Sending Mail to U.S. from Europe
 

Hello-

We are continuing to plan our wonderful European vaca and are fine tuning all details (we hope).

I was wondering the best way to prepare to send small items back home to the children who will not be joining us on the trip? This would be small items and post cards.

1. Does anyone know about how long a small package or postcard will take to reach the U.S.?

2. Should we buy postage from U.S. before we leave or is this even possible? This would be just for the postcards.

3. Will we be required to fill out customs forms?

4. Do you have any other tips for sending mail from Europe to U.S.? i.e., what days are post offices closed? What have been your expiriences in mailing items back to the U.S.?

Thank you again-in advance!! You all are so wonderful!

No you need to wait and buy local postage when you are in Europe.

Just go to the post office. I've done this from Paris and from Switzerland. You could buy the boxes right at the post office. Yes there is a customs form.

I'm not sure the exact timing but I'm guessing about 10 days for a package or postcard. Letters in an envelope go a bit faster.

If it is just a letter or postcard there is no customs form. You just need to buy the right postage in the country you are mailing from. For example, don't buy stamps for postcards in France then use them in Italy. If you are sending a small parcel then you need to fill in a customs form, usually a very brief description of what is in it, the cost and you sign and date. Mail can take longer than you think, weeks in my experience but we don't mail to the USA.

Sometimes the shops that sell postcards also sell stamps but make sure they are for the USA. They may only sell stamps for Europe. Make sure you ask at the time of purchase for stamps, they usually don't sell them separately. Post Offices will sell padded bags, tape, small boxes etc as well as stamps and envelopes.

Kay

most of your answers are above. But another thing to consider . . for packages: If you are buying things of any value to send back, you can have the merchant ship the item for you. They will take the VAT off the top (since the item is being exported) and that will pay a big part of the postage/insurance.

Saves you having to faff about w/ wrapping/queueing at a post office.

Not for really inexpensive things since the merchants may not want to bother.

Another thing to keep in mind is that, in France, you can buy any number of different size boxes at the PO. There is one price for the box, no matter how much stuff you put into it - so rather than send a lot of small packages and waste a lot of time at the PO, it's better to collect your stuff and mail one box. Also in France, you can buy prestamped envelopes for postcards for the same price as you'll pay for a postcard stamp for the USA - usually a good idea as it protects the postcard in.

IME, letters and postcards get to the USA in a very few days. The prepaid boxes - usually a week or less. I've mailed them at the end of trips and found them waiting for me when I got home.

As far as speed of delivery is concerned, it depends on the country. We air mailed 8 postcards from Krakow to the US and they arrived about 6 weeks later, long after we arrived back home.

Thank you everyone!!! what wonderful advice and I would never have known/thought to have the merchant send valuable items! I can see where that is going to be very helpful!!!

Do you know if Italy offers that same service?

Also, one question i didn't think it ask, what should we use for our return address?

"what should we use for our return address"

Your home address, if you're mailing it yourself. If a shop mails a package for you it will, of course, have their address.

Can anyone estimate the cost for one of these boxes to the US?

DHL (=German mail, Deutsche Post) price list:

up to 5 kilo 35,00€
up to 10 kilo 45,00€
up to 20 kilo 65,00€
up to 31,5 kilo 85,00€

"what should we use for our return address?"

Why do you need one?

Thanks logos999! That might be an option for us this summer depending on what we buy.

I am involved in a society which sells data CDs around the world.

Those sent to the U.S. in recent weeks have been subject to severe delays for security reasons, and have taken up to 8 weeks to arrive.

I assume that they are being examined before being sent by air, and suspect that some may go surface because it is quicker if the security processes are avoided.

This is from the U.K., but will probably also be the case from other countries.

Further details are at
http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/c...800088#1600085.

I live in Canada and get many packages from the UK and France. The mail usually takes 5-7 days.
Ditto if I send something the other way.

I'm not so sure about security being a problem with the US mail... I suspect it's poor management.

Things mailed to me from Chicago took 2 weeks to arrive even before 9/11.

Thank you everyone!!! I asked about the return address because we are required to have one when mailing from the US to anywhere, to include to another US address.

There is a lot of usual info here, as usual!! :) Thank you!

We always mail stuff back home on our trips. The last few trips to France, we have gotten into the habit of buying the XL colissimo box from the post office there. Go and buy the box (self adhesive, so no tape needed) and they will give you the form to fill out. Take that back to your hotel or apt and put the box together and fill it up, then simply return it with the paperwork to the post office. That xl size is 122x18x8 and holds quite a bit of stuff. Two years ago it cost 41 euro to send, and arrived to us in OR within a week. Almost all the packages we have sent have arrived within a week, although one took 10 days once.

"'m not so sure about security being a problem with the US mail".

It is, ParisAmsterdam. Here is a notification from the French Post-Office : En raison des nouvelles mesures de sûreté appliquées par les Etats-Unis, La Poste doit suspendre son engagement de délai pour les envois de colis vers ce pays.

"I asked about the return address because we are required to have one when mailing from the US to anywhere, to include to another US address."

So?

You're not in America now.

What I have done is what St Cirq described. The flat rate boxes. I didn't use them for purchases, rather shipping home stuff I didn't need for the rest of a trip but wanted to keep (clothing I found I wasn't using, guidebooks and info for cities I'd already left). That made room in my suitcase and I kept any purchases with me and brought them home that way.

Oops, just noticed the measurements were wrong in what I posted. Should be 12x8x18.