Hello. I've read some older posts about shipping purchases bacl from Italy via custom brokerage agents and it sounds a little expensive and iffy; we're driving from Italy to Paris and wll be there for a while before we leave, so we'll have time to ship things back if we want. Has anyone done this using fedex or ups or another reputable carrier, and if so, what was your experience? I'm mostly interested in shipping anything like pottery, small furnishings, etc that I may be shopping for both in Tuscany and Paris.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8947 posts
My experience in Germany is that UPS and Fed-ex are about double the price of just using the Deutsche Post. I doubt that they are that much better. Use the postal service in what ever country you are in and if you find a store that will ship, it will probably save you a lot of hassle with packing, insurance, etc.
Posted by
Pantego, NC, USA
1014 posts
Be really sure you want it before shipping it. It costs a bundle to ship anything home. If it weights less than 4 kilos, it is kinda reasonable. After that, the prices really go up and up!
I tried to ship some glassware home and it was going to cost me 55.00 dollars. We brought the package home in our lap on the plane.
It might be cheaper to put items in a suitcase-well padded of course- and pay extra luggage charge to get it home. On a plane, a 50 pound suitcase can be "shipped" for 30.00-50.00? Not sure about the extra piece of luggage charge. We usually do backpack only. This might be cheaper than shipping by Post and you get it home with you.