Let’s talk mail, or the lack thereof in Mexico – who knew?! Every expat that lives here finds out sooner or later that there is no such thing as traditional mail service in Mexico. You won’t find mailboxes outside your casa. However, there are options.

I’ve learned that most people use online banking and have apps for their bills, shopping, etc. For those of us who have not fully joined the 20th Century, we still get letters and documents in the mail.

Shortly after we moved, I was told the best option was to get a P.O. Box in Lukeville. Done. But wait, what good does that do me if I have to drive up there to get it? Enter Burrito Express. Much like my friends in the U.S., I thought it was a fast-food service. Turns out it is not, and the ladies in the office are very helpful, speak English, and run a good business. In my opinion, it’s truly geared toward expats as it follows an American holiday schedule, as I found out on President’s Day when I went to get my mail. Guess again gringa!

Packages, well, now that’s something different. Amazon, FedEx, and UPS will deliver to the Gastrak station in Lukeville. Again, the staff there are very helpful. For their troubles, they tack on a $15.00 service fee. It was $12.00 when we first moved, but hey…

Word of caution…that service fee applies to each day a package arrives. We had an Amazon order come on 3 different days. I had to pay $45.00 total to get items that cost less than that! So, if you use that, be sure to try to bundle your deliveries. Ahh, the joys of a learning curve!

I’ve heard about Amazon Mexico. I’ve never tried it, because honestly, I couldn’t get past the login. I’ve also talked with people about it. Some use it all the time, others say it’s difficult to use – slower deliveries, addresses have to be accessible. I’ll leave the guessing to you on that one.

All in all, there are options for mail and packages. Also, be aware if you try to hide or “smuggle” things in from the U.S., you may end up getting caught and being sent to the X-ray machine at the border…or so I’ve heard. 😉

Until my next guessing game. Tenga un buen día and enjoy this weather!