Hey folks:
I’m just about to move down to Mexico for the next six months or longer, which is awesome, except that my keyed Grinter is going to be done about three weeks after I move down there. So I’ve got a dillema - do I have Michael hold onto the flute until I return to the US, or do I have him ship it to me down in Mexico?
Do any of you have experience shipping valuables to and from Mexico, Central America or South America (yes, I know Mexico is North America)? What service did you use? Was it safe? How much did it cost? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Best,
Chris
Depends on where you will be. If you sned it through any of the major sources, USPS, UPS, etc. it will get to the local post office. After that it is in the hands of the Mexican post office. So it depends on the location of the closest post office to where you will be and the reliability of that office. Mexico City… good. Somewhere out in the middle of the Yucatan… good luck. I would call someone local to where you are going and ask them about their mail, they will tell you whether it is reliable or not.
I definitely would not send it through the USPS unless you’re prepared to never see it again and never get reimbursed for it. You’d probably be O.K. with UPS, although it will be expensive it’ll be insured. If you can figure out the dimensions of the package, you can get a price on the UPS website: http://http:www.ups.com. You might want to just wait for it until you get back, it’ll give you something to look forward to.
[ This Message was edited by: Bartleby on 2003-01-24 20:52 ]
I don’t think you can get a package insured going to Mexico. I would double check on this . . . I work for a Mail Boxes Ect., and I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to get insurance going to Mexico.
That said . . . I think you should ship UPS or Fed Ex, if the item is of any value to you. UPS and FedEx will be able to provide you with quick updates as to where your package is. US mail does not. I find the tracking for US Mail to be SLOW and once it leaves the country it could take weeks to get an update scan on your package.
Chris,
Where are you headed in Mexico?
I haven’t been down there in 20 years, but when I was living in Morelia, I would have NEVER trusted the postal service there!
They opened up every letter and package that was sent, looking for valuables. Usually the best bet was to find someone going down and have them bring it with them. You would not want it sitting around in the tropical sun cracking! 
Hope you have a great time, the people are very nice down there, esecially if you are in the back woods. Jon
Jon - I’ll be in San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas.
Well, it looks like USPS or Australian Post are both out of the question. Fedex costs $100 and UPS is even more… hmmm… anyone fancy a visit to San Cristobal sometime toward the end of February?
Best,
Chris
[ This Message was edited by: ChrisLaughlin on 2003-01-24 23:26 ]
sound like a cool place! I read up on the internet about it. It sounds like it has cooled down after the ruckis in late 90’s.
It looks like a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to send a flute there! 
I live not terribly far from the Mexican border in California. If you would like, just have the whistle sent to me and I can, uh, store it away in my sock drawer (yeah, that’s it) and then give it to you whenever you can get ahold of me…
[ This Message was edited by: John Allison on 2003-01-25 04:57 ]
I envy you. You’ll love San Cristobal de Las Casas. I was there for a visit in 2000 and I absolutely fell in love with that place. Great climate, food, culture, and wonderful people. We saw a lot of young people doing the “drum circle” thing. You might be better off to take a bodhran. I’d take the money you’d spend having your Grinter flute shipped down there and buy some nice instruments in San Cristobal. I bought a rosewood marimba there for $125. I imagine you could buy quite a few whistles and flutes for that amount. Have a great trip.
Hi Chris,
Sounds like a fun adventure. I’ve shipped a number of things to South America without incident, though, I know folks that have had problems with packages being opened and things stolen. I would suggest going with FedEx as you already mentioned.
Erik