# Receiving mail in Mexico



## Phil Gillette

I am interested in any information on how Americans receive their mail. I know that a lot of people have a P.O. Box somewhere in Arizona or Texas on the border. Any suggestions? Does it work? How much does it cost?


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## TundraGreen

Phil Gillette said:


> I am interested in any information on how Americans receive their mail. I know that a lot of people have a P.O. Box somewhere in Arizona or Texas on the border. Any suggestions? Does it work? How much does it cost?


Important stuff I have sent or send Fedex. Normal mail just comes through Correos Mexico. I get a couple of professional society magazines delivered that way and they seem to show up okay. I use my son's address in the US for a lot of stuff, like banks. He looks at it and if it seems important he scans it and emails it to me. There isn't much mail that I need to see anymore because I do most things on line. 

Fedex is around $500 pesos ($40 US) one way to or from mexico. Correos Mexico was $11 or $11.50 pesos (a little under a dollar US) last time I sent a letter to the US.

Will


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## Guest

I have grown accustomed to not getting a pile of junk mail every day as people do in the US, and it has greatly simplified my life. I have any snail mail sent to a relative's address in the US. On the rare occasion (maybe once a month? ) when something important comes, they scan it and e-mail it to me.

I did check out a mail service (Mail Boxes Etc) here in MX, using a mailing address in Texas and then forwarded on to MX, but the high cost versus their slow service (10-21 days to receive regular mail), and the thought of traveling 45 minutes to their store to pick up mail killed that idea for me.

I have received items through the regular Mexican post office several times (Amazon orders, etc) and they have always delivered with no problems (except they always snag my invoice). An Amazon order with the lowest delivery cost takes 2-3 weeks to arrive at my door.

Anything important/sensitive such as a new credit card, etc comes via express to me here.


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## makaloco

I do most things online, but what little snail mail I do get from the US comes via the Mexican mail system. It takes 10-14 days or occasionally longer, but so far (3+ years) has been reliable. For organizations that require a US address, I give my brother's. Maybe once a year or so there's something he needs to scan and email to me. He sends credit/debit cards via US certified mail, and I activate them by calling from here.


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## HolyMole

makaloco said:


> I do most things online, but what little snail mail I do get from the US comes via the Mexican mail system. It takes 10-14 days or occasionally longer, but so far (3+ years) has been reliable. For organizations that require a US address, I give my brother's. Maybe once a year or so there's something he needs to scan and email to me. He sends credit/debit cards via US certified mail, and I activate them by calling from here.


Wow, sending credit cards through the mail to Mexico!. That's brave. I assume that even though it's "U.S. certified mail", it still gets handled by the Mexican postal system. Of course credit card companies in Canada and the USA routinely use the mail, so why should the Mexican postal system be any less safe or reliable? Well, things are supposed to have improved recently, but lots of people have had bad experiences with mail to-and-from Mexico.
Other than a couple of letters to and from Mexico City, the only other thing I've ever mailed to Mexico was a home made pre-recorded cassette tape, which never arrived.


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## makaloco

There really isn't much risk if the card isn't activated, but I imagine that mail delivery varies by location. I live in town, which probably makes for better service. A friend in a remote area rents a PO box for receiving her mail, because the mail carriers are unable to find her house. I've never tried to have merchandise sent from the US.

Make sure that the sender puts your mailing address in Mexican style rather than US style: street name before house number, indicate the Colonia (or equivalent), postal code before city, state, and country. I've received mail from the US with one or more lines missing, and even once with the country omitted. But it obviously did not arrive quickly!

John Doe
Calle 5 de Mayo #123
Col. Buena Vista
12345 La Paz, Baja California Sur, México


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## elchante

i live in the lake chapala area. there are (to my knowledge) three mail forwarding companies that have offices here locally (in four different locales). i use MBE (mailboxes, etc.) in san juan cosala. for the first six months i lived here, i shared an MBE rental box with another person. i can't remember what the rental fees were, but they were pretty high. 

during that six-month period, i got my address changed with most of the companies and individuals who mail me things and realized that i really wasn't getting enough mail to justify the cost of the box, so i switched to MBE's "general delivery" type system. that is, it goes into their general (no PO box) mail at the san juan cosala office. i pay by the envelope. it costs me $30MX per standard sized envelope (or for larger, manila-style envelopes). i receive, on average, only two regular size envelopes in a month, so my cost is $60mx a month (about $4.65US a month). this is substantially less than i was paying for a private box. 

the mexican postal service is really the way to go, if possible....as others have noted above. boxes at the post office cost (in jocotepec) less than $20US a year. however, my credit union (for one) will not mail things to mexico, so i have to keep my "US address" (i.e. MBE in laredo).


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## conklinwh

To my knowledge, there are two forwarding services in San Miguel. I use La Conexion. It is now about $100/year. They use a Laredo address. My wife and I both have business and investment interests in the US so very convenient for us.


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## Chali Chan

*Mail*

I have had good service with packages from the US with insured USPS. Anything important use FEDEX or UPS it costs more but you will get it.
ANYTHING important and especially bank communications and checks DO NOT use Estafeta. Trust me every bank correspondence was opened and when the checks came...... well, it was a nightmare and their reputation went down the drain.

Be careful as many delivery agencies will add customs tax to your cost of delivery fee on top of package value, which is illegal but..... what can you do. So if the package value is 100 bucks and you pay 100 for delivery you will pay an extra 30 bucks, maybe.
In general items manufactured in the U.S. and under a specific amount cannot be customs taxed... but many will try.


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## Bob Dean

I dont know where Chali Chan is getting this information. All goods are subject to import duties. Sometimes a package will get through withour charges but that is the exception. US goods may get a special rate but they are taxable.

Bob


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## Dmexx

I have found Earthclassmail.com to be supierior to sending mail across the border. My mail is sent to an address in a state I choose with no income tax (to avoid those problems) where it is scanned. I read everything online. Much quicker than snail mail working its way into your box at your local Mailboxes .

When you have something like a credit card or books, Earthclass sends them to me via Fedex, UPS or USPS (my choice). I pay shipping charges.

With basic fees plus scanning and shredding charges, I pay about $30 per month.

It costs more if you want a street address in the US city.

Andale Pues,


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## RVGRINGO

We've used two of the several mail services at Lake Chapala and presently pay about $3000 pesos per year for the service. There are a few things that are much easier for us with a US street address. Everything else comes directly to our mailbox at the house; but we do live in town, where mail is delivered daily. Fraccionamientos (developments), condominiums, etc. often do not get home delivery & must rent a box at the Mexican Post Office; going there to check for mail.


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## tcreek

estafeta does documents anywhere in Mexico next day from the US for about $12.


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## Phil Gillette

I was curious about receiving magazines and journals. I get weekly New Yorker, Newsweek, and monthly journals -- the postage to have them sent to Mexico (or any other country) is very high, so my question. It seems that something like MBE general delivery would be the solution.


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## tcreek

Phil Gillette said:


> I was curious about receiving magazines and journals. I get weekly New Yorker, Newsweek, and monthly journals -- the postage to have them sent to Mexico (or any other country) is very high, so my question. It seems that something like MBE general delivery would be the solution.


There is a restaurant chain if you are in a bigger city that carries a large variety of magazines. I just can't remember that name of it right now. There is a sort of a gift shop inside it with a surprisingly large magazine selection.

Also many of these same companies do the mazine online also. For the price of monthly internet fees, you may be able save the cost of mailing and get the magazine when it comes out. I give it a policy of one month delivery time with general mail when sending from the US. After one month, it will probbaly never arrive. And be sure it is only general mail items. Anything else will be assured of not making it to you.


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## RVGRINGO

That restaurant chain is Sanborn's.


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## NORM123

I live in P.V. Had a watch sent to me, never got. A letter from social security sent 6 weeks ago, never got


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## johnmex

I get my National Geographic every month via the mexican postal system...so far.


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## MJB5293

*mail*



Phil Gillette said:


> I am interested in any information on how Americans receive their mail. I know that a lot of people have a P.O. Box somewhere in Arizona or Texas on the border. Any suggestions? Does it work? How much does it cost?


i use mailbox ect it has a miami address and then is flown here they call it ebox 


MEX XXXXX SUITE 100
2250 NW 114TH AVE UNIT 1M
MIAMI, FL 33172 - 3652


Mail Boxes Etc. México - Mensajería, empaque, embalaje, FEDEX, DHL, UPS, ESTAFETA.
cost for me is 32.00 us a month it is worth it


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## conklinwh

We use La Conexion which is one of two mail transfer services in San Miguel with a Laredo address. It works very well for mail & magazines. We have mail forwarded from our US address in Raleigh but better if magazines have the Laredo address.They will also bring in UPS/USPS/FedEx packages for 17% of value charge but FedEx has a drop-off/pick-up point in San Miguel that is faster.


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## grndy85

*Receiving Mail...*

As for magazine subscriptions specifically, I live in Chihuahua, Mexico and I receive my Rolling Stone and Details magazine here. They usually arrive a few days after the date on the cover so it is not too bad.


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## TundraGreen

grndy85 said:


> As for magazine subscriptions specifically, I live in Chihuahua, Mexico and I receive my Rolling Stone and Details magazine here. They usually arrive a few days after the date on the cover so it is not too bad.


That's pretty good. I get a weekly professional society newsletter. The most recent one I have received is October 5th, so just over 2 months late. This is in the center of Guadalajara.


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## Bast

I was wondering how viable it was to buy my medical equipment in Mexico, as opposed to having a relative forward the same equipment from the VA Hospital.

They send stoma equipment ,monthly. wafers, bags and such. I have heard that I can get my medication in Mexico cheaper, but would I have a problem with the morphine I take daily even if I have prescriptions for it?

Thanks for any suggestions


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## RVGRINGO

If the VA will ship your supplies, you'll need to arrange with a forwarding service which is licensed to import medical equipment and supplies and which has a US address. You can expect to pay high fees for that service. As such, it may be just as easy to purchase the items in Mexico. Your Mexican physician can advise you on availability and sources. You'll also need him to refer you to a Pain Management Physician for the necessary Mexican prescriptions for any narcotics, such as morphine.


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## Bast

That sounds doable but a bit annoying. My medical care is free from the VA but now I need to consider the added expense if I move to Mexico.

Thanks for the heads up.


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## RVGRINGO

Much will depend upon your location in Mexico. Here, we have an office of Mail Boxes Etc., which has such a license and is also an agent for UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. You can have a mailbox there for about $400 USD per year. The caution is that they can hold packages 'hostage' for high handling and customs fees, which are never documented. There are also other mail forwarding services available in our area, as there are many expats here, but only MBE can import medicines. All have addresses in Texas & many only accept letter sized mail. We use one of the latter, as they are less expensive.


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## Phil Gillette

*Magazines and journals to Mexico City*

I guess I was basically interested in how to receive magazines and journals, in Mexico City. I will be relocating there in 3 weeks. I know that the cost of mailing subscribed magazines (Newsweek, Saveur, Cooks International, for example) is pretty high.


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## kcowan

Phil Gillette said:


> I guess I was basically interested in how to receive magazines and journals, in Mexico City. I will be relocating there in 3 weeks. I know that the cost of mailing subscribed magazines (Newsweek, Saveur, Cooks International, for example) is pretty high.


That is primarily what we get. It costs about $100/month for UPS so we have become pretty selective about what we receive in hard copy.


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## conklinwh

I'm not sure about Mexico City but we use La Conexion in San Miguel for both mail and magazines. Costs about $220USD/year(I need reup Monday so will see if changed). We have mail forwarded ffom US address to Laredo address. Some magazines aren't automatically forwarded so we change mailing address on those to the Laredo location. For forwarded mail about a 10 day delay. For direct mail to Laredo, about a 3 day delay.


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## MtnWoman

For several years we have been using USABox which scans the envelope so we can discard the junk and sends the whole mess by FedEx once a month. They have messed up one time too many, and we are switching to a less expensive local company at Lakeside.


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## conklinwh

I'm now back in Pozos and have gone to San Miguel to extend La Conexion for the year. Annual cost is $216USD. For this, I get daily mail/newspapers driven from Laredo. Magazines under one pound are also free but they only commit 5 day delivery. BTW, we have mail forwarded from Raleigh & USPS has a problem with magazines so we change mailing address on those to Laredo. They also offer high speed wireless internet and VoIP phones. For less than $.60/day a pretty good deal but not sure of other locations.


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