I’m pretty sure that we’re living in Ireland these days. I hear funny accents when I step out the door every day, the streets are dirty and it’s starting to get pretty cold when I would normally be expected summer to start. Despite all of this, the postal system doesn’t seem to have caught up with the fact that we live in Europe now.
Twice in the last month, Kat has ordered things from US online stores and when the package has arrived it’s had a NZ Post, Auckland sticker on the front. Despite the address being clearly marked as “Dublin, Ireland” and the package arriving here in Ireland relatively promptly it appears to have travelled through Auckland on its way here!
The first package was from Threadless which you may remember from a previous post as Kat’s favourite clothing shop. The sticker puzzled me, but I didnt’ think much more about it.
Late last week a second package arrived, this time from Amazon, but again displaying evidence that it had been through Auckland on it’s way from America to Ireland. This time I had to take a photo to share (click the photo for the fullsize version).
Kat had created her accounts with Amazon and Threadless well before we left New Zealand and had received several deliveries. My hypothesis as to what is going on is that these companies are bulk shipping orders to foreign countries based on the location of the user before inserting them into the local postal system. However they’re obviously doing this in a dumb way that assumes that once you’ve created an account you won’t move countries. Any other theories?
To finish up, The award for ridiculous postal contortions and privacy violations this week goes to the National Bank. We came home last night after going to the movies with some friends from church to find a letter addressed to Kat from the National Bank in the letter box. The letter was postmarked in Hong Kong (no sign of having originated in New Zealand at all) and contained a single page printed on plain white A4 paper (not the standard light green statement paper) which was a statement for a company called ‘NRGMAG’ based in Birkenhead!
I have no hypothesis for why the National Bank printed an address label for Katalina Brown on a printer in Hong Kong and then attached that label to a letter for a company in Birkenhead. In fact, I have no idea why the National Bank is even sending letters from Hong Kong at all. See for yourself below, I’ve blurred out or hidden most of ‘NRGMAG’s details that National Bank has so conveniently revealed to us. Again, click the photo to see the fullsize version.
Comment from David on 2007-10-03
Didn’t you know that NZ Post had acquired Ireland Post; the packages never actually went to NZ at all!
David
PS Why not order from Amazon UK, or even France?
Comment from Gill on 2007-10-05
Just keep that thought in mind!!
Comment from matt on 2007-10-06
David. I can’t find any references to NZ Post acquiring An Post, and even if they had the sticker clearly said “Auckland Mail Centre”. It would be incredibly cheap and nasty of them if they’re sticking Auckland stickers on mail in other parts of the world!
As for which Amazon store we use, Amazon US gets better prices (I assume due to higher volumes) and often has cheaper shipping, combine that with the ridiculously low US dollar at the moment and the UK and French Amazon stores have to work hard to compete!
Comment from Brownie on 2007-10-08
Dude, sounds like Kat acquired a business, take the letter to the bank and withdraw the funds!
Comment from Donald on 2007-11-29
Matt. Just found this using Google. I’ve just had exactly the same thing with two packages I ordered from Amazon.com a little over a month ago. I am living in Denmark but was living in Auckland when I created my Amazon.com account. Both packages arrived today with Auckland Mail Centre stickers. The interesting thing was that I more recently ordered something else from Amazon.com and specified “Expedited International Shipping” (because I needed it quickly). That arrived in 2 days and certainly took no detours.
David. In addition to the point made in Matt’s reply, there are some things that Amazon UK does not supply but Amazon US does.
Comment from Daniel on 2007-12-14
Hi. I just received today one package from Amazon that seems to be coming from Auckland (Auckland Mail Center sticker). I ordered in Amazon USA, I live in Spain, and I have no any relation (lived before, or travel or anything) with Auckland or New Zealand. The funny thing is that New Zealand is just the antipodes of Spain, so the package seems like have done a looooong way from USA to Spain…
Comment from cook on 2008-01-09
I found your website from Google while trying to discover why I receive airmail with an Auckland postmark. I have on several occasions received overseas mail from the US to Europe with an Auckland postmark. I have never been to New Zealand. I have assumed that it is some international mail agreement of some sort and the mail was never in New Zealand, but it seems strange. Even stranger is that this is the only web page I can find regarding this bizarre phenomenon!