Mailing international packages...

[rcknmommy]

I want to send my SO a package full of goodies, thing is he lives in the UK and I in US. I have never sent a package internationally, letters not packages, so I'm wondering what/if anything I need to do differently to send the package. I know already that it's going to cost a ton more but what else? Is there anything I have to do before I can send it?

Thanks!!

[Bethypoo]

Just make sure you know what is okay to send and what isnt. I mean there are the obvious things of course but you can look at fed Ex/ UPS and those websites to see if there is anything else that they will not mail. And I would suggest using a place like Fed Ex or UPS. In my experience things tend to get there more on time and it is less of a hassle. IDK i seem to trust it more than just going through the post office.

[rcknmommy]

Okay thanks that's a start!

[Haley53]

Yes, but from my experience, Fed Ex and UPS cost double what it'll cost you at USPS. :P But I've personally never had any issues with USPS and both my current partner (Ireland) and ex (England) received their post in less than a week of when it was sent, so I can't talk for inconvenience.

I haven't found many restrictions on what I am and am not able to send. I've found it to be pretty intuitive. For example, chocolate, okay, stuffed animal, okay, gun, not okay. But no, avoid perishables like fruit, don't send anything carbonated (I would avoid liquids entirely, personally), etc. I really do think what many people would want/choose to send in general would be okay to go through customs.

You will have to fill out a customs form, which you'll be given at the post office. You don't have to be too specific but don't be vague, either, because customs does have the authority to go through everything and shove it all back together if it ends up cleared, and I've never liked the idea of government officials mussing up a package I worked hard on putting together. But the form will ask you to declare what the items are and their price, so let's say you send Hershey's chocolate, you'd be fine to write "Chocolate, 2.00" on the form. I sent a stuffed dog and wrote "Stuffed animal." So you don't have to be too specific, but don't be sitting there writing "Food stuff," although I've done that with "Bath stuff" and it's also gotten through, LOL. :P

But other than that, depending on what you're sending, I would use tissue paper or bubblewrap and pack it in so nothing shifts around. I avoided doing this when I packed a stuffed dog, but used it when I sent some gifts I picked up off the beach, as one was a whole shell and it was fragile enough for me to want to make sure it was packed in there pretty tight.

EDIT -- You'll also have a ton of options for sending it and they'll tell you what they are and what are their differences. Personally, I use first-class. It's supposed to take longer and you don't get the option of tracking it/receipt of confirmation, but like I said, I've never had any issue with hassle or timeliness. My first-class mail has always gotten there within a week.

[rcknmommy]

Oh thanks. That was very helpful.

I was planning on sending cheetos to him, he loves them and he said they don't sell them anymore over there? Would they be okay?

[NaNi]

Oh thanks. That was very helpful.

I was planning on sending cheetos to him, he loves them and he said they don't sell them anymore over there? Would they be okay?

Of course that's okay! Junk food is always okay.

[Haley53]

Yep! It should be fine.

So long as it's not something that'll explode under pressure, you should be good. I look at it as though I'm taking a trip up to the mountains or as though I'm going on a plane. If the sealed food is something I could take on a plane, it should be okay to mail over. If it's nothing that would be affected by the altitude of driving up to the mountains (like soda pop or even a bottle of water is/might be), then it should be okay.