# Sending packages from Dubai



## imom

Has anyone sent packages from Dubai to overseas in the post? 
Is there a regular post office in Dubai or do you need to use a service like DHL? What are the charges like? Is insurance offered? How long do things take to get to UK or US? What sort of experiences have you had (good or bad)?


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## wazza2222

*$$$*

Gird your loins!
I sent a couple of little stuffed camels home as gifts (to New Zealand) and DHL charged 500Dh for the thrill! This was half a kilo and a plastic bag slightly bigger than an A4 sheet of paper
They also refuse to carry anything precious like stones or gold or money. 

On the up side, the parcel arrived safe and sound (after an internal from customs of course) three days later.

There is a post service, it even talks on its website about going into the international courier business but I would not trust it for anything serious (my opinion only) I know of one post office near me in the Mall of Emirates zone and it looks dead dodgy with dozens of people hanging around on the footpath and no apprarent parking area.




imom said:


> Has anyone sent packages from Dubai to overseas in the post?
> Is there a regular post office in Dubai or do you need to use a service like DHL? What are the charges like? Is insurance offered? How long do things take to get to UK or US? What sort of experiences have you had (good or bad)?


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## imom

Wow, thanks for sharing. That's a crazy price but I'd expect that from a courier service. I'd like to hear from someone about the postal alternative. I have some things I'd like to sell in Ebay but if I cant ship internationally to the buyers at a reasonable cost it's not going to work.


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## davidsimon64

Any good ideas? I also want to sell my items on Amazon but services like DHL and FedEx are hell expensive for delivery from Dubai to US or Europe. Is there a cheaper way around?


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## Dozza

davidsimon64 said:


> Any good ideas? I also want to sell my items on Amazon but services like DHL and FedEx are hell expensive for delivery from Dubai to US or Europe. Is there a cheaper way around?


Try Aramex, they will be the cheapest


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## davidsimon64

Aramex ships to US? From the website, I found only limited countries to which they ship. Is there any such service in UAE which ship to US on cheap rates?


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## davidsimon64

Come on guys, get us something ... I would really appreciate if someone can share his/her experience. I repeat the question "Selling on Amazon from UAE -- how to make cheap shipping to US and Europe?"


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## Elphaba

The UAE has a postal service - Emirates Post.

You can send cards and parcels worldwide and their quick service, which usually takes just a few days, is much cheaper than the courier companies. They have a number of branches across town.

I use them on a regular basis and rarely have any problems.

:: Emirates Post :: The Official Postal Service of UAE


If you want to receive goods from the UK and US, you might want to consider an Aramex Shop & Ship account. This effectively gives you a delivery address in both countries and items are then delivered to your door in the UAE. The cost to you is based on weight and starts at Dhs 41 for half a kilo.


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## davidsimon64

Hi Elphaba,

I followed this up with Emarates Post and got the following reply.

"Kindly note the maximum weight allowed to send to United States through Emirates Post is below 450 grams."

Since the allowed weight is very small, I think this won't work in our case since we'll have to send items weighing at least 2 Kg.

Any alternatives please?


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## Elphaba

davidsimon64 said:


> Hi Elphaba,
> 
> I followed this up with Emarates Post and got the following reply.
> 
> "Kindly note the maximum weight allowed to send to United States through Emirates Post is below 450 grams."
> 
> Since the allowed weight is very small, I think this won't work in our case since we'll have to send items weighing at least 2 Kg.
> 
> Any alternatives please?


I think that's a recent change as you used to be able to send larger parcels. Most annoying for me too as my brother and sister-in-law live in the US. 

Your only option is then to use a courier company. You'll have to shop around for the best rates and you may get a corporate rate if you use them regularly.

If anyone finds a good way of sending packages to the US I'd love to know too.


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## qc4000

*Possible solution...*



Elphaba said:


> I think that's a recent change as you used to be able to send larger parcels. Most annoying for me too as my brother and sister-in-law live in the US.
> 
> Your only option is then to use a courier company. You'll have to shop around for the best rates and you may get a corporate rate if you use them regularly.
> 
> If anyone finds a good way of sending packages to the US I'd love to know too.


Hi All,

I've picked up stuff online from all over the place (mostly ebay) and had it delivered to my P.O. Box in Dubai at very reasonable costs (you can't get better than free shipping!)

For sending stuff, if Emirates post is charging unjustifiable amounts, I would recommend hunting around for a cheap courier company, not DHL, UPS or even Aramex as they too have recently upped their rates, specially to other countries.

I had sent a purchased item back to the seller in the US as it did not fit the description and obviously had to bear the shipping cost myself, I have mentioned their contact details below.

The downside to picking a relatively unknown courier company are quite obvious:
- Might take longer that the well-known companies (Actually come to think about it, my parcel actually reached the states faster than Aramex had estimated)
- No frequent updates to the status of your shipment
There may be more, but only experience will tell... Try small shipments first, then move up to bigger/more valuable stuff

Advantages:
- Prices are negotiable - Don't settle for the first fee/price they tell you. Unlike the reputed courier companies, they can reduce their margin if they can get you as a customer
- There are M-A-N-Y such private courier companies, so shop around :ranger:, use the directory and you'll be surprised with the difference in shipping costs.

The company I used:
Fast Courier Services
Contact person: Basit
050 8804309
04 2265437

All the best!


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