Wouter van Ooijen wrote:

>>> Airmail Parcel $9.00 (8-14 days)
>>> Express Mail $60.00 (4-7 days)
>>> Fedex $55.00 (2-3 days)
>> 
>> FWIW, postal services usually don't guarantee delivery times, and even
>> the upper number is more of a guesstimate. I don't think they have a
>> feedback loop that updates these numbers with real delivery numbers, so
>> I can't imagine where they get them from in the first place
> 
> I guess: from what those services state. 

With "they" above I meant "those services" -- I don't really know where
those services get the numbers from they state. And I don't think they
(those services) have a feedback loop that makes sure that the numbers they
(those services) state for international shipments have any relationship
with reality.

I use frequently USPS Global Priority Mail from the USA to Brazil. USPS
states 4 to 6 days
(http://www.usps.com/business/mailingtools/mailingproducts.htm?from=home&page=mailingproductsservices).
This is also what the clerks inform, and is of course what therefore the
sender expects. The real delivery time is more like 2 to 5 weeks, with 3 to
4 weeks being most common. If they had any sort of feedback loop, they
couldn't state with a straight face that it takes 4 to 6 days. (Or maybe
they could... :)

> Those ranges might not be 100% reliable, but they still indicate the
> relative speed of the various services.

Kind of, maybe, sometimes :)

Gerhard

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