Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
Jamaicans look forward to barrels of goodies at Christmas time every year. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
IT IS Christmas season and as is customary, everyone with relatives abroad is now eagerly anticipating the barrel of goodies from them. It is great to receive these gifts but sometimes people are left wondering if the hassle of customs and clearing is worth it. From long hours at the wharves or post office, the process can be tedious.
This week, Lifestyle will give you tips on shipping and clearing barrels and other Christmas packages to help reduce the stress when collecting your 'lama'.
DEALING WITH THE WHARF
Annica Hamilton, executive assistant at the Kingston Wharf, says that the most important way to eliminate the stress is to ship early.
"Ship early and collect it early. Sometimes persons' parcels or barrels arrive only two weeks before the rush period and they wait until Christmas week to collect their goods. Why wait until Christmas week when we have a 1,000 persons to contend with? Clear your goods now."
Shipping early, Ms. Hamilton says, would be right now if you did not do so in October. "If persons ship now they will get their goods by the first week of December."
She explained that there was no need to worry about what items to ship because at Kingston Wharves, "Any and everything legal can be shipped. Once packaged properly there is nothing that you can't ship. The key is packaging properly," Ms. Hamilton said.
Ms. Hamilton also addresses the issue of 'hustler brokers' - persons who try to scam money from customers at the wharf.
"Unfortunately in our system, some people who are hustler brokers (not legitimate staff) try to make some quick money from waiting customers. They remain on the wharf the entire day, looking for persons to scam. To avoid these people, get a licensed custom broker, or identify a Kingston Wharves worker who will be wearing a Kingston Wharves shirt, and or the company's identification badge."
USING A CUSTOM BROKER
Ms. Hamilton notes that one way of eliminating time spent at the wharf is to use a custom broker. These brokers will deal with the shipping and sometimes delivery of the goods. Using a custom broker may also be best when shipping heavy equipment or lots of barrels. She says that some persons might not use a broker because of the question of trust; however, the broker reduces time.
"Some customers want to collect their barrel personally to check if all items are inside, but like everything else, using a custom broker to ship goods has its pros and cons."
Using a customs broker may also carry an extra cost. Mary Washington of Tropical Shipping agency, 96 Church Street, Kingston, says that a broker reduces the hassle at the wharf.
They deliver door to door and anywhere in Jamaica, except in volatile areas. Tropical Shipping only ships from New York, and Ms. Washington says it takes a week for the items to reach Jamaica.
"We ship everything. People mostly send food, clothing and electrical appliances," Ms. Washington said. She notes that persons must ship now as the Christmas rush has started. "Right now we have containers every other week, compared to months ago when we had containers every two weeks."
When shipping through a broker, weight is not a factor. For door-to-door, everything is paid from overseas, and it costs roughly US$250 for shipping, wharfage, customs duty, and valuation. In New York, Tropical Shipping is located at Trans-Jam Express Shipping, Brooklyn, New York, and P.J. Shipping, St. Alban's, New York.
"We love the wharf system, we love the to and fro," says Mary Washington.
IMPORTANT POINTERS:
Preparation of Mail Items
Superintendent of parcels at the Central Sorting Office (CSO), L. Joy Williams, states that careful preparation of mail helps the post office to deliver items safely and quickly.
She offers advice to the public on how mail can be prepared, to avoid customers having problems with their packages.
LETTERS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
Letters can be sent in standard paper envelopes. Items such as photographs and certificates that need extra protection can be sent in bubble-lined, padded (paper or waterproof) envelopes, with a piece of hard cardboard or ply board to ensure rigidity.
Boxes
Sturdy cardboard boxes may be sufficient for items weighing up to four kg (nine lb). Heavier packages require heavy-duty corrugated fibreboard, with the bottom both glued and taped. When a box is re-used, cover previous labels and markings with a heavy black marker or adhesive labels.
Fragile items
Boxes must have room to allow for cushioning materials around the contents. Newspaper, foam 'peanuts', bubble wrap, or shredded paper are suitable for cushioning for fragile items. Ms. Williams adds that the word 'FRAGILE' must be clearly marked on each side of the package and the top clearly indicated by writing 'TOP', as well as drawing an arrow along each side, pointing to the top.
Sealing boxes
Make sure to tape the opening of your box and reinforce all seams with two-inch-wide tape. Ms. Williams recommends the use of grey, reinforced packaging tape (duct tape) or brown packaging tape, as these are strong enough for this purpose.
Customer Requirements
She reminds customers of the following requirements: One of these forms of identification MUST be presented to the customer service representative at the Post Office:
Passport
Driver's licence
National ID
Firearm licence.
A return address is to be clearly indicated on the front of the package in the upper left corner, and customers MUST complete a form (provided by the post office) declaring the contents.
Sending registered mail:
The rates for registered mail are very low, given the extent of the recordkeeping facility involved. For example, the cost to send a registered letter weighing up to 15 grams, to either the Caribbean, Canada, or the United States, is J$40 for registration plus the mail cost of J$40, for a total of J$80. To send a local registered item weighing up to four ounces/110 grams is J$30 for registration, plus J$15 for the mail cost, for a total of J$45.
For further details, please contact your nearest post office or email us at: postcorp_admin@colis.com.
