Coronavirus impacting international mail services

[RogerE]

Good service report, thanks AdmiralCollector

I did a quick double-take when a sideways glance said you are based in Whidby Island WA,
and then I realised it is followed by 'USA'.

Australians are used to the state abbreviation WA = Western Australia, and not so familiar
with the state abbreviation WA = Washington [State].

Australian posties are using a similar procedure. When I clear my PO Box, if there is a card
notifying me to pick up an item at the counter, I get shown the item (through the transparent
screen that has been erected on the counter), and when I acknowledge that it is for me, the
item is scanned by the staff member who then enters "Covid" in the scanner instead of requesting
me to enter my signature.

All good

/RogerE

[ddaann]

I sent some stamps to a buyer on Sept 25th. He wrote to say they still had not arrived. I'm not surprised. I've been advising Asia buyers that mail is very erratic and can be fast or can take 8-9 weeks. Maybe I need to revise that to 8-9 months. Sigh.

[norvic]

Readers of Britain's Stamp Magazine may not be aware that the next edition will be a combined December/January one (so only 11 this year), with the next edition being February and appearing in early January.

So it may not be 'lost in the post' - I don't know what the publication date for the 11th one will be.

[sebjarod]

The French post announced special rules for Christmas 2020 parcel service between Metropolitan France and its overseas départements and territories:
- Post early, please !
- La Poste is putting as many parcels as possible in as many commercial flights as possible.
- And can invest in special freight planes if needed.

And senders are invited to limit the weight of their parcels to 20kg (over 20 kg: surface mail only).

For 2020 La Poste has already an overcost of 15 million euros with the French Overseas because of the difficulties to find airmail capacities.

[ddaann]

I just returned from the PO, sending an express mail package (costing $144) to my son in Hong Kong from Minnesota. The usual delivery time for such is a week - but USPS posted a warning they cannot provide ANY delivery window.

C-19 must be knocking the stuffing out of the USPS. I'm not surprised, since many hundreds of our hospital system employees are infected or in quarantine.

[Lakatoi 4]

I should have added in this topic that a couple of weeks ago I received an email from Chris Gaertner in Germany advising that a cover I’d ordered in late March was finally on its way

Still waiting though, hey it’s only been almost EIGHT months

[nota bene]

I should have added in this topic that a couple of weeks ago I received an email from Chris Gaertner in Germany advising that a cover I’d ordered in late March was finally on its way

Still waiting though, hey it’s only been almost EIGHT months

I'm still waiting from stuff sent in March from India.... It is still stuck and not moving out of India!

Two out of five registered letters made it out before the lockdowns in April, the other 3 are still stuck. God knows when those will start to appear. Good part is that I have not paid for the items, so it is the seller's issue if it does not make it.

[Spartacus]

Hello,
To add to this topic.
I ordered some stamps from a dealer in Chile, seems they take the cake and beat my record, arrived six months later.
I had given up on them thinking they were lost.
Snail mail at its best!

Cheers.

[David Benson]

The main problem now is the delay after posting and the loading on to a container ship.

I asked at my local Post Office yesterday and they said it could be one or two months before a container is full and the ship leaves.

I presume that it also depends on where it was posted. Mail from the major cities would have regular containers but smaller cities would take much longer.

David B.

[Srisha]

the longest time it has taken so far for me during this pandemic is a mail from Namibia, that was posted in Feb'20, which i only received it last week. That was 9 months, from Namibia to Singapore

I had even forgotten about this mail...

[Berlin-Gus]

Rec'd letter from Singapore today, Nov. 18, that was posted on Oct. 27. Considering our pandemic times I think that is really quite acceptable.

[HalfpennyYellow]

Is anyone in Europe or elsewhere experiencing delays in mail sent from the UK?

An online purchase which I made a month ago has still not arrived, and this is very unusual since mail from the UK is usually in transit for only a week or so, and I had not had any problems with mail from the UK throughout the pandemic until now.

[RevRed+]

Hi HalfpennyYellow. Yes the post has slowed from the UK to Ireland, but as the post seems to have slowed all round, it is hard to know. 2/3 days has stretched to 2/3 weeks.

[Waffle]

HalfPenny Yellow. sadly it is not only mail into Malta being delayed. Some 6 to 8 weeks ago I ordered The Map Plotters issue and F.D.C. from Malta post. In spite of almost instantaneous deduction of the cost from my credit card, the paid for goods are yet to arrived.

Hopefully. early days. Admittedly pre-Covid, when we visited Valletta in June, 4 large A4 sized envelopes with 2018 year stamps, liberally applied, arrived back in Australia before we got to Amsterdam 10 days later.

[Global Administrator]

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I should have added in this topic that a couple of weeks ago I received an email from Chris Gaertner in Germany advising that a cover I’d ordered in late March was finally on its way

Still waiting though, hey it’s only been almost EIGHT months

Gaertner are just telling you now it is being posted?

Sending Foreign mail is just crazy.

Our totally incompetent Post Office STILL does not offer any tracking whatever on the $16 Registered Mail re-paid envelopes. Yes we get a lodgement receipt, but that is it.

So if we use them, and the buyer quite understandably wants to track it online they cannot. Zimbabwe level service for a $16 letter size price.

I bought a carton of these Rigid card Express Post International envelopes years back. Good for 500 grams, or 20mm thickness. PO offers nothing like that these days.

A normal air letter UNTRACKED from 250g-500g cost $A20 right now and can take 3 months. These get there FAST, and get tracked as can be seen and if anyone needs some I sell sealed packs of 10 for $A180. (Stock 582KW) For ebay sellers of goods more than $100, it is the ONLY thing that works to save you chargebacks and hours of time and raised blood pressure.

When THEY get into something like the USPS system they provide total tracking events. Australia Post can tell me nothing about any of their Top End overseas mail items - only when they enter REAL PO system can we find out where they are!

Crazy .. but when it enters a REAL Post a Service we see this - and you get text updates for each movement -

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=LX00384 ... kingnotify

Tracking History - LX003842067AU

November 4, 2020, 3:25 pm

Delivered, In/At Mailbox
WESTFIELD, NJ 07090
Your item was delivered in or at the mailbox at 3:25 pm on November 4, 2020 in WESTFIELD, NJ 07090.

November 4, 2020, 7:10 am
Out for Delivery
WESTFIELD, NJ 07090

November 4, 2020, 5:11 am
Arrived at Unit
WESTFIELD, NJ 07090

November 4, 2020, 4:03 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
WESTFIELD, NJ 07090

November 4, 2020, 2:39 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

November 3, 2020, 2:21 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

November 2, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility
November 1, 2020, 6:27 pm

Departed USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

November 1, 2020, 2:48 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 30, 2020, 12:06 am
Processed Through Facility
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)

Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
October 26, 2020, 3:22 am
Processed Through Facility
SYDNEY - STRATHFIELD MC, AUSTRALIA

[EricHutton]

Just had an item from UK to Mauritius arrive, posted 22nd September, arrived 19th November.

But on the unexpected quick deliveries... sent a book to India recently using what the UK post office call "International Economy", ie surface (ship) mail in pre-covid expected delivery 5 to 6 weeks, it arrived in 5 days

Spoke to a knowlagable stamp collector I know, who said if there is unused space on airmail cargo post, ie the post office have certain amount booked on various flights, they will throw in "International Economy" just to fill up the cargo space they have already paid for, a bonus for me and the person receiving the publication, who was still waiting several weeks for items posted elsewhere to him air mail.

[rehautala]

Waiting for a package from Australia mailed Aug. 25 to Canada (~3 months so far).

Will advise when it arrives in case others are also waiting for similar.

Interesting info about possible delays with loading the container ships - never heard that before, but it makes sense.

[ddaann]

This has nothing to do with C-19, and it's not a world record delay, but perhaps worthy of a mention. I sent a collector a reference book on China stamps in September 2019. From Minnesota to California, with tracking. The USPS "lost" it at a post office near the buyer's home. It was finally delivered last week. 14 months.

[Global Administrator]

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This is my record mail delay of all time --- OVER EIGHT MONTHS from being mailed.

A 1000s of Rand priced, £2 pound stamp, mailed Registered Airmail on MARCH 25 from Somerset, Cape Town, South Africa. Weight was assessed at 28 grams, and 53.80 Rand postage paid as can be seen.

Just arrived at my PO Box today. Over 8 months since being posted.

SWLF (South West Sydney Letter Facility) arrival in Australia ink jet of Nov 25 at top, and asked my postmaster to handstamp it on arrival November 27 today as can be seen.

I had written it off long ago. The seller was someone called Clinton Hale from "Cape Philatelics" whose website shown on his letterhead, is now selling concrete sealant in 10 litre tubs all in Chinese - www.capephilatelics.com - that inspires HUGE confidence!

Hale was not responding to any of my emails to his various addresses asking for a Registered number, so assumed I was wearing the loss on this. Could not even do a credit card chargeback etc, as I had asked a local South African client to pay him direct in Rand in March, by local bank transfer.

Cape Philatelics appeared to me to be kosher, with lots of expensive material in stock, so no way was I too worried, but had never had any contact before. However now upon checking, see that Clinton Hale appears to be a member of NO stamp dealer bodies, not even the South African one. Always a red light - so keep that in mind.

Anyway, I'd long written off this scarce stamp, and it fortunately has not arrived. South Africa has been a disaster for mail sadly, and even now no letter mail is being accepted from here. PARCELS take 2-3 months and one would ASSUME letter mail would also be going sea, but in this case clearly not.

There was a red handstamp applied lower left. The left portion of it feel onto the high gloss Registered sticker and smeared, but appeared to say, bilingually - "RECEIVED AFTER DISPATCH" - no idea what that relates to?

If anyone has a sideline collection of COVID delayed mail, this one probably takes First Prize? Added it to stock 692FW for $A15, to pay for 2 beers tonight at dinner, as I'll hopefully NEVER see another! Postal History of the future for sure.

Glen
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[MJ's pet]

Australia Post - International delivery information

24 November 2020

https://auspost.com.au/about-us/news-media/important-updates ... ernational

Several governments across Europe including Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Greece have advised that due to the increasing infections of COVID-19, they have increased restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.

As a result, there may be some delivery delays to these destinations, and the estimated delivery times listed below may be impacted. We are also reviewing the situation in the United Kingdom and whether the new national restrictions may lead to additional delays.

In addition, there has been a report of COVID-19 outbreak at Kuala Lumpur International Airport and items transiting through Malaysia may be affected. The estimated delivery times listed below for items destined to China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, Korea and Myanmar may be further impacted by delays.

Please refer to the updated list of suspended destinations below. Items addressed to these destinations will be returned to the sender.

International Standard, Registered Post letters and Economy air letters have resumed to Lebanon, Argentina, Oman, Brazil and India as of 10 November.

There are still delivery delays to all international destinations because of the impacts of COVID-19, including due to airline capacity and in-country delivery impacts. For updated delivery time estimates, check the table below.

Please note, Australia Post has resumed the “Economy Air” international delivery service for parcels to New Zealand, Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom at retail outlets and via MyPost Business.

Estimated delivery times for available destinations

We've updated our delivery time estimates for all available destinations and services based on our latest performance data, as well as information from airlines and international postal partners.

These estimates are subject to change and should be used as a guide only. The delivery times are estimated from the time of posting in Australia to delivery in metro locations in the destination country. They don't include time spent in customs, which is out of our control.

If your item was sent using the Courier or Express service and hasn’t arrived by the estimated delivery timeframe provided, contact us so we can investigate. For items sent via our Standard service, please allow 10 business days after the estimated delivery timeframe prior to contacting us.

Due to increased travel time between facilities for items lodged from SA, TAS or NT please allow additional time for delivery as per below:

Express – add 3 business days to all estimated delivery times.

Standard and Economy - add 7 business days to all estimated delivery times.

Note that items addressed to the suspended destinations will be returned to the sender.

[Tod.Moore]

Letter delayed due to Covid 19

Letter delayed due to Covid 19: detail

Here is another eight month mail delay story, similar to Glen’s experience. The letter was posted in London on March 27. It finally arrived at South West Sydney Letter Facility, Australia, exactly eight months later, November 27. It looks like March 2020 was a really bad month for Covid-delayed postal items!

[psphani]

I have not had any delays in the post since March 2020 - as a receiver or sender to Europe, Australia, America.

Since November 15th, all incoming and outgoing are delayed. Its taking more than the usual to receive mails from Europe and i fear some are coming via ship as informed by 2 sellers at least.

I am also having delays within USA (since thanksgiving) where 2 of my items to be delivered are sitting at a Distribution center for a week and 3 items that i have to receive are at a distribution center 15 miles away from my house since 10 days.

[ddaann]

psphani - count yourself very lucky. Mail from me in MN has been very erratic ever since the start of C19. Some mail to EU and GB has been normal speed and others have taken 3-4 weeks or longer. Mail to AU and asia far worse - up to 8 weeks, but again really variable. Things "seem to" have improved in the last 3-4 weeks but with Christmas I expect deliveries to slow down again.
Stay safe & practice patience, everyone!
Dan

[norvic]

I have not had any delays in the post since March 2020 - as a receiver or sender to Europe, Australia, America.

Since November 15th, all incoming and outgoing are delayed. Its taking more than the usual to receive mails from Europe and i fear some are coming via ship as informed by 2 sellers at least.

I am also having delays within USA (since thanksgiving) where 2 of my items to be delivered are sitting at a Distribution center for a week and 3 items that i have to receive are at a distribution center 15 miles away from my house since 10 days.

Lack of infection control and increased volume of traffic and absences due to infection of postal workers or their kin, causing isloation, will account for that.

This is reported by postal administrations worldwide. See USPS website.

[norvic]

Christmas card from our relos in Nova Scotia. Postmarked B3K (Halfax NS) 1532 on 1 December.

Postmarked H4T (Montreal Airport) on 6 December, time unclear.

Arrived in rural Norfolk 11 December. 5 days each leg

Christmas mail from Halifax NS to UK

[scrute]

eBay purchase from the UK. Twenty days to get from the UK to the Perth Mail Centre. Four days to get from PMC to Nedlands. That is a twenty-four minute drive according to Google Maps.

UK to Perth letter

[FairyFoot]

From https://personal.help.royalmail.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5317

Last updated: Monday 21 December 2020
Welcome to our international incident bulletin; a round up of any issues which may be affecting mail services to and from countries around the world.

We keep this information as up-to-date as possible, with information supplied to Royal Mail by the various foreign national postal authorities.

International delivery update – Temporary suspension of some international services due to Coronavirus transport impacts

This is a fast-moving situation and we are monitoring things on an hourly basis. We are working to keep as many international mail services running as possible given the current restrictions around air, road, ferry and train movements from the UK.

Royal Mail has temporarily suspended all mail services to Europe, with the exception of the Republic of Ireland.
We are keeping the situation under close and constant review.

Customers should check our website for regular updates.

Items that are already in the system will be processed as normal and made ready for dispatch. These items will be held securely until we are able to get them to their relevant destinations.

We're closely monitoring the situation and are ready to open our services as soon as we are able to once the restrictions have been lifted. We continue to explore all options.

We're additionally experiencing delays to Canada and Turkey as air capacity is severely limited.

We're working with our airline and postal/courier partners across the globe to maintain services, however delays should be expected. Many countries have implemented special measure to combat the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19, especially for signature service to maintain social distancing. The number of countries we can access is changing daily.

[norvic]

Interesting point about Ireland. I read a twitter message to Royal Mail today in which a customer in NI had tried to post a package to the republic and was told it couldn’t be accepted.

[Berlin-Gus]

Rec'd an "International Tracked" airmail letter from the UK today here in Ontario, Canada. Purchased Dec 15, 2020
and rec'd Dec 22, 2020. This in spite of the total lock-down in the UK and with no flights to Canada. Must have just beaten the tragic situation. Service could not have been better!

[rehautala]

.
My Package from Glen shipped on Aug.12 just arrived.

Seamail took just over 4 months from Australia to Canada.

Some very nice full gum CTO stamps hiding under the labels, and the protective outer mylar covering

[GYDAM]

At 10:30am today (Thursday 24 Dec) received a 1 kg parcel of craft product here in Launceston, Tasmania from our supplier in central Italy, between Rome and Florence. FIVE days!!! It was despatched last Friday pm (18 Dec) ..... admittedly via DHL .... but absolutely fantastic considering the time of the year and European Covid problems.

Cheers, Gordon

[Kennethsequeira]

Post COVID lockdown and re- opening the routes, Emirates Post has increased postal rates.

For upto 20 gms (max. increase of 40c in US $)

Zone 1 - Within UAE - from AED 2 to AED 2.25
Zone 2 - GCC - From AED 3 to 3.5
Zone 3 - MENA - From AED 4 to 4.5
Zone 4 - Asia - From AED 5 to 5.5
Zone 5 - Europe + Far East + Africa - AED 6 to 7.5 (most difference)
Zone 6 - America + Oceania - AED 7 to AED 8

Even in the next 2 categories - upto 50 gm & upto 100 gms, mails to Zone 5 & 6 have gone expensive from 70c to $1

For the 1st time ever, 2nd price increase within 6 months

Zone 1 - Within UAE - AED 2.25 (No change)
Zone 2 - GCC - From AED 3.5 to 4
Zone 3 - Asia - From AED 5.5 to 6
Zone 4 - Europe + Far East - AED 7.5 to 8
Zone 5- MENA + Africa - AED 7.5 to 8.5
Zone 6 - America + Oceania - AED 8 to AED 9


MENA region seems to combined with Africa

[FairyFoot]

My recent incomings.

postmarked 22/12/2020 from Southampton, etc, sender put £1.63 Queen album stamp on. Arrived 29th December.
MN/USA postmarked 2nd December 2020 arrived 30th December
San Diego postmarked 19th December arrived 31st December
OH/USA postmarked 21st December arrived 31st December
GA/USA postmarked 21st December arrived 31st December
MN/USA postmarked 22nd December arrived 31st December
Washington State/USA postmarked 23rd December arrived 31st December

[ddaann]

FairyFoot wrote: MN/USA postmarked 2nd December 2020 arrived 30th December

That's really interesting because I sent some stamps from my house in MN/USA to a guy in Philadelphia PA/USA on 2 December and THAT arrived Philadelphia on 30th of December. I wonder if both mailings sat somewhere together.

I asked the PA buyer if the postmarks told a story, and he replied there were no postmarks or cancellations at all.

[FairyFoot]

My penpal in San Diego said that my letter arrived in a timely manner, a week or so. However, on the same day, he received a letter from, I forget which, northern US state but it took over 2 weeks.

[scrute]

Ebay purchase from Michigan. 27 days from Michigan metroplex (16th Dec) to Perth (12th Jan). Includes 8 days to get across the Australian continent. The sticker with the fluorescent bar was printed on the 14th December, two days prior to the postmark at metroplex. Google tells me that metroplex is the United States' busiest letter cancelling facility.

MI cover

[RevRed+]

An Post Update:

Update on International Mail to and from Ireland
11 January 2021

Widespread Covid-related restrictions and local lockdowns across the world continue to impact the distribution and delivery of international parcels and letters.
The number of international flights continues to be severely impacted by the Covid crisis, with only limited space available for international letters and parcels. As a result, many items posted in Ireland during December for delivery across the world are still in transit through airports and sea ports. Also, local delivery depots across the globe have been impacted by Covid, while some areas are also dealing with severe winter weather conditions.
An Post expects to be receiving incoming international Christmas parcels and letters for delivery in Ireland throughout January. We assure customers that we continue to deliver all international letters and parcels as soon as they are received into Ireland.

[FairyFoot]

Letter from Paris/France postmarked 11th January, arrived safely in my humble abode on 13th January.

[RevRed+]

Large packet from RogerE posted 14th December in Cardiff NSW, arrived today 13th January.

[muruk]

Some mail is still slow.

Just received a postcard from Bandung, Indonesia (adjacent country) postmarked 1 March 2020. 10½ months in transit, wonder where it's been.

[BIGANDYN]

Recent arrivals and departures.

(Airmail ) From Fiji, mailed mid July 2020, arrived mid December.....so 5 months (no markings, so it's journey a complete mystery)

Packets to Fiji, sent economy airmail, first lot sent mid October, arrived mid November & another lot sent mid December arrived early January.....both lots taking about 4 weeks ("which is par for the course").

[Global Administrator]

.
My Package from Glen shipped on Aug.12 just arrived.

Seamail took just over 4 months from Australia to Canada.

Some very nice full gum CTO stamps hiding under the labels, and the protective outer mylar covering

Glad they arrived.

I stress the back marker pen strokes are applied by ME, at this end, AFTER clean Mylar is placed over the VFU stamps! Discourages PO staffers here or Canada stealing pairs of $20 stamps etc.

Our totally incompetent PO changes $55 for 2 books seamail and offers ZERO online evidence it was even lodged much less showing it arrived.

Canada Post of course can show the entire journey - using the AP tracking number.

https://www.canadapost.ca/trackweb/en#/details/CT103162036AU

[scrute]

Ebay purchase from Israel. No postmark, but seller stated he sent it on 12th December. On the eBay item it estimated delivery in 6 to 25 days. On the feedback site, ebay estimated it would get to me 17th December to 22nd December. It arrived today after 33 days. No postmark from Australia, either. It would seem that the Priority payment was not effective. Postage cost was $12 US.

Israeli cover

[Kennethsequeira]

I guess normal mails to UAE from Australia, Canada, Ireland and UK have dried out... Waiting for items since nearly 45 days .....

Only registered mails coming through

Shipping outside UAE has increased to 60 + countries.

[gavin-h]

Two arrivals here this week, one from California, USA took 5 days (including the weekend). The other from Australia took a shade under 2 weeks (including 2 weekends!).

From that small sample, I'd say no difference from "normal" times.

Caveat: both were "normal" mail, that is large-letter sized with no special delivery instructions and no tax declarations to slow them down. Maybe that's significant if you want uninterrupted deliveries.

[FairyFoot]

Letter from Paris/France postmarked 11th January, arrived safely in my humble abode on 13th January.

The same person wrote to me in in June, but the letter only just arrived today. Postmarked 16-06-20 !!!! Where had it been?

[norvic]

Royal Mail - Destinations ‘on suspension’ - The Scotsman 23 February

There are five locations listed as on suspension:

- Haiti: the Royal Mail says that it is currently not sending items to Haiti as there are no available transport links - items sent here will be held and you will experience significant delays
- Iran (Islamic Republic of): the Royal Mail says that despatches to Iran are temporarily suspended as its air carrier has cancelled flights between the UK and Iran due to the current Covid-19 situation - items already in the pipeline will be held pending resumption of flights
- Nicaragua: Items are currently not being sent to Nicaragua because there are no available transport links - items sent will be held and you’ll experience significant delays
- Ukraine (Crimea and Sevastopol Regions): Mail despatches to Donets 83-87, Luhansk 91-94, Crimea 95-98 and Sevastopol 99 are suspended until further notice
- Venezuela: items are currently not being sent to Venezuela as the ‘in-country’ postal service has suspended operations until further notice - items sent will be held and you’ll experience significant delays.

In addition to these locations listed as “on suspension”, a number of other destinations are also experiencing significant delays.

These destinations include the likes of Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain. Reasons for these delays range from Covid-19 precautions, severe weather problems and customs issues.

[lesbootman]

I've sent a few items to Germany lately and the service seems as fast as it did pre-Covid. Maybe I just dropped lucky.

I also sent an item to Canada on 25th January and that has not arrived. My correspondent says that mail from the UK to Canada is taking between 7 and 45 days to arrive. Quite a time bandwidth.

[norvic]

Yet earlier this month I had an email from a collector in Canada who had received a letter bearing 2 x 1st class FORGED stamps, delivered from the Chester/NWales area in 3 days.

[Greaden]

I just got an item from a German auction house that was sent out in late October, four months ago.

It was an Ethiopian cover that only took one month to get from Addis Abeba to Switzerland in 1899.