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@ Graham Downs
2025-03-06 05:25:48
nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqkz9hxvru8k8t4z2236z5grkscapche8n4rkd5t28fdjz56zgc54q4v7y27 That's very lucky! The last two international orders I placed, which were supposed to be delivered via the post office, simply never arrived. And I didn't get a refund. Years ago, I used to order proof copies of my books fairly regularly -- from a print on demand company in the states -- and use the cheap/free shipping option, which went through the SA post office. When they did arrive, they took an average of 6 months each (the site itself said it would take about 6 weeks), and I had no indication of progress and just had to deal with not knowing until one day I randomly got a slip in my postbox... or not.
The last such order I placed was probably about 3 years ago.
These days, I try not to order anything internationally, and if I do, I'll pay the extra and use a courier company.
My wife does buy from Temu and Shein quite often though, and has always been happy with her deliveries (but of course, both of those companies DO use a private courier company).
The SA post office is simply a lost cause, and IMO there's no point in continuing to pump money into them.
It's sad, nostr:nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqws0xdenlf7ynhdl74r29rq3qz99pnsrva399x22srmtpfpzr3taq0c73ne, because I do fondly remember posting physical letters to this girl I was into once, who lived about 30km from me and we could've SMSed, but the letters just made it feel special. And when one of my school friends emigrated to New Zealand in 1998, we exchanged a few handwritten letters for a few years too, and that was really nice.
But you just got to face facts: those days are gone, and we're never ever getting them back. :(