Best place to ship internationally?

[thedonduck]

Any one have recommendation for places with the cheapest (cheaper) price to ship a package. My sister and BIL moves to Germany and I want to get their present in the mail soon so it gets there before the holidays! The last time I used the Post Office, it was over $50 for less than a 5lb package. Im hoping go find something cheaper! Any suggestions???

 

[DizneyDogs]

USPS flat rate is usually pretty reasonable. Also if you can keep it under 4lbs then you don't have to pay the higher prices.

 

[JB2K]

If they are members of the U.S. military (or U.S. Government employees working in Germany), they would have an "APO AP" address, which gives you some low-cost options through the U.S. Postal Service.

If they are not USG-affiliated and over there as private citizens, the USPS' "International Priority Mail" might be your best bet -- if it needs to get there fast, you may want to check DHL out, as they are still a leader in shipping to destinations outside the USA.

 

[ellone]

Any one have recommendation for places with the cheapest (cheaper) price to ship a package. My sister and BIL moves to Germany and I want to get their present in the mail soon so it gets there before the holidays! The last time I used the Post Office, it was over $50 for less than a 5lb package. Im hoping go find something cheaper! Any suggestions???

Depends on the dimensions. The USPS flat rate boxes are great. Medium would be $47.95 and $60.95 for a Large. If it's small and can fit in the padded flat rate envelope that is only 16.95. I don't think UPS will be cheaper and the charge the recipient for processing through customs I think.

 

[mrslur]

My daughter and her family live in the UK. Familiarize yourself with International First Class charts and what weight and dimension you send. I sent a 2lb box recently for under $10. Also, consider shopping at Amazon.de.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I just sent a package to Australia and it was only 10 dollars. The weight was no more than a pound.

 

[NotUrsula]

If whatever you are sending is commercially available (not a home made quilt or something like that), then you will probably save money by shopping via a European online site such as amazon.de.

I have a lot of family in Europe, and I almost never send gifts overseas any longer; it makes more sense to buy online and let the merchant deliver it. You don't get a VAT refund if the purchase is staying in the EU, but it all balances out in the end between the shipping and the taxes.

Do make sure that the credit card that you are purchasing with has favorable currency conversion terms, and if you normally get a warning over non-domestic purchases, you might want to call the credit card company from your home phone before you make the purchase to warn them that you will be doing so, so that they do not flag it as a fraudulent charge.