Mail service suspensions to NZ & Australia
Are you aware of a recent announcement from US Post regarding mail to Australia & New Zealand? Due to COVID-19 mail is suspended to these countries:
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm
Comments
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/service-alerts/international/welcome.htm
Australia
10-5-21
Australia Post advises that operations at its Melbourne offices of exchange (IMPC codes beginning with AUMEL) are currently disrupted owing to government-imposed measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The associated restrictions are having a significant impact on the processing and delivery of inbound and outbound mail items. Australia Post requests that mail destined for the Melbourne offices of exchange be sent to the Sydney offices of exchange (IMPC codes beginning with AUSYD) while these measures remain in place.
8-25-21
Australia Post advises that the Sydney office of exchange will be closed for up to 48 hours for reasons relating to COVID-19. This will have a direct impact on processing, delivery and handover of all inbound mail items received in Sydney during this period. Australia Post’s offices of exchange in Brisbane and Melbourne continue to process mail.
7-28-21
Australia Post advises that its daily operations are being affected by government measures aimed at preventing spread of COVID-19. There are impacts to processing and delivery of inbound and outbound mail items. There are border closures and lockdowns in place across the country, including lockdowns in two major states, Victoria and New South Wales, where the processing and delivery of mail items is being significantly impacted.
6-28-21
Australia Post advises of new restrictions in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19. The post is experiencing disruptions to its daily operations due to emergency measures imposed by the government. These measures, which include lockdowns, state border closures, restrictions on movement and self-isolation for affected individuals, have caused disruptions with airlines and other transportation providers. The restrictions are having a direct impact on service quality for inbound international letter post services. Australia Post is therefore declaring a force majeure event for all inbound international letter post services effective June 28.
This is exactly why NZ have stopped incoming mail. Their claim is, it can carry the virus on surfaces. So isolation is the best policy, if you're a kiwi.
Power grab, 100%. Government's didn't create it, but they have all taken advantage of it to justify loss of liberty that wouldn't have been acceptable to the public otherwise. Just look at Hong Kong. They are no longer "One government, two systems". It's just one government, with one system. This issue is much bigger than isolationist fears, and looking like "you did better than another country because you kept the case number deflated (not actually lower)". At what cost? Anyway, I know this issue won't be resolved on Hipstamp... But hopefully I have provided some insight to the Covid world beyond the US borders.
Lighten up Francis! (from the Movie "Stripes") I can honestly say and declare that from my heart that I am probably the least discriminatory person you may ever meet though. I take that stuff seriously and take some umbrage about your comment.
Due to COVID......blah, blah, blah,,,we are going to tell you what, how, when, why to do whatever you do. I call BS on that and have zero interest in following the rest of the lemmings off the cliff.
States: (two yellow stickers) One states -->Return to sender- Refused- Not deliverable as Addressed
other sticker on back states:
National Service Suspended
Return To sender
then instructions to get a shipping refund from USPS
when it is addressed to Australia it Auto states:
Return to sender- Refused- Not deliverable as Addressed (exact Words)
so it looks like bad address but actually it is a BAD Country! :-) LOL Love Australia.. just a little Hummer to those guys down under in tomorrow land!
1) Both Australia and New Zealand have suspended some international package services because of a combination of limited airfreight capacity (apparently commenters here have not noticed the massive reduction in international air travel & therefore air freight) and service restrictions in other destination countries. Trans-Pacific flights have taken a big hit. Both countries put in place border protection policies at the outset of the pandemic to create national "bubbles".
2) On Covid measures, New Zealand has found that the few outbreaks encountered in 2020 to early 2021 were in border services involving air transportation (passenger services being severely limited). Until border services workers (including those in air freight warehouses and forwarding) could be vaccinated this was a major mode of entry into the country. Transmission was probably person-to-person (flight crew), possible some infection from surfaces.
3) New Zealand - and even Australia - have had far better success in reducing the impact of Covid on their populations with broad societal support. As of Nov 2 2021 - US death toll from Covid: 750,000+; New Zealand 31. US Covid death rate per 100,000: 229.7; New Zealand: 0.63; Australia: 7.12 (New Zealand kept Aussies out whenever there were fresh Aussie outbreaks).
4) If any business has even some international shipping to Australia and NZ, they've known for a long time that "last mile" delivery services through private courier services have been highly competitive with national postal services in both countries since the late 1980s. Hmm, what's that, around 30+ years ago? Aussies and Kiwis use courier services at a higher rate than Americans.
5) Pirate Ship is your friend. It's partnered with Asendia to deliver flats up to 4 oz for $10.49, delivering with tracking in about 3 weeks currently.
Posted for those who appreciate facts, empirical evidence, and rationality instead of... well, you know already.
Perhaps private ship for $10 is ok for some but international letter mail or international tracked if they pay -is all i will spend and if not ok then I block the country. to prevent purchases from there. my policy for my items i ship out. If a country forces private mail service.. they don't get my mail.
I don't see a lack of knowledge.. the USPS clearly states no deliveries there due to the countries policies. and if you purchase there expect 2 months to get here , if at all. Brazil is just as bad as are a few other countries in South America.
When we get orders for complicated delivery locations, we advise the buyer, and give them the option to buy, knowing that it could take 4+ months to arrive (we send by surface mail, which is not blocked, but that then goes by sea, not by air), or we refund them. It's about 50/50 what people chose then.
https://www.hipstamp.com/store/fatdanes-stamp-store
Only one package from the US was returned when the Sydney mail centre closed and the USPS panicked.