postage FAQ - heres your postage answers!
I’m ready to mail my package, what do I need to know?
because of the high volume of packages coming in, we ask that you follow specific instructions when you are ready to mail your squares. The squares are opened, sorted and processed by hand and every single square is noted and logged. This is a time-consuming process and needs to be streamlined in order to remain possible.
To reach our 'postal instructions' page, visit
http://www.knit-a-square.com/postal.html
How many squares should I send at one time?
Since the squares are very light it is cheaper and more economical to mail your squares in bulk, so try to save up your squares until you have enough of them to send all together in one larger package. talk to the postal workers at your post office because the size and shape and price of your package will vary depending on where you live, and they can advise you as to what will be the best and most economical method to send your squares.
What type of packaging should I use to mail my squares in?
We ask that you first try to send your squares in a yellow paper envelope, not a white, plastic bubble wrap envelope or a box. In South Africa, yellow postal envelopes are recyclable and the white, plastic bubble wrap onesare not. The South African government has put a hefty duty tax on packages that arrive in boxes, and this tax needs to be paid by our volunteers in South Africa when the box is picked up at the post office and is usually paid out of their own pockets. If for some reason you cannot mail your squares in a yellow envelope than we prefer that you mail them however you can rather than not mail them at all. Some of our members who have mailed squares in large boxes have also made donations to help cover the cost of the taxes on boxes, which is very much appreciated.
How should I pack the squares?
Please pack the squares flat with their tails neatly ‘butterflied’ and laid on top. Squares that are folded or rolled or tails that are tangled take much longer to flatten and sort. And as always, please sew in all your ends – loose ends contribute to a longer sorting process and may cause a blanket to unravel.
What informationshould I include with the squares?
Include a piece of paper with you name, address and the contents of your package. For example:
Name
Address
32 squares
4 hats, etc.
Also, please note what type of yarn your items are made of as woollen squares will be paired with woollen squares and acrylic squares will be paired with acrylic, cotton with cotton….
What address do I send the squares to?
Knit-a-Square
SowetoComfort Club
Private bag X900
Bryanston 2021
South Africa
how will I know when my packages arrive?
Since we have so many packages coming in from all over the world and it takes so much time to sort and process them, we do not have the time to get back to each member individually. We do track the packages that have arrived and you can find out for yourself if your items have arrived safely in South Africa by referring to our square lists. These lists are not a comprehensive background of all the squares that have ever arrived, but they do cover the packages that arrived within a one week time span. You may have to check a few of the weeks before you locate the week in which your particular package has arrived. Keepin mind that many packages can take up to six weeks or more to arrive.
You can view or square lists here:
http://www.knit-a-square.com/squares.html
If you subscribe to the ezine, you may also be lucky enough to see your squares in action! Occasionally our members spot their squares in the ezine photos, either sorted and stacked or made into blankets and wrapped around children.
Tags: FAQ
Views: 73
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Christine Johnson on -
Kyla, it may be just the UK but for us it is cheaper to send packages that weigh no more than 2kg. which are classed as Small Packets. There's a size restriction - mustn't be bigger than 90cm adding all dimensions, eg: 40cm long + 20 cm deep + 25cm wide would be fine as long as it didn't weigh too much. Bigger than that and the cost of postage soars.
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Permalink Reply by kyla on -
yeah, same for canada. the difference in going up a size i have found to be an extra $30 or more.
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Permalink Reply by kyla on
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i think that our restrictions are the same or at least very similar, and i have found that even just adding in two or three more squares that puts the package just slightly over the weight limit means that i will be paying double the price! now i always take my squares to the post office and am able to add/remove squares as needed to just fit inside the weight limit without going over.
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Permalink Reply by Mary Kristel Lokken on -
Same in Italy. One or two kg packages are the cheapest, and I'm pretty sure they go airmail.
What I do, to avoid using padded envelops or packing a box (which are heavy in addition to everything else!) is pack my items first in ziplock bags, and then in a nice, sturdy, reusable shopping bag. You can get those for about 1 euro all over the place nowadays, so they cost about the same as padded envelops. I then wrap that in brown packing paper. I checked with Erin, and she says that the reusable shopping bags can be re-used in South Africa. I find some really cute ones - some even have zipper closures, and could practically be used as a purse!
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Permalink Reply by Gitta Seyfert on
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Brilliant idea! I also never thought of that :)
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Permalink Reply by Mary Kristel Lokken on
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Here's a pic of a package I sent once it arrived in South Africa. In the upper left hand corner you can see the bright blue shopping bag it was all packaged up in. Nice and sturdy, cute, and definitely re-usable!
;-)
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Permalink Reply by Sue Gillman on -
Oh you guys thans for that I will definitely investigate parcel size and May I love your pakage!
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Permalink Reply by Gelareh Taj on -
I went to post some items yesterday OMG ..the prices are gone up and it's better to send them in smaller packages, I am froim US and last year was so much cheaper.
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Permalink Reply by kyla on
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hmm i havent posted anything yet this year, i didnt think about the prices going up but im sure they have done. not looking forward to that one.
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Permalink Reply by Kalai McDonald on -
Hi Kyla awesome job!
The link to the postal instructions page doesn't work though?
Thanks so much for doing this, it's fab!
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Permalink Reply by kyla on
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thats very weird - i tried to fix it a couple of times. the address is correct and if you go to the 'missing link' page that it takes you to then you can get to the postal instructions, i just dont know why it wont go right there. i'll change it so that people end up in the right place.
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