Russian Federation - Payment and Shipping?

[Fred]

Does anyone have any info on getting payment from and shipping to the Russian Federation? I've always used USPS to ship internationally - would that still be a good choice? Is Western Union a reliable way of funds transfer from there? Does WU charge the sender or the receiver? Thanks for any info!

[Grumpie]

No experience with shipping or anything else where Russian Fed. is concerned. But with WU the fees (substantial fees they are) have to be paid by the sender. The sender has to pay in cash and will get a transactionnumber. You should be able to pick up the money within an hour after sending (can differ depending on country). You will only have to go to a WU point, show your ID (make sure the sender puts down your name etc. correct) and you get paid the full amount in cash, no fees. WU should be ok, especially when you are on the receiving end because you get cash in your hand.