» » To ship goods home, buy a box and a shipping form at the post office and take them to the
shop where you purchased your wares.
» » The shopkeeper knows the product and can wrap and pack the pieces well with newspaper
and cardboard.
» » If you’ve purchased carpets, the vendor should have rolled and bound them in plastic sacks;
if not, return and ask them to do so.
» » Label the outside of the package in several places with a waterproof pen.
» » Be very clear about the destination country; marking it in French as well as English helps.
» » Indicate the value of the contents if you like, but you may be charged taxes at the receiving
end.
» » Don’t seal the box! Customs officers at the post office need to view the contents.
» » Your packages will be weighed and you will be charged Par Avion (air) freight rates unless
you specify that you prefer the items shipped by land.
» » The overland service is considerably less expensive but can take three months.
» » Valuable speciality items such as large furniture may involve customs clearance.
» » Shopkeepers should be able to arrange clearance and shipping for you, but make sure you
keep copies of all documentation in case the goods never arrive.
Express Mail & Couriers
» » There is usually an Express Mail Service (EMS), also known as Poste Rapide, in the same
office as parcel post.
» » In Morocco the service is run by Chronopost International Maroc (www.chronopost.ma,
in French) .
» » A 500g package costs from Dh308 to send to the UK or Europe, and DH329 to North
America or Australia.
» » Private courier companies, with offices in the major cities, are faster and more expensive.
» » Couriers include DHL (www.dhl-ma.com) and TNT (www.tnt.com, in French) .
Receiving Mail
» » Having mail addressed to ‘Poste Restante, La Poste Principale’ of any big town should not
be a problem.
Some offices only hang on to parcels for a couple of weeks before returning them.
You’ll need your passport to claim mail and you’ll be charged Dh3.50 for collection.
» » An alternative way to receive letters is through Amex.
Amex (http://tinyurl.com/2u45epf) is represented by the travel agency Voyages Schwartz, with
branches in Casablanca, Tangier and Marrakesh.
To qualify for the client mail service, you’re supposed to have Amex travellers cheques or an
Amex card.
You’re usually asked to produce a passport for identification and there may be a charge if
you’re not an Amex client.
» » If you have built a good relationship with the staff of a hotel and they are trustworthy, you
could ask them if you can receive post there.