Please forgive me if this has been asked recently. My home internet is down so I'm stuck to phone and didn't try searching. But we are going to be flying home from Paris after a few days in Italy. I know that shipping from Italy isn't advised but what about France? Would the box get home in a decent time frame if at all? Just would be shipping souvenirs nothing liquid. Thanks much
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
The French Poste is probably safer than the Italian. You can also ship UPS or DHL from anywhere. I look for Mailboxes Etc. and they will pack it carefully and ship. Either way can be expensive if it is heavy. Unless it's a small, light box, expect $200-300. Your other option is to buy a cheap suitcase and pack everything in that. Buy bubble wrap if you need. Then pay the extra bag fee on your return.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
1068 posts
Last year, I tried shipping things home from Paris for the first time since I was in college! (Late Cretaceous.) We had a bunch of our favorite le Petit Marseillais soaps and shampoos, and didn't want to schlep them, so we dropped into a Post Office, found the display of "slow boat" shipping boxes, and were amazed when the total came to just over 5 Euros! Now - not huge box, not heavy stuff - but still. Amazingly inexpensive. We were in the P.O. near the Opera, so there was a sales person on the floor who helped us out with a roll of tape and figuring out how to fold up the bloody thing (I am hopeless at folding boxes). The box got home a few days after we did - and we mailed it a couple of days before we left. Took, maybe, a week? So, not even that slow!
Posted by
CA, USA
1227 posts
What a great idea, shipping some stuff back. I looked on the web and found this link to shipping rates: http://about-france.com/postal-rates.htm
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I had purchased more stuff than I should have in Ireland (sweaters, lace, hats, gloves ...) and I never risk even checking my gifts/souvenirs, so I decided that the smart thing would be to ship home my dirt laundry and keep the good stuff with me. It cost a fortune by UPS and then after it arrived I received a notice that I had to pay duty on it... to the tune of just under $100. I made the phone calls and filled out some papers and the end result was if I wanted my stuff I had to pay. After that, despite my resolve not to buy stuff, I think I have traveled home with a newly purchased suitcase 4 or 5 times. If I did send stuff again I would just go with the mail and if my dirty laundry doesn't show up...oh, well. Many of these overbuying trips were my first time to a location...