MH

My spelling was off I meant to say that it could potentially cost up to the amount. I tried to buy a beautiful hand made table in Positano Italy. The cost of the table was 900.00 and the shipping from Positano to Kaiserslautern Germany (where I live) was going to be 450.00 and DHL was the carrier.NOw, to me that is not reasonable at all..the lady did state to me and my hubby, that the larger the item the cost goes up quite a bit. The table I had in mind was a very small bistro type of table, which I ended up buying a different store and just stuffed it in the car and drove it home with us. The first table I wanted was made to order and therefore had to be shipped and they only used DHL. When I told the lady I thought the shipping charges were unreasonable she stated "if you can't afford the shipping you certainly cannot afford a table in my shop" snotty yes, but she was right I could not afford anything in her shop. So my posting was based on my experience with a shop in Italy, Nov 2 2001. So a rather large piece of heavy antique furnture may cost you a bundle as the other poster with the dishes stated that it cost the same as the dishes... If you find a reliabel shipper that is reasonable and you have already recieved your goods and they are not damaged, please post the information so that others, myself included as Provance is only 6-8 hours from my house and I would love to be able to buy some good furniture and not have to pay ridiculous charges.<BR>PS, if you bought a small piece of furniture that needed refinishing for 20.00 and it ended up costing you 200.00 to ship it , that is 10x the cost of the purchase...you do the math!!!<BR>MH

Sue

Pat and all, first of all I have absolutely none, zip experience with shipping stuff home or of taking a significant piece home in checked luggage.<BR><BR>However, after having read the article someone referred here about luggage theft, I feel conscience stricken if I don't point out this: please do remember that any expensive item is like money or jewellry. If it isn't going to be part of your carryon luggage, you may want to inquire about insurance, before entrusting it to the airline. (Maybe someone else here knows something about this?) I do know that some shipping agents will insure - but the policies are expensive, with good reason.

Sue

Oops! Let me rephrase that last statement. I don't "know" that some shipping agents will insure, I have heard second hand that they do; whatever, without additional insurance there is an upper limit on what will be the compensation due if anything gets "lost" or damaged, and it isn't very much. With the airlines, I think it is an absurd $9 a pound (?)