Wife is shopper: How much to mail purchases/boxes to States? Easy?

Convince wife to shop at end of trip,, buy a big cheap suitcase and lug it home.

Better yet, convince wife shopping is overrated ,,enjoy nicer dinners out instead! LOL

I don't think a love of shopping is in any way compatible with bringing only a backpack. I do a fair amount of shopping when in Europe, and a carry-on rolling bag, and an extra duffel bag for my new purchases has worked fantastically well for me every time.

Here are prior posts on that subject click here.

In general, a number of people have reported doing this was significantly more expensive than they were expecting, for heavier items; some have also reported that the packages did not arrive, that there is not the same reliability as with US mail. However, it has worked out for some people.

Browse the links to get the details.

I have mailed things home from time to time, usually guide books and souvenir printed materials, when traveling to more than one country. The costs very widely from country to country, but in general are higher than here. Here's one tip, however. The Italian postal service is notoriously unreliable. If you are in Rome, go to the Vatican p.o. It's a different country, and the postal service is much more dependable.

Just as an observation, not comparing exact weights, but we have noticed that our Spanish friends seem to be spending more than twice as much to mail gifts to America than we pay to send things to them. It makes us appreciate the value of our American postal service. If you have to spend 40 Euro everytime you want to mail a few things, then add on the exchange rate cost, it makes the actual price of the items pretty darned expensive. We each always take an expandable carry-on to Europe, along with a lightweight expandable bag (from REI)to check on the way home, and only bring home what we can stuff into these bags for FREE. Wise use of travel resources allows for many future trips!

Same here. We pack a duffel bag and one of those expandable totes that zip into a little pouch when not in use. Then if we've accumulated too much stuff we check a suitcase (usually full of dirty clothes) and carry on the duffel and tote with our presents. We've also put wine and olive oil in our checked suitcase on the way back and it's always arrived intact. (I also take some bubble wrap along for wrapping bottles and other fragile stuff).

Hello!
I am a letter carrierr here in the States (Minneapolis) so I had a really educated idea of what mailing charges are in the States. I was blown away by how much (50 euros) they wanted to charge me to send a teeny tiny camisole back home.I proceeded to pick up a few more items, ending with a heavy Murano vase. I arrived in Minnesota with a very hefty suitcase.And sore shoulders from carrying so many iems in my backpack.
That was my first trip to Italy.
My second trip, I bought a pair of beautiful Pollini eyeglass frames and had the lenses put in here. It's a souvenir I see everyday, and I am complimented everyday.My newbie friends vowed never to overpack again.
I agree with you- pack light. Bring the RS nylon tote to load a few things in for home. Bottles of wine are pretty heavy though! Enjoy your trip; we are going back in November.

Very expensive to ship and not very dependable. Follow other peoples advice and bring an extra suitcase or duffle bag. Forget buying the wine cuz you can buy most of those wines here!!!! (of course mo

Postage is expensive.

Here are a cuople options:

Do you have a military connection? If you mail parcel post from a military base, it's charged the same as mailing in the states. This isn't an option if you don't have base access.

Do all/most of your shopping at your last stop before coming home. Purchase a rolling duffel from a street vendor. Fill that and check it on your homeward leg.

Since you are talking about bringing stuff home. Keep your receipts for a refund of your VAT. Depending on how much shopping you do, it can add up to a lot. It's also a good idea to keep receipts for customs when returning to the US.

You can buy extra bags/suitcases there.

Without knowing how much you're moving around once there, I'd recommend going with a backpack as planned, then buying a suitcase (or two) while there to check on your return flight. It would be cheaper than trying to mail your items back, and you (hopefully) wouldn't have to wait for them to arrive.

Yes, it's a good idea for nonperishable, unbreakable items.

We used Paco Ordinario. Yes, it arrived, yes it was worth it, yes it was a bit more expensive than USPS. But, you MUST heed my advice for it to work. See my post at:

http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm/rurl/topic/24766/shipping-souvenirs-home.html

1. Shipping wine is prohibitive. Check your carry-on bag on the way home and stow a couple of bottles in the center of it wrapped in socks, and bubble wrap. It's the only way.

No, in spite of assurances I am not able to buy one single wine that I liked here in the US. :(

1. Letting the merchant ship expensive items home is worth it, because you don't have to pay VAT and that whole refund thing isn't all it's cracked up to be.

I mailed a box from Rome, to Idaho. 140 euros. For a box the size of a large soda cube at the stores here in the USA.

Locals advised me that the italian mail service is unreliable, so I used mailboxes etc. (UPS)

PM me if you have any other questions.

-Brett

Thanks for all the great advice!

I have some cheap collapsible luggage from college. I'll pack one or two of these in my backpack.

Rome is our departure city so I'll encourage my wife to do most of her shopping there, including gifts for co-workers.

Pete