7-Eleven launches FedEx international letter service

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven launched a FedEx service that sends deliveries overseas, the company announced Monday.

The service, which 7-Eleven began last week in collaboration with FedEx and Lotte Global Logistics, will allow customers to send letters and documents overseas.

Packages have to weigh below 0.5 kilograms (1.1 pounds), and cost 20,750 won ($18) per delivery. It will take five days to reach the United States.

For the service, users have to register on the FedEx website and show a registration number at a 7-Eleven convenience store. The papers are then delivered to a FedEx distribution center in Incheon via Lotte Global Logistics.

“Convenience stores have settled as a lifestyle platform that provides all sorts of services and products using networks nationwide,” said a spokesperson for 7-Eleven. “We will offer fast and safe delivery through strategic collaboration with FedEx, raising the convenience of the global working [environment] for customers.”

The demand for delivery services from convenience stores has increased in recent years. The number of transported packages via convenience stores hit 20 million last year, from 5.85 million in 2011, according to the Korea Association of Convenience Store Industry.

But concerns over slack security have also surfaced following complaints from customers who reported their packages stolen.

By Jin Min-ji