Mailing from Europe

I mailed home a box of my own clothes from Varenna, Italy. NEVER saw them again but was contacted by someone from a post office in Roma at 4:30am PST asking for my social security number in order to send the package onward. Didn't give that out of course. Later got an email with a name asking for the same thing. Contacted the Embassy in LA try to get my package sent back to LA. That was 3 years ago. Sigh.

I sent a box from Amsterdam with some chocolates, magnets, a couple of ceramics, etc. It cost about 20 euros (it was fairly heavy), and it arrived safely (though it took a couple weeks). There were no signs of anyone opening it up.

Customs are for assessing taxes on items brought INTO a country. So, if you bought a lovely diamond ring in Amsterdam and mailed it home, insured of course, the customs agents in America might want you to pay taxes on it. The same goes for mailing from the US to Europe. This has happened to me twice. I had to go down to the customs office, open the box in front of them and then pay taxes on it according to the items worth as stated in the mailing form.

Mailing home some souvenirs will most likely not cause any customs agent to perk up his ears, but, it is expensive. I would put my souvenirs in my carry on and put my clothes in my checked in suitcase. I think the risk of having my mail lost is considerably higher than losing my luggage. If they lose my clothes, hey, I get new ones.

Thanks everyone...I was going to just mail souvenirs directly to the people I am buying them for.Are there any restrictions as to things I can't mail back...other than the obvious stuff?

Wait til you see what the postal charges are! Even if you send it slow mail, which means on a ship and may take 6 weeks, it still costs a lot.

I never mail anything to the states, not in 22 years. Well, except for letters and cards. It is just too expensive. I even stopped doing Christmas cards, when the stamp price hit a dollar plus.

Mailing is really expensive. We've done it without problems. However, this year I plan to buy a cheap suitcase at the end of the trip to just bring it all home.

I've sent stuff home, although primarily from tourist type shops the offer that service (e.g. Christmas ornaments from Germany, Kosta Boda glass from Sweden, pottery from Deruta). I also sent wedding gifts like this when I was living overseas. When I do this, I usually find the savings in VAT is approximately the same as the shipping. The last time I had something shipped (from Deruta), I was over the limit and had to pay a customs fee when I received the goods. On the cbp.gov site there is a brochure (know before you go) which includes some info on limits for shipping to yourself versus shipping gifts.

I've done it on several trips. Never experienced any problems, except for the one time I didn't properly pack some beautiful beer steins... well, they were beautiful once...

My husband & I sent a back from Capbreton (in southwest france) back to Los Angeles with a lot of things in it and it arrived before we did. It took about a week & a half no problems with customs or anyone opening it.

My daughter and I traveled to 8 counties in 8 weeks and mailed packages from Paris, Switzerland, Germany and Czech Republic back to the US and they ALL arrived unopened and in good condition.

I do a lot of mailing between Calgary, Alberta and my parents in Florida and I know customs does occasionally search packages. Probably 1 out of 25 that I have sent or received has either been opened by US or Canada customs. Nothing is ever stolen and depending on what you declare and what they find you might have to pay duty. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I end up mailing stuff home to the US on pretty much every trip -- sometimes several times during the trip. Yes, it's always expensive, sometimes shockingly so. But sometimes it's worth it, to avoid schlepping crap around Europe for weeks. I've never had any problem with things I've sent (souveniers, chocolates, posters, clothes I probably shouldn't have packed in the first place...). I've had a variety of experiences with the postal system employees in different countries (most efficient in the north, incredibly bureaucratic and slow in the south), but everything eventually made it to my house in Seattle.