Shipping internationally...?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Last year I went on a mission trip to Costa Rica. I’ve kept in touch with my trip leader and want to ship some soccer balls to him for his after school program. </p>

<p>I’m estimating these deflated soccer balls (plus an awesome picture from our trip) weigh about 20lb. There’s absolutely no rush in getting them to Heredia–on the contrary, the slower the better so it’ll be cheaper. He suggested I ship them by boat instead of by plane to cut down on costs.</p>

<p>The only problem is…I can’t find anyone who ships by boat! Everything I’ve found online so far has been about getting packages to their destinations ASAP. </p>

<p>Any ideas how to ship these soccer balls?</p>

<p>My first quote using FedEx’s “international economy” was for over FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS (so no thanks!), but it also guarantees delivery in 5 business days.</p>

2

<p>Try regular parcel post with the post office.</p>

3

<p>Try USPS and ask them the cheapest rate. It definitely will NOT be anywhere near $400. I just checked online and the cheapest rate would be $41.95 if you go to the post office and $38.95 if you print the postage online.</p>

4

<p>If you want your package to get there a bit faster, large flat rate priority USPS box (up to 20 lb) to Costa Rica is about $54:</p>

<p>[USPS</a> - Priority Mail International Prices](<a href=“http://www.usps.com/prices/priority-mail-international-prices.htm#cz]USPS”>http://www.usps.com/prices/priority-mail-international-prices.htm#cz)</p>

5

<p>50 bucks is SO MUCH MORE REASONABLE. And actually, cheaper than I expected. Thanks so much for your help!</p>

6

<p>In the old days, just a few years ago, surface mail-by boat,was cheap. But USPS did away with it. These days flat rate boxes are a deal, if sending sufficient weight. Sometimes, if items are light, by weight ends up cheaper. </p>

<p>Good for you, sending those balls to kids who will appreciate them!</p>