi-real: there is Krasnogorsk town in Moscow region, there is Parkovaya street (but only with about 20 buildings in it) and it has P.O. code 143400.

[bokh.livejournal.com]

I never write the complete address in English, just the country name, and that was always enough. It's a good idea to make the postal code stand out by putting it on a separate line, e.g.:

RUSSIA / РОССИЯ
143400
Московская обл., г. Красногорск,
ул. Парковая, 54-321

You do, however, have to write the complete address in English on that aforementioned green customs form, but I doubt is used by the Russian postal service. The green form is for the smaller packages, by the way. If you exceed 3 or 5 pounds (don't remember exactly), you'll get the white form, which is somewhat longer than the green one.

I've recently read somewhere that insuring the package increases the changes that it won't get lost. Personally I never buy insurance and haven't lost a single package so far (knocks on wood).

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

I have everything but a postal code. Rats.

Does Yandex.ru have a googlemaps-esque feature whereby you can punch in a partial address and it'll just happen to give you the postal code along with the official location of the address on a map?

It doesn't look like they have much info for Velikii Novgorod... I'll just have to ask my friend.

Thanks, btw.

[bokh.livejournal.com]

>Does Yandex.ru have a googlemaps-esque feature whereby you can punch in a partial address and it'll just happen to give you the postal code along with the official location of the address on a map?

I haven't seen such a thing.

Here's a couple of links where you can look up the street manually:

http://postindex.ypages.ru/rus/nd16884/qu1200/ic7841668
http://www.ruspostindex.ru/53/1.html

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

Perfect, btw.

[alex-aka-fry.livejournal.com]

You can also send your package by using some delivery company, like DHL.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

DHL sucks - for all shippings to/from Russia they charge you the sum you can send you package to Mars for. I once sent a CD (just one CD, no jewel case) from Moscow, Russia to Lewiston, Idaho; they charged me something like $98.

FedEx is relatively OK.

[archaicos.livejournal.com]

Last year FedEx took around $100 to deliver a single sheet of paper from Moscow to Seattle. I guess they'd charge the same to deliver the empty envelop. :)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh. "Ye pay us just for the fact yer botherin' us." Sheesh.

[aleckii.livejournal.com]

I'll give you an example. 2 years ago I booked a Eurail train pass from the US around the end of December (It was a last minute thing...). They delivered by the pass by DHL, even WITH Christmas and New Year, I received it 3 weeks later, which was mid January, 1 week a half before I flew off to Europe. Yeah, it was THAT close...

[alex-mashin.livejournal.com]

The language you write the address in is not that important. From my experience, English will be understood. Just make sure there's the word "Russia" in English. For the peace of mind write the address in both Russian and English.

There is a risk, however, that the parcel will be received several days before January 1st, 2010.

[myrtilus.livejournal.com]

I'm in Russia, and we occasionally have letters sent to us, order stuff on amazon etc
They usually write the address as follows:

MY NAME
Ul. Krasnopresnenskaya
Dom 6, Korpus 5, Kvartira 10
Moskva (Moscow), Russia 111222
Russian Federation

Ul = street name
dom = house number
korpus = "block"
kvartira = apt number

You can write the address in Russian too, but as our experience shows, english-only is enough. BUT BE SURE TO WRITE THE ZIP CODE IN BIG, BOLD LETTERS

[konstkaras.livejournal.com]

Please don't forget to write adress in Russian: in Moscow postmen stil don't understand Latin alphabeth, I've once received a letter to 2nd Pryadilnaya st., though I live on 2nd Parkovaya.

[53miles.livejournal.com]

When I lived in Russia, I had a package from the UK stay at the post office for a MONTH, before they figured out what street the guy meant (he wrote the address in English). From that time on, I asked everyone to write it in Russian.
Usually, I just write the country name in English and the rest of it in Russian.
Good luck!

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your help, everyone. I'm mailing it off tomorrow. Ура!

[ksushis.livejournal.com]

I hope I'm not too late with this - I sent a few packages to my parents from the US. I went to the normal USPS office and used the express mail they had - I think it's called EMS. It's way less expensive than DHL or Fedex and it got the package to them within 2 weeks (one time it took about a week even). You can write a phone number in Russia on it and they'll call to make sure people are home and then will deliver the package to them. Very convinient and reliable. Also, you can track it till it leaves the US, which is somewhat useful. If you send it by normal USPS it can take several weeks. Also, depending on how heavy the package is sometimes it doesn't make much of a difference if you use the EMS or just regular USPS.

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

Just in time, thanks!