International postal operators DHL and UPS, as well as Russia's state operator Pochta Rossii, have faced difficulties with deliveries to Russia blaming customs red tape, a leading Russian business daily said on Wednesday.
DHL has already said on its website the period of postal deliveries to Russia have been stalled from four to ten days as of late.
Pochta Rossii has faced the same problems, with the world's largest Internet auction eBay and a number of on-line shops refusing to sell goods to Russians due to delays in deliveries, which have been extended from two weeks to two months. In line with eBay terms, goods must be delivered to a client within 30 days from the date of purchase - otherwise the seller's account could be blocked.
DHL officials told Kommersant the period of deliveries to Russia could reach as long as a month because all parcels directed to the country have been stored in Germany and Finland due to difficulties with customs registration. Those who want to send a parcel to Russia for now will be denied, he said.
Both DHL and Pochta Rossii officials blame delays in deliveries on customs red tape, but Russia's Federal Customs Service rejects the charges. They say problems have emerged due to the development of the on-line trade market, which has resulted in the increased number of deliveries.
According to Pochta Rossii, the figure increased by 64% in the first two months of 2010, year-on-year, Kommersant said.
The head of UPS in the CIS, Ivan Shatskikh, was quoted by the paper as saying his company faced similar problems. He said all leading postal operators working in Russia would meet on Friday with representatives of Russia's customs service and the transport prosecutor's office to discuss the problems and try to solve them.
Kommersant quoted an official of one of the postal operators as saying otherwise deliveries to Russia might be suspended.
MOSCOW, March 17 (RIA Novosti)
