Postal service in Bulgaria

Hi Ryan! I've heard that Bulgaria Post isn't necessarily the most reliable. My guess is that the best option might be to use Speedy, a courier service that is part of the DPD network, but it may not be super-cheap. Most decent sized towns will have a Speedy office. You can see their prices for sending internationally on their website: https://www.speedy.bg/public/en

The other biggie to consider is how you'll get a long term visa. I think as you're from Northern Ireland, you can get an Irish passport, is that right? If so, you'll have no problems, but for British citizens post-Brexit, it's a bit trickier to move.

@RH Canning

Welcome, Ryan.

By and large the post here is iffy at best - even signed-for express items can take weeks to get to the UK, for example, and it's not unheard-of for things to vanish en route.  Most people here use the courier companies for post in-country or for the surrounding countries; it's efficient and cheap.  For your purposes, especially going to the UK, you'll most likely be using DHL or similar, which is a pretty pricey option.  You may also come up against Customs and VAT charges in either direction, which can be a real hassle at this end.

@JimJ

Thanks for the speedy reply.

That matches with the general opinion I've heard so far (I asked teh question to a FB group previously) which is a real shame. I did look into DHL and it's much too costly for the majority of my items. For instance, a product that costs approx £60 would cost the same again in postage to either the UK or western Europe, compared to it being a fraction of the cost (approx £6-£9) when posting from the UK or similar using normal mail. Because of this I would assume the only option that works financially would be the normal Bulgarian Post, but if that can take weeks to reach customers and it's doubtful if it arrives at all, then it simply wouldn't work sadly. Does Bulgarian Post offer a tracked service that is quicker or more reliable at all? I'm grasping at straws perhaps, but it really does make or break my whole thought of relocating to Bulgaria if the postage is an issue. Thanks for the honest input though - I really appreciate that.

@janemulberry

Hi Jane,

Thanks for the message.

Re the visa - I have both British and Irish passports so I'm covered on that front. I'm very thankful for that!

Thanks for the tip on Speedy. I'll check it out and see if that would work.

Thanks again!

@RH Canning

Unfortunately, Speedy's standard service doesn't cover the UK; I've never managed to discover exactly why not, but it stopped after Brexit.  They do offer a door-to-door air service to quite a few destinations, including the UK, but it's expensive - up to .5kg is 116 leva!

BG Post does offer an express signed-for service, but it's pretty slow; I've had stuff take a couple of weeks to get to the UK - and as I said, some just vanishes.  Service around Xmas is especially bad, in terms of both speed and disappearances. Depending on where you live, you may also find that you have to go to the post office to collect your mail. The problem is that you have to rely on someone at the post office calling you to let you know that there's something to collect, and they're sometimes too busy/crotchety to do so.  If it's not collected within a certain time, it's returned to sender - and not always recorded as being returned or sent back as recorded mail. 

If you want a quick and guaranteed service, then it's DHL, I'm afraid - which is indeed somewhat expensive.

Hello everyone,

Welcome @RH Canning

Please note that this new thread has been created on the Bulgaria forum from your question.

All the best

Bhavna

@Bhavna Thanks very much!

@JimJ

Hi Jim,

I had a look yesterday at the Speedy website and see what you mean. The service to western europe would be just about workable but to the UK is just far too expensive for the value of the items I'd be sending. Since the UK is about 30-40% of my business it sadly just won't work. DHL overall is also expensive for shipments to the UK and the other countries I currently send items to. It'd be fine as a one off, but for regular items that I send on a weekly basis, it simply won't work as it'd cost as much or more than the value of the items themselves. I had previously spent time travelling in a campervan around most of western europe (Spain, Portugal, France, Germany etc etc) and the local postal services always worked well no matter where I was shipping to. Sadly that doesn't seem to be the case for Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, this pretty much closes the door on my hopes that I could relocate to Bulgaria. Besides the weather, available properties, lifestyle, cost of living etc, that I was attracted to, it was also helped by the fact that lots of properties are available on a pay monthly type scheme. I really want to find an old property and renovate it myself over the span of a few years and the pay monthly is a big help since banks won't mortgage an old ruin type property. Initially I wanted to relocate to Portugal but the pay monthly option attracted me to Bulgaria. I'll have to come up with another plan. The lease on my apartment ends in February so thankfully I've a bit of time to make future plans.

Thanks for your help.

Ryan

Ryan, have you got a reliable friend or family member in the UK who might be willing to post items on? If they're already packaged and labelled and with the weight pencilled on them, it wouldn't be a huge job for someone to post them for you. They wouldn't even need to go to the Post Office, as there's currently a free collection service for any small or medium Royal Mail parcel when postage is purchased online.

It would almost certainly cost you far less per item to send a bigger box with multiple items from Bg to the UK each week and then have them posted on, even if you need to pay someone you trust to do the forwarding for you. 

I imagine that the problem is getting stuff to here in the first place?  You might be able to use one of the shipping services: eg Gabieli or GGBG.  It's a little long-winded, but on the other hand, it's pretty cheap, and it's much more reliable than BG Post.  Basically, your clients send stuff to you at an address in London; once a week (roughly) a van comes over, taking a week to get to BG and distribute parcels.  You can have Speedy or Ekont (the latter are cr*p where we are but YMMV) then pick up from the shipper's office and deliver to you - unless you're near enough to the shipper to collect in person.  The return would be more or less the same process in reverse, with a courier pick-up in the UK to deliver to the client.  It'll be a bit more expensive than via post but much quicker; the shippers charge c5leva/kg these days UK-BG or vice versa, they also handle whatever customs formalities are involved.

My birthday is in December as is Christmas, I received my birthday and Christmas cards in May of this year even thought they were posted to me in very early November. But hey at least I got them.

Hi Jim & Jane,

Thanks so much for the suggestions.

The idea of packaging multiple orders together and shipping to the UK as a unit would help to a degree. I have a family member that could help redistribute them from the UK, however whilst this would be useful for orders I send to the shops I supply (they're not normally in a huge rush as it's planned ahead), I also take online retail orders through my website and as is the norm these days, people expect their items quickly. When I ship from the UK to the US for instance it is usually 5-7 days or sometimes quicker if they opt for a UPS service. The 5-7 day option costs £9 so quivalent to 20lev. It would be generally the same if I was posting from somewhere like Spain/Portugal etc (I did this for a few months when travelling), but the added time of getting items to the UK to a family member plus the additional cost of course, whilst I'd like it to work, I just don't think it will, or at least not without having a negative effect on orders.

Getting supplies to me likely wouldn't be such an issue as I order these in bulk meaning it's once every couple of months. These can be delivered to a family member and then packaged together in order to get them to me. It's really the shipping of products from me to customers that is the issue. Just also whilst it comes to mind, if I ever have customers who have problems with the items I've made for them, I always have them sent back to me for repair or replacement. This is always something I try to take care of as quickly as I can, so adding in additional postage either way would add at least two weeks to their wait. As much as I hate to say it, it just seems that Bulgaria isn't somewhere that's going to work for me - at this stage anyway. Maybe that'd change in time.

Thanks for your messages.

@RH Canning

I think folks are WAY too quick to write off Bulgarian Posts! If you're happy with international postal service from the UK, then I'd expect your results to be comparable using Bulgarian Posts (and slightly cheaper).

If you're sending mostly to EU customers then sending from an EU country should be an advantage. If most of your customers are in the UK, this would be most disadvantageous option.

https://www.bgpost.bg/postal-services/letters

Prices

https://bgpost.bg/prices/international-letters

You should note that Bulgaria Posts explicitly mentions online sellers making multiple shipments, and provides integration services for online stores. I doubt they'd bother if the delivery rates were as feeble as others are claiming.

https://bgpost.bg/business/e-package

New rules for online sellers in Bulgaria who send shipments abroad

When sending goods with postal parcels abroad after July 1, 2021, online sellers from Bulgaria who have registered under Special VAT regimes, for the application of which an electronic one-stop service system is used when sending the parcel, must provide IOSS /OSS number of the employee at the post office for the purpose of entering it into the software product as part of the preliminary electronic data for customs declaration for outgoing consignments with goods content.

In general, there are so many advantages to life in Bulgaria, I would want to try this out myself and get some real-life data, rather than relying on hearsay. Ideally, having registered as an online store and using the relevant integration tools, as I suspect this helps secure advantageous treatment of my packages. I'd see Bulgaria as a pretty great location for running an online store as you'd enjoy low property and living costs, and very low income tax. My guess is that spending a few weeks in Bulgaria will tell you all you need to know.

Having run a very large mail order business, my view is that for high volume, relatively low value items, the postal service is essential (as Amazon can confirm). Couriers and drop shipping are typically very expensive alternatives which are unlikely to be viable. Except where, specifically, your customer has paid extra for some kind of priority international courier service (but this is likely to be a teeny fraction of total shipments given its high cost). Our items were cheap enough to replace so we didn't really care if a few percent went astray. If one of your parts represents weeks of work, then you'd have less tolerance for such attrition... but I'd still try it before ruling it out.

@gwynj

Amen to that!

However, 20 years of "trying out" BG Post has taught me to avoid it like the plague....

I find BG post is great within the EU. The problem is the UK since Brexit. I have post from the UK that takes months, but this is the UK holding it and not BG post.

If I have items posted to me from within the EU it only takes a few days.

Items from Germany, Poland and France take 4 to 6 days on average.

Items from the UK take 4 - 6 weeks if its a letter and 3 months if its a parcel.

I have complained to Royal Mail, but they just do not care. Look at their reviews online. Scary low.

The problem is that Ryan said most of his customers are in the UK.

People say there are big delays sending items from the UK to Bg, but are there the same delays sending items to the UK from Bg? And how does it work with import duties on commercial items?

My only experience with Bulgaria Post was someone sending me a parcel from eastern Russia which I think took about six weeks.

I'm going to be in Bansko in October and want to send a parcel to someone in Dolno Banya. It will contain a couple of books and some chocolates. What would be the most reliable and cost-effective way to send it?

Also, if anyone here lives in Bansko and wants to meet and say hello over the weekend of 7/8 October, I would love that. I, my husband, and our younger son (and possibly the older son too) are planning to move to Bansko in the long term, and in fact one of the reasons for my trip is to look at an apartment. It would be nice to meet with some English speakers who live there already.

@Petra L UK

Ekont or Speedy are delivery companies, that will either deliver to a street address or to their parcel offices where they can be collected. You take the parcel to a delivery office to send it, there will probably be several in Bansko.  Either service is likely to be faster and more reliable than Bulgaria Post.

Because I don't speak much Bulgarian and don't have a Bulgarian mobile phone number yet, I usually arrange for parcels to go to the parcel office in the nearby small town where I can collect when it suits me and not have to try to explain to a courier how to find our house!

Just an observation - I was sent a small postal package from Holland by the cheapest service available ten days ago, it arrived yesterday.  I'd say that's a pretty reasonable service!

An important mail was sent to me from California.. The person  sending it assured me:" you will get it in a week". The letter was sent  regular mail. I said to myself " oh well,I  will probably get it in a month".  To my surprise the letter arrived in 1 week !!!!! I am in Southwest Bulgaria, not even in Sofia.  It appears that the postal service in Bulgaria is improving.

I have not received packages yet, but I am planning to get something from  the US Amazon( they do not have the item in Europe) - that will be interesting to see how long it will take.

@TonyFF what you'll find with packages, is that they'll end up being held for Customs purposes, until the Customs and Excise charges are paid.  Only then will they release packages.   This is why I don't buy anything from the UK anymore, as it takes way to long to to arrive and the charges are exorbitant. 

Also, you may have find you need to register for an EORI number, although, if you buy from America, it might be different.   If I use Amazon now, I use Amazon Germany, France or Spain.

@janemulberry very valid point!  It's what I do too, as we have a speedy, literally across the road from our doorstep and an Econt 150 metres away.  So easy.

@cyberescue1

I agree. So far I have only checked Amazon.de.

I will check the rest of the European sites of Amazon.

I definitely prefer to pay less and even better if the items come/or are available in Europe.

I'm currently waiting for a delivery of an item from Amazon Germany; it qualifies for free delivery to BG - I ordered it yesterday and the estimated delivery time is the end of September.  I'm interested to see when it actually turns up, as most of my free delivery items have been with me in less than a week.

Hello

I am moving to my house within the next 6-8 weeks hopefully.

I buy things for the home from China.

As the house is in a little village of Chervena, where can I have the items delivered to in order for me to be able to pick them up.

I am planning to order items to fix the roof and ceiling.

Any suggestions, please.

Thanks in advance

Noeleen

Importing goods from China can be hit-and-miss: if they get into the clutches of Customs you'll find yourself in the realm of EORIs, import duties and VAT. Personally, I use Temu and the EU arms of Banggood to avoid the hassle..

A few people here have ordered stuff from China and will surely reply! As Jim said, best to go for the ones with EU warehouses so the import duties and VAT are already paid. Same with Amazon ordering - best to use an EU Amazon store than the UK or US stores.

For building materials, the best options can be to order from Praktiker, a Bg home improvement site which will deliver to your home, or to use a local builder's supply store. I've used both those for larger items for my house. The problem is that you can't place an order without a Bulgarian mobile phone number as village houses don't have actual addresses and even if they do, the delivery drivers won't know how to find them. They will need to call to find where you are. I've had to enlist my Bulgarian neighbour's help for this as I don't speak enough Bulgarian yet and I haven't yet been successful in activating a Bulgarian SIM.

For smaller items, shopping in the nearby town so I can carry stuff home myself or ordering online then collecting the items from one of the parcel offices in the town works well. Both Speedy and Ekont will accept UK mobiles and use email as contact method. Some online store though, like emag, also want a Bulgarian phone number and I haven't been able to use them since they started double opt-in.

I'm not sure whether you'd have these issues with the Chinese stores with EU warehousing.

    I'm not sure whether you'd have these issues with the Chinese stores with EU warehousing.        -@janemulberry

It depends on what you order: I use Temu and Banggood quite a lot - the bigger and higher-value stuff is delivered by courier, so you need a phone number or you'll have to take pot-luck on being in when the driver comes; the problem is that they don't leave a card to say they've been, it's all done via Viber or SMS.  For lower-cost goods, they use Box Now these days: this involves a bank of electronic "gym lockers", to which you're given a code for "your" one.  The problem there is that your nearest one may be quite a long way from where you live; you also need Viber to receive the message about the whereabouts of the lockers and what your new code is for this delivery....if you don't collect within 4 days it's returned to sender.

By far the best DIY superstore in BG is Bauhaus - there's only one in the country, in Sofia (near the main cemetery) but you can order online, and they deliver throughout the country.  Any red-blooded man will enjoy a day out there, lusting after tools and materials!

Bauhaus - or red-blooded woman! I subscribe to their emails and frequently drool over them! BUT, it's impossible to set up an account there without a Bg phone number, so I might drool at their amazing prices, but I can't place an order!  I'm thankful that one of the small hardware stores in our nearby small town has expanded into a huge warehouse-type store. So. Many. Tools! It's a delight to go in there. They tend not to stock the top end brands, the region is not that wealthy. But their range is perfectly adequate for most home needs. I just wish they had a better range of timber and other building materials. There's a builder's merchants for that, but it's tricker to get to and my Bulgarian isn't up to that challenge yet.

I do have Viber set up with my UK phone number and get messages no problem. But the delivery companies all want to text!

Agreed on the locker thing. The nearest ones to us are in Dobrich, conveniently located near the bus station. But I only use that bus station when returning to the UK, not when going from Varna to my house! The bus fares and time to get there negate any saving on delivery fees. And ceratinly with online stores like emag, I can't log to place an order to get delivered there, even if I did want to take two buses there to collect the parcel, because they insist on double opt in and will only use a Bg mobile number to send the code!

I want to but what I can locally anyway, but unfortunately there are a few items I want for the house I can't buy in our local town. So I'm a little stuck until I can get that elusive Bg mobile number.

(Well, I'm a little stuck anyway, as I haven't been able to get back to my house since July, but that's a whole other story!)

@janemulberry

I know that phone contracts are usually not possible prior to official residence permit, but are you sure you can't get a PAYG (prepaid) SIM? Most countries will let tourists/foreigners get a local SIM just based on their passport, and I got my first Bulgarian SIM this way. As far as I know, Bulgaria (like all/most EU countries) has a SIM registration requirement, which means you must buy/register in person, and you must provide personal data and verify your identity.

Here's the current Yettel info, it definitely mentions passport.

https://shop.yettel.bg/en/services/prep … gistration

All the delivery drivers have their own Bulgarian phone, and they simply won't call a non-BG number, or take the time to figure out Viber/email alternatives. It's definitely a problem for big deliveries (Praktiker, IKEA, Technopolis, etc.), but for small packets (via Econt/Speedy) they'd just get dropped at the local office instead.

Thanks, Gwyn.

Yes, I have purchased two Yettel PAYG phone SIMs in the past on different trips, and the helpful seller in the local SIM card shop registered my passport details online in the shop both times. But the problem came when I tried to use the SIM in my phone. Registering it wasn't the same as activating it! Yettel needed me to set up an online account before the SIM was fully activated. But as the only way I could get online to do that was using my other phone and accessing the internet via roaming UK SIM, Yettel insisted I was in the UK, not the kitchen of my Bg house and wouldn't activate the SIM. And after three months, it's a dead SIM.

I've intended to get a new one and try to activate it either using wifi at the airport or with the seller's help while still in his shop, but for various reasons that hasn't happened yet. One trip, the SIM card shop was closed the one time I was able to get to it. Next trip, I had a problem with my phone. Next trip, I assumed the Yettel SIMs advertised for sale at the airport shop would do the job (no, data only, so yes for Viber but no for text or calls). Next trip, I assumed there'd be a shop I could buy and register a SIM at within an easy walk of the Dobrich bus station (seems that's a no). Next trip, I was tired and just could not deal with the hassle on top of everything else.

So, hopefully next trip....

Ekont and Speedy deliveries have been no problem at all, provided the online store doesn't require a Bg mobile number for an account or to send an access code!

@janemulberry

Viber allows both Viber-to-Viber calls (free) and Viber Out calls (to ordinary mobile numbers and paid for); AFAIK, you can use your data package to make Viber Out calls but I'm not sure if incoming work.

I got the impression from the person selling the data SIMs that incoming calls (apart from Viber to Viber) weren't an option.

@JimJ

Hi Tim

Thank you for your excellent advice. I will adhere to it.

Have a super day.

Noeleen

@JimJ

Hi Jim

Please keep us posted as I also very interested in knowing how postage services from Amazon goes.

Warm regards

Noeleen