<p>DD studying abroad in Italy would like me to mail her some stuff, mostly clothing items. Would she/I need to pay duty on this? What is the best way to mail? US Postal service? UPS? Other? Would she be better off buying items in Rome? Has anyone had any experience with this? Thanks!</p>
<p>I think she would be better off buying new. Rome has some wonderful flea markets, especially on the south side. Or maybe she could find some second hand shops.</p>
<p>We were never successful in finding good ways to mail stuff to Germany. My sister sent me a small box of stuff first class, and paid nearly $100 to mail it. My mom sent stuff 3rd class, and it was opened and half the stuff removed. When we tried to ship the kids’ instruments, we got stuck paying tons of duty (fortunately paid for by H’s company), and they got stuck in customs for 6 weeks. I think it ended up costing a thousand dollars or so – and all because the company made us take a flight that wouldn’t allow us to carry the instruments on - because that flight was $100 cheaper. </p>
<p>Alternatives to consider: If you know anyone flying over for a visit who can take an extra suitcase (even paying an extra bag fee might come out cheaper than mailing) – Or if you know anyone nearby on a US military post, who can receive packages via APO for you. (I don’t know if there are any near Rome or not.)</p>
<p>US postal service is the route I’ve used. The others I’ve checked, but nothing else has come up more reasonable. There is a flat rate box, perhaps marked just for domestic use, that can be used internationally for $37.00 or so. The postal service will give you that box to take home. Stuff it as full as possible, and know that weight doesn’t matter as long as not over 20 pounds. Don’t overvalue the contents, as otherwise she could end up paying duty. Someone send my D in Peru a box and valued the contents at over $200. The Peruvian postal authorities wanted to collect the equivelent of $80 in duty. Otherwise, you can package up whatever and send, but then weight is important. Large light envelopes are the best for this sort of mailing. Unfortunately, surface mail, which used to be the cheapest, if slow route, is no longer.</p>
<p>My daughter just received a box today that I sent her. UPS, FedEX, and DHL were way too expensive. I went to the Post Office and sent the items by Express Mail, but I should have used Priority Mail. I wanted it to arrive soon, so I paid a bit more for Express. The next time, if there is a next time, I will use Priority.</p>
<p>I shipped the package last Tuesday and it arrived today in Madrid. When she is home at school it takes 3 days for a package to get to her UPS ground; this was only one extra day! I also did not put a high value on the package. I sent a jacket, a bedsheet, some paperwork and her favorite candy. As everything was replaceable, I just put a $25 value. She said the package was not opened, so I think I did well. I did not want the package held up in customs, nor did I want to pay.</p>
<p>Check at USPS.com and you can see what it will cost to send to Italy.
<a href=“Retail Postage Price Calculator”>Retail Postage Price Calculator;
<p>Also, check here for items that can not be sent; you would be surprised what you can not mail. For Spain, I could not send a deck of playing cards!
<a href=“Italy | Postal Explorer”>Italy | Postal Explorer;
<p>I agree with the above posters regarding USPS versus other carriers. I sent my daughter in China a big box for Christmas that cost $100 to send via USPS and was priced at (I think) over $300 via UPS. I carefully considered each thing I was sending to decide if it would be cheaper and easier for her to get it over there. Some things, like Mom’s cookies, are not obtainable overseas. :)</p>
<p>It depends on the country. As I was heading out of the local post office, I ran into a friend who was hauling two huge packages to be mailed to her D studying in Italy. USPS is the way to go with Italy, as I was told. </p>
<p>Mailing stuff to Germany, on the other hand, is a royal pain in down under, no matter what carrier you choose to use. DH sent some small things as a gift to his German friends via FedEx, and they had to pay so much in customs fees it was not worth it…</p>
<p>I was all ready to mail via the US post office and my daughter said they were told not to mail stuff by USPS. She said fed ex. Any comments?</p>
<p>The student were told not to send stuff through the mail, or they shouldn’t receive things through the mail? I would think maybe FedEx was suggested as the package will arrive in a matter or days, but unless they are paying, I would go with the post office. It is possible that packages get hung up in customs longer with the mail, and maybe that is why. All I know is my daughter got her Express Mail package in 4 days in Spain; I have no complaints.</p>
<p>The students were told parents from home should not send stuff by the USPS, it takes too long. I am going to call the post office again now.</p>
<p>If you want to mail items overseas, I highly recommend private mail such as FedEx or UPS. They might be more expensive, but they are more reliable with international package delivery. Do not mail via USPS.</p>
<p>I sent a package to Provence via USPS. Some books, some candy, and just kid-stuff. It cost about $25 or so to send it … and got there in less than a week.</p>
<p>I’d think that destination might matter. Some countries are less reliable in terms of mail received. People I know in the latin American world were not confident a few years back that their mail service would deliver, which is the other end of USPS. However, I’ve sent things to Peru, China, Thailand, Korea and Australia USPS over the last few months, with no problems or significant delays.</p>
<p>Unless you’re sending something very important, what difference does it make if it takes 3 days or one week? The difference in cost is not minimal. When I went to a shipping store intending to send UPS, it was the store manager who recommended USPS, due to the price difference.</p>
<p>I did upgrade to a level of service that guarantees delivery in 8 business days. Other wise, according to the USPS clerk, there is no recourse if say “it took up to 6 weeks” to get there. Yikes! I will let you know when she gets it. Thanks for all the suggestions.</p>
<p>I bet it gets there quicker if my package is any example. Like I mentioned above, I sent a package to Spain Express mail instead of Priority mail; I believe Express mail was 6 days, while Priority mail was 6-10 days. While it did take 6 days to arrive, that included a weekend. When I ship UPS ground to school, it takes 3 business days. The same package sent on Wednesday by UPS to school, still would not have arrived until Monday. The way I look at it, it only took one extra day to get to Spain!</p>