ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Postal Service launched in 2015 the Vpost.kz service for parcels from the United States to any population centre in the country and granted a 15 percent discount to those who use the service for the first time.
As many people in the United States shop for items online, Kazpost provided some recommendations on delivery of goods.
“The main advantage of this service is a warehouse located in Oregon as the U. S. sales tax is not applied there. It reduces customer costs by up to 10 percent of the purchase price. In addition, the service provides deliver insurance and the ability to track parcels,” reported the Kazpost press service.
According to the analysis, users mainly buy electronics, clothes and shoes. These categories account for 60 percent of all parcels from U.S. Almaty and Astana residents 25 to 35 years old are the most active customers.
The company also provided some advice on registration of delivery:
1. Plan shopping in advance. Package delivery takes four-five working days. The delivery date is expected to be reduced for a couple of days, but it is better to plan shopping in advance.
2. Weight and size of the item may differ from the weight of the parcel. The online store seller sometimes puts bubble wrap or sachet with air in the shipping box to protect the product from damage. This affects the size and, consequently, the price of delivery. You can ask the online store seller to pack the goods in a more compact package and provide the exact dimensions of the goods.
3. Use a calculator on the website. According to the international practice of airlines, parcel weight is calculated based on the volume weight or actual weight of transport packaging, whichever is greater.
The size of parcels can be calculated according to the formula: volume weight (kilogrammes) = [length (centimetres) x width (centimetres) x height (centimetres]/5,000 centimetres.
