Update on postage

Two days ago I wrote about postage costs from south africa and about the "large letter" category that I thought could make things cheaper. I got a comment from someone who said that customs wouldn't allow non-documents though. I checked myself at the post office yesterday and it is correct - the name "large letter" is apparently there for a reason - documents only. It seems some post office workers allow you to send small parcels as letters, but it's probably not worth the risk if customs will hold up your post.

I also have one other post secret to share with you. EMS - expediated mail service - a international courier service from the post office which, depending on weight could work out to be a better option (tariff calculator).

Another correction on my previous post. PostNet Global Mail is the best option if your items are around 50 grams, and you want to post them like a parcel (not in a plain envelope).

weight	EMS (USA)	PN (USA)	PO small parcel	large parcel (USA)	large parcel (EU)
1	250	0.403	23.3	112.6	139.6
50	250	20.15	23.3	112.6	139.6
100	250	40.3	23.3	112.6	139.6
250	250	100.75	69.9	145.8	160.9
500	250	201.5	116.5	179	182.2
751	310	302.653	186.4	228.8	214.15
1001	370	403.403	256.3	278.6	246.1
1250	370	503.75	302.9	311.8	267.4
1500	370	604.5	349.5	345	288.7
1751	430	705.653	419.4	394.8	320.65
2001	490	806.403	489.3	444.6	352.6
1250	490	503.75	302.9	311.8	267.4
1500	490	604.5	349.5	345	288.7
2751	550	1108.65	652.4	560.8	427.15
3001	610	1209.4	722.3	610.6	459.1

(as before - weight in grams and money in Rands.)

Interesting stuff - If you have any experiences or advice, please do post a comment