iShop Mail

Is anyone on here using iShop Mail?  I'm curious about their service.

They are very expensive - only good for small, light things. Anything in a package has to be cleared through customs, they use a broker/mail drop in Laredo. They charge $5(US) a pound up to 10 lbs., and the $6 for every pound after, they will NOT tell you this. They make a big commission off of Estafeta, so they only ship priority, overnight from Laredo - which, you guessed it, takes 1 -2 weeks. I paid $16 to ship 30 lbs from Seattle to Laredo - iShop wanted $180 U.S. just for shipping, and then customs, handling etc. I priced out an approx 30lb item on Mercado Libre (a truck battery) and the shipping costs from Mexico City, to anywhere in Mexico was 175 pesos. This was by a national company called Red Pack. I am now trying to find if their Laredo office (Red Pack U.S.A.) offers customs clearance. We have always had good experience with Amazon, if you order direct - they use UPS in the U.S. and Mexico. I need an inexpensive way to receive 25 kilo sacks and 23 liter (5 gallon) pails within Mexico, Red Pack seems to offer this too. Probably have to open a commercial account, which probably requires an R.F.C. number.

Here is Redpost. A U.S. address, probably Laredo, then delivered in Mexico  - $13US for the first 2 lbs, then $2 a lb after that. There is no mention of customs/IVA. Before every order, call or email RedPack U.S.A. to see if the item you are wanting to buy is allowed to be shipped into Mexico. That's a whole other bizarre road trip!

http://www.redpost.com.mx/#

I have the details on their charges.  Actually, all the details, including some you didn't mention, are in their brochure.  What I want to know is their reliability.

I've sent packages thru them for UPS. No mention of Estafata.

I'm interested in the reliability of the delivery of mail from the USA.  I'm not looking for a shipping company.

David wrote:Is anyone on here using iShop Mail?  I'm curious about their service.

David,

I have used them for over a year and they are very reliable as far as receiving mail from the US as long as you have the laredo, Texas address for forwarding.

Anyone know if they are they less expensive per year for a mailbox than MBE?

I really don't see why anyone puts up with ANY of the local mail services. Regular "low value" mail gets to your house just fine (eventually, most of the time) and otherwise a Mexican P.O. box works very well and there are rarely any customs charges unless you are a champion online shopper.

When we were living up in San Miguel we used La Connexion, which goes two and from Laredo 2-3 times a week and has very rational fees for receiving packages as well as lower-than-Lakeside mail receiving fees:

http://www.laconexion.com.mx
Interestingly, they tried open a Lakeside branch years ago and offered LCS the concession (talk about an opportunity to actually offer a useful service to expats!) but they turned it down due to not wanting to compete with Directory advertisers like MBE, Handymail, etc.

I'm interested in timeliness and reliability.  The Mexican Correos does not offer these.

You have to approach this question logically. iShop is just a storefront. They have no connection or control on how it gets to Laredo. They also have no control over the broker, the mail drop, or Mexican customs. They have no control over the shipper from Laredo to Chapala. Once the item arrives, there is a clear paper trail, and they have to collect their fees. I doubt very much they would steal anything.

Amazon direct either has an item in stock or not - they control it right from the start. They do not own UPS (?) but Amazon would be one of their biggest customers. They do not control Mexican Customs, but the volume may be enough to employ in house Custom inspectors on a full time basis. Amazon is more reliable, faster and less expensive than iShop. We have received items from USPS right to the door in Puerto Vallarta, but not here in Chapala.

I've shipped items from the USA via USPS Priority International, all arrived in about a week w/minimal duties and no handling charges.  As for regular mail and small packages, the mailbox operators use FedEx from Laredo to Lakeside.  They're as good as it gets.  As for shipping to Laredo, many sellers, e.g. Amazon, offer free shipping.

Again, the purpose my post is to learn about iShops regular mail service.  Occasionally we want a small package shipped from the USA.  We currently use HandyMail and while very pleased with their mail service, they don't do packages unless you ship direction to them.  That usually means using FedEx or UPS which is expensive.

CHILLIN wrote:You have to approach this question logically. iShop is just a storefront. They have no connection or control on how it gets to Laredo. They also have no control over the broker, the mail drop, or Mexican customs. They have no control over the shipper from Laredo to Chapala. Once the item arrives, there is a clear paper trail, and they have to collect their fees. I doubt very much they would steal anything.

Amazon direct either has an item in stock or not - they control it right from the start. They do not own UPS (?) but Amazon would be one of their biggest customers. They do not control Mexican Customs, but the volume may be enough to employ in house Custom inspectors on a full time basis. Amazon is more reliable, faster and less expensive than iShop. We have received items from USPS right to the door in Puerto Vallarta, but not here in Chapala.

IShop owns/is the "shipper" from Laredo, i.e. collection point and does have "control". It is the same collection point that is used by MBE.
Of  course, IShop cannot control the USPS or the Mexican Aduana, but all other aspects of the operation is in their hands.
So IShop is more than just a "store front".

I've used them a number of times and have found them very reliable. It usually takes a week for a letter to get to Canada. If I'm not in a rush I use the Mexican postal service. I also used then to receive my new passport from Canada via FedEx. If I'm not home when FedEx delivers a package it returns to Guadalajara but if I have it sent to iShop they hold it and phone me.