THE South African Post Office urges customers who wish to mail Christmas parcels to all destinations to do so now.
Customers who use surface mail to send their Christmas gifts abroad should do so soon as possible as this will ensure that the parcel reaches its destination in time for Christmas.
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All air mail items going to all countries should be posted on or before 8 December.
Post your item on or before 24 November if posting to Tristan da Cunha, Ascension and St Helena, 27 October if posting to Great Britain, Europe, Middle East and North America and The Seychelles, Comoros, Mauritius and Réunion, 1 December if posting to New Zealand, East and West Africa, Madagascar, Angola, Malawi and Zambia, and 8 December if posting to Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
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Registered items can be insured against non-delivery, but not damage, as the Post Office does not have control over the contents of a package, or the packaging material used and cannot accept responsibility for possible breakage.
Parcels must be packaged securely, as they are transported in bulk.
If your mail item does not fill the container, fill it with packaging material like shredded paper or polystyrene to act as a shock absorber.
Make sure the items you are sending are legal in the country of destination. In most countries, plant and animal material cannot be imported.
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Items which may not be posted include illegal items such as drugs, items that could leak and damage other packages, such as liquids and items that may explode or catch fire during air transport, such as aerosols or flammable liquids.
All international and Speed Services items are x-rayed and scanned to make sure the content is legal and safe.
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