Mail Dive Gear Home - Malaysia

[gpeter]

I am going to Sipadan in three weeks for a week of diving, then back packing around Borneo for a week and a half. Once the diving portion of my trip is finished I would like to get rid of the burden of my dive gear. Does anyone have any ideas how I can forward it to Kalua Lumpur and pick it up on the way home, or perhalps send it straight home.

I looked at the Malaysian Postal Service site, for ground/sea mail, a 20kg package would cost 30 CDN$. I would just carry my regs and computer with me, and send the rest home by post.

Any better ideas, comments?

 

[Allison Finch]

I often do a land trip after a dive trip. I will check into a hotel on the land side and will usually use the same one before flying home. I will ask the hotel to store it for me while on my trip. I have, yet, to have a hotel refuse to store any gear (including underwater photo case) until I come back. I stay at nice places and have never had any problems with theft or loss.

If you are moving from one place and ending at another, this will not do.

 

[MartianBeerPig]

I'm a bit wary of the Malaysian postal service. It's a bit on the slow side. I had a small parcel sent to me from Australia. It took two days to get from Melbourne to KL. Then six weeks to get from one end of KL to the other. I think Allison's suggestion is a good one if you can. If you do post, send is straight home. You wouldn't want to have to leave your gear behind.

Another alternative may be to rent gear. Just bring along your reg, comp and mask and hire the rest.

 

[victor]

UPS might be an option, it will cost a little bit more but then you have a tracking ID etc.
Go via the UPS website and you can get an estimate of the cost and where the best pickup point will be.
One problem is your gear will get home a long time before you do so you will need someone to pick it up.

Fedex are in Malaysia but seem to have less pickup points. Might be worth checking.

The malaysian postal service seems to be slow for surface post (22 days) but cheap at about at Rn 45.6 (15 canadian dollars) for 10Kg.

About 10 times that for airmail. Me I would send it surface it will be home about the same time as you.

 

[bigmak]

DHL does a great overseas busniess also, just another option

 

[victor]

Yes DHL does have an office in Tawau, I would check in advance that they can take parcels
UPS has one in Kota Kinabalu, maybe closer but I am not sure.

 

[Allison Finch]

ARRRRGGH!!! DHL!!!

I sent 17 atrifacts back from Papua New Guinea with DSL. They were packed well, but DSL managed to smash 7 of then. Then they managed to weasel out of any compensation. I was dealing with the "Asian" branch that would have been impossible to go after.
Be warned!

 

[DeaDLocK]

Besides normal post, the Malaysian postal service offers a domestic express courier service (which runs on a parallel network from the normal mail one). It's called PosLaju, and I've found to be very good, fast and reliable.

It will of course cost a lot more than the regular mail (which actually isn't too bad, but perhaps not worth the risk with expensive scuba gear), but maybe still cheaper than EPS/FedEx/DHL et al, and probably much more convenient as all bigger post offices function as drop-off points.

Edit: Just did a quick check for you, and delivery from Tawau to KL of a 20kg package would cost you about $55 Canadian for next-day delivery (the only option with this service).

Hope this helps.