shipping from Europe

Rick Steves has specifically addressed this subject, you can read it by clicking here.

Kent - thanks for the link. It provided some good advice. But it didn't include the option of shipping it home. I imagine shipping fragile items across the pond will be more expensive. Has anyone tried shipping wine back?

Shipping to certain countries by private individuals costs huge excise tax and fees at the receiving end. Check with the USA Govt. There is a limit on what you can carry back with you. ore covenient, and probably cheaper, to find a good wine merchant in USA- we have some great ones in Los Angeles

Give some idea of the quantity that you would be shipping. 6 Bottles?, 16, 26, ????

My husband thinks around the 16 mark. I think he just may be thirsty :). But probably between 6-10 I guess (?). Who knows, we'll have to see how much wine we can fit into 30 days! But we will probably carry the last few home in our bags. And I agree a good wine merchant is important but buying the wine ourselves in Europe makes for quite a souvenir for us.

Both UPS and Fedex will accept wine shipments only from approved licensed entities. The US Postal Service will not ship alcoholic beverages. You could carry some bottles back yourselves, but they have to go in your checked luggage because when you change planes in the US you'll be under TSA's 3-ounce rule. What I'd suggest is writing down the names of wines you like and then seeing if your local wine shop can't import them for you through his usual channels. Or just bringing home a couple bottles yourselves. If you do this, make sure they're well packed. I'm speaking as someone who's had the joy of seeing red wine dripping out of his suitcase.

You will probably experience sticker shock the first time you try to send some home. I'd be surprised if the cost of shipping isn't significantly more than the bottle you are trying to ship. Checking it with your luggage is the best option. Fees for additional luggage usually are less than the freight cost of shipping seperately. I liked Rick's cork idea. Personally, I take labels off the wines I like and glue stick them into my journal. I usually don't shop for them at home, though, like travel I want to try everything before I stick to a favorite. Since there are so many to choose from, I'll probably never try everything. Rick's advice about declaring it is correct too. It's better to pay a duty on imported wine than lie, get in trouble AND end up paying more than you would have. The Customs Officer also has the option to seize it so you could end up paying a fine and not even enjoy the wine.

I agree that wine makes a great souvenier.However I just bring the empty bottles home and use them for rose vases.

This past October, I brought back 10 bottles that I packed into our three, yes only three, carry-on size, rollerbags. Of course, we checked them in. I had brought some bubble wrap and large zip locs with me. Just packed them in among the clothes. Yes, the bags were heavy. Customs never blinked an eye. In order to collect so many bottles, we drove a car throughout our trip. I guess that's another advantage to driving.

There may be a limit on the number of bottles you can ship home with out a liquor store license. Had that happen to a friend in the past year, shipping home "the best wine ever" from Italy...Result: He got none and it was all returned to Italy. Check with a local distributor, etc., to see if you can get specific information on your location. His was Florida.

Shipping is every expensive in europe!! I shipped a box of souveniers home from Sorrento, Italy and it couldnt have weighed more than 5lbs and it was $100!! Also, I bought a glass bowl in Venice and the store paid for the shipping back to the states. HOWEVER, when I returned from my trip, I got a bill from FedEx for $75 for international fees which the store mgr never told me about........not very happy!!

We sent home a 10 lb box of clothes we didn't want to carry around from Capbreton (a small town on the Southwest coast of France) for around 15 Euro. Of course it was our own clothes not anything we purchased.