Correos de Cuba partners with a small private business in an attempt to halt its own decline.
Pablo Padilla Cruz, Matanzas, September 6, 2025 — The Correos de Cuba in Matanzas announced this week the arrival of the first international shipment resulting from an alliance with the MSME* TransMiret, based in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo. Cooperation with this private entity seeks to reverse the loss of business that the state service has suffered in recent years in the face of competition from non-state companies that have captured a large part of the clientele.
“This union responds to the constant complaints of users and the loss of confidence in the service of international shipments of Correos de Cuba,” admitted to 14ymedio an employee of the Matanzas 1 post office, located on the central Calle del Medio. “The reality is that we have had problems of precision, distribution and customer service. They now hope that this alliance will improve the situation,” added the state worker.
A citizen may import, by post, parcel or express courier, goods with a value of up to $500 and a maximum weight of 20 kilograms, according to the rules of the General Customs of the Republic, which rates each kilogram at $10. The value of shipments is subject to a duty in national currency, although products such as medicines, toiletries, food and medical supplies are exempt from this tax until the end of September.
However, the attempt by Correos de Cuba to regain control of the shipments collides with a scenario that has changed radically. In Matanzas, several private companies have gained popularity among users by offering faster services, transparent and personalized.
One of the best known is We Ship You, which three years ago opened its base of operations in the area of Peñas Altas. “They have an excellent service,” says Arnaldo, a regular customer. “With my mobile app, I can monitor the package from when it arrives at their warehouse to when it is delivered to my home. The first time I used the service the package arrived on a Sunday and as deliveries started on Monday, I went to the base and got it in 10 minutes. Also, the heavier the shipment, the lower the price. It can cost $4 per pound if you go over 10 pounds. In less than 21 days the package is already here, something unthinkable with Correos de Cuba.”
The service includes additional services, such as the ability to hold products in the Miami warehouse for one month to group them into a single shipment and lower the cost by weight. “They even give you a bag with the company logo as a souvenir,” says Arnaldo laughing. “It’s one of the few things that makes you feel like you live in the first world.”
We Ship You, based in Homestead, Florida, is owned by the corporation of the same name. According to its co-founder, the Colombian Carlos Badel, the idea was born from his experience in logistics and the ability of his partner Johan Rodriguez to develop software. The products they ship to the Island range from electronic equipment, motorcycles and food, to Shein and Temu items. The company currently operates in several Latin American countries, including Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Mexico.
“The customer chooses online what they want and we buy it, even provide advice”
In Peñas Altas, the company’s presence has generated employment and income in a community that is often forgotten by government investment. “I am the custodian of the transport base and earn 50 dollars a month, with the option to earn more if I do overtime,” says Eduardo, a neighbor. “At the current rate, that is more than 20,000 pesos. It is more than three times what any state entity would pay. And if inflation goes up, my salary keeps pace because it’s in dollars. I feel respected here and the deal is excellent.”
Another example of the private sector boom is Tu Envío Latino, an online shopping agency created by two young residents of Matanzas who took advantage of the vacuum left by the state. “We saw the opportunity and started working on it. Our family in Miami helps us; the purchases come to them and are then sent to Cuba. Gradually we have grown and now are shipping more than $10,000 worth of goods in a fortnight,” says one of the founders. “We are not afraid of competition from Correos de Cuba, because whenever the state companies do something slightly innovative the private ones beat them, since we adapt faster. With us products arrive in less than 20 days, even from China. Once a customer received his purchase from the Nike store in just 24 hours.”
The agency guarantees a full refund if the product does not arrive or presents problems. “The customer chooses online what he wants and we buy it, even provide advice. If there is a problem on our part, they can re-purchase or get 100% of their money back. I would like to see that when they start losing articles in Correos de Cuba, if they will answer for them or make excuses as they did before, without giving value to the property of the customer,” he concludes.
Correos de Cuba is trying to reactivate its business amid the disappearance of traditional agencies such as Cubamax — linked to Hugo Cancio — Tuambia and Sendity. Although the state-owned company now relies on partnerships with MSMEs to operate outside the country, it has not implemented attractive incentives for its workers or competitive offers for its customers.
“Without lowering prices or shortening delivery times, it will be very difficult to regain people’s trust,” says a worker in the sector who asked for anonymity. “Private competition has shown that things can be done differently. Correos de Cuba will have to change a lot if it wants to live up to its own triumphalism.”
*Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises [mipyme in Spanish]
Translated by Regina Anavy
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