How long would Standard Flat Rate shipping take (approx.) for a package coming from the mainland to Maui?

Question

Thanks alot.

Answer 1

The first question's answer is about one week.

I cant say for sure how long it will take from China to Hawaii (depends on how you ship it) but the usual length is 10 days.

Answer 2

to Maui 3-4 days. Just don't send it Parcel Post. That will get it on a boat.

From China - 1 week to 2 weeks.

Answer 3

It depends, and yes, it can be difficult to get vendors to be specific about what they use for shipping, sometimes because they will choose a different carrier for different items or different places. They like the flexibility to choose the cheapest shipping method.

Media Mail is surface mail, and that can take 6-8 weeks. If it's a flat rate for books or CDs, it is often, but not always Media Mail. Amazon.com orders usually take about a week to arrive in Hawaii, and I got a CD I ordered from somewhere else within three days of my order the other week.

Priority Mail is the same rate for Hawaii as it is the contiguous 48 states, and it arrives about 3 days later. First class mail is usually quick and the same rate.

Parcel Post may be flat rate as far as the vendor's advertisement, but it can be a little slower, and more expensive for Hawaii. I've had vendors say "Flat Rate Shipping within the United States", pay extra for Parcel Post without consulting me, pitch a fit because I didn't tell them I was from Hawaii when I bid, and insist I pay the difference. I refused. If they'd consulted me before they sent it, I would have told them I'd pay the difference for Priority Mail, but not Parcel Post.

Again, China is going to depend on book rate or air mail, whatever the vendor (or sender) chooses. If it's a DVD or something published--even photographs--the vendor will probably choose surface because it is so much cheaper. The shipping time is about the same as from North America.

Just as frustrating for people who live in parts of Hawaii where they cannot get home delivery of mail are the vendors who insist they cannot deliver to a PO Box. So you give them the physical address and hope they send it by UPS or Fed Ex. Then they send it to your local Post Office because there is no UPS Ground service to Hawaii. And the Post Office returns it because they do not deliver to physical addresses, and your PO Box is at a different Post Office!