Issue No. 22 - Nov 2009
How Hongkong Post's Services Can Best Meet Your Overseas Postal Needs

Many SMEs in Hong Kong keep in close contact with their overseas business partners every day through dispatch of samples, documents, goods, etc. Hence, it is crucial to select appropriate overseas postal services. Hongkong Post provides SMEs with a range of efficient and reliable overseas postal solutions catering different courier needs, helping them achieve maximum operational effectiveness at the least postal costs.

In this issue, we focus on various considerations in selecting appropriate overseas postal services to facilitate SMEs to make smart choices. Generally speaking, basic considerations include: the need to check on delivery status, delivery speed, posting quantity (e.g. any restrictions on posting quantity), item weight (e.g. any restrictions on item weight), compensation coverage for loss/damage or delay in delivery of mail items, extra insurance options and service fee.

To help members get the way to select appropriate overseas postal services, a list of services offered by Hongkong Post is given below for easy reference:-

Factors to Consider		Letters / Postcards Printed Matter (e.g. magazines / books)1 Small Packet (i.e. mail item up to 2kg)1						Parcel (i.e. non-letter / non-small packet category)
1.	Checking on Delivery Status	Y	N/A	Y	N/A	Y	N/A	Y	N/A	N/A
2.	Delivery Speed	1 - 3 days	3 - 14 days	3 - 14 days	3 - 14 days	3 - 14 days	5 - 90 days	1 - 3 days	3 - 14 days	5 - 90 days
3.	Minimum Posting Quantity	N/A	N/A	N/A	5 kg (first destination) / 1 kg (each of other destinations)	50 items per posting OR 20 items per destination	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
4.	Maximum Weight Limit (per Mail Item)	20 - 40kg	2kg	2kg	2kg	2kg	2kg	20 - 40kg	10 - 30kg	10 - 30kg
5.	Compensation for Loss or Damage of Mail Item	Up to HK$1,500	N/A	Up to HK$320	N/A	Up to HK$320	N/A	Up to HK$1,500	Compensation on the basis of item weight (for damage) OR postage (for loss)	N/A
6.	Compensation for Delay in Delivery of Mail Item	Up to HK$1,500	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	Up to HK$1,500	N/A	N/A
7.	Extra Insurance Option	Y (up to HK$50,000)	N/A	Y (up to HK$46,000 for certain countries)	N/A	Y (up to HK$1,000)	Y (up to HK$46,000 for certain countries)	Y (up to HK$50,000)	N/A	Y (up to HK$46,000 for certain countries)
8.	Pricing	H	M	M	L - M	M	L	H	M	L
Recommended Service		Speedpost	Air Mail	Registered Air Mail	Bulk Air Mail	iMailR	Surface Mail (International)	Speedpost	Air Mail	Surface Mail (International)

Remark:

1. For Printed Matter and Small Packet categories, if the item contains book(s), the maximum posting weight can be raised up to 5kg.
2. Information contained in this issue is for general reference only and is believed to be correct at the time of publishing (Nov 2009). Hongkong Post reserves the right to update information in this issue without prior notice. For latest updates, please visit relevant product webpage. In case of discrepancy between this issue and the webpage, the respective product webpage version shall prevail.

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Services	Description
Speedpost	Speedpost has a wide delivery network covering over 210 worldwide destinations and more than 1,900 cities on the Mainland. We partner with reliable airlines for fast and safe delivery of your urgent items, via over 400 most suitable flights per week, to destinations around the globe. You can conveniently post your urgent items at more than 120 service points throughout the territory or with our seven-day-a-week pick-up service.
Air Mail	Air Mail Service delivers your items to overseas destinations within 3 to 14 days at a reasonable rate.
Registered Air Mail	Registered Air Mail Service sets your mind at ease when sending mail items to overseas destinations. Signature on receipt is required from the addressee or agent for our internal monitoring in the postal system.
Bulk Air Mail	Bulk Air Mail Service offers excellent value for money for sending large quantity of mail items to overseas destinations. By following simple posting procedures, you can enjoy our reliable and on-time delivery while achieving great savings on postage.
iMailR	iMailR has been launched to replace the Bulk Registered Air Mail Service. This service provides online sellers with an ideal B2C solution for speedy and safe delivery of small-sized goods to overseas destinations. Its user-friendly Online Mailing Tool allows you to print all-in-one shipping labels, hence streamlining the process of mail preparation and posting. Besides, you can also check your posting history online anytime. With pricing determined by total number and weight of items alongside using permit mailing, it saves you time on mail preparation and posting over the counter.
Surface Mail (International)	Surface Mail (International) Service delivers your items to overseas destinations within 5 to 90 days at a very reasonable rate.

We hope that the above introduction will assist members in selecting the right overseas postal services, thereby optimising their resource utilisation. For enquiries, please feel free to call our dedicated service hotline for PostalPlus for SME on 2921 6060.

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