Mail Boxes Etc, better known as MBE is a great way to send and receive mail in Manzanillo. A long-running joke in México has been the mail system. It is notoriously unreliable. This can be an extremely frustrating aspect to being an extranjero living in Manzanillo. The Mexican government is trying to fix this with a complete make over of MexPost, turning it pink.

The mail service can be spotty. Some extranjeros (foreigners) have no problem sending and receiving mail. Our first house would receive local mail (the monthly TelMex bill from Señor Carlos Slim!) but no mail from outside of México.

What is a person to do when they need to reliably receive mail from outside of México? I mean important documents like:

• Original bank statements for the FM-2/3 process,
• Credit card statements,
• Replacement credit cards for when yours is lost or stolen,
• Beloved magazines for English reading material (like MacWorld!),
• Sending mail to the U.S. Postal Service (gasp!),
• Insert your own items here…

In Manzanillo there is now a business that can reliably meet these needs. I’ve used the service of the local Mail Boxes, Etc. now for well over a year and am extremely pleased. They have a service called an MBE Global Mailbox.

For a fee you receive an address in Laredo, TX that is secure, and a secure mailing address in Manzanillo. At least two times a week the mail is collected in Laredo, TX and sent by courier to the MBE office in Manzanillo. With this service you can receive small packages (within limitations on the contents and applicable Customs duty), books, magazines, and regular mail. You can even insert letters (not packages) into the U.S. Postal Service to reverse the process.
There are many other services at the local MBE office too. The staff speaks English fluently and is very courteous and helpful. Having this service has made it much more convenient to receive, and send, mail reliably. Check it out! It may work for you too.

Blvd. Miguel de la Madrid Km 13 Local 2, Crucero de las Hadas, Salahua
Manzanillo, Colima, México.
Tel. (314) 335 32 58 Fax (314) 333 23 94

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