Shipping stuff home from Italy

Look for Mailboxes Etc stores. We’ve found them to be efficient and reliable. They will pack and ship.

If you use Poste Italiane, you have to pack it which is a hassle finding supplies. Also, we’ve had some less-than-successful experiences with them: damaged packages, shipments delayed extraordinarily, hard to follow up.

Some shop owners will ship, depending on what and how much you buy.

Thanks Lauren, I expect it to be costly, can you give me an example of what it cost you to ship something??

I had a glass shop ship Murano glass items and the shipping was almost as much as the items. Since the items were unique it's a choice I made, and am still very happy that I did. Glass is heavy, so you may not be shipping the same weight. Good luck!

Same here, shipping cost equaled the price we paid for the items. Pack an extra duffle to carry on your purchases home.

Shipped all sorts of items home including olive oil in glass.
Never had an issue using Mailboxes.

Pack what you can in a carry-on tote as a start. My English mom once toted home multiple place settings of her favorite china back to the US. I always pack a sturdy, flattened tote bag in the zippered front part my luggage, just in case I see a piece of art to bring home. Clothes work well to wrap to insulate if the store clerk doesn’t bubble wrap. Too many…too big…then ship home.

Thank you everyone!

You need to determine if the item(s) need to be wrapped securely and boxed or should they be crated. We had several items crated and shipped from Morocco last year. Each shipment cost about $400. That was full crating, shipping, insurance and any import duties into the USA. Whatever method you use to ship make sure they cover all bases.

I've never bought anything large enough in Italy that it needed to be shipped home, so I'm not sure, but:

Doesn't Italy allow shops to deduct V.A.T. from the purchase price of an item if it is being shipped directly out of the country? I thought that was a common rule in Europe. The savings on the unpaid tax may cover the shipping cost--though that will depend on the weight/size of the item vs. the value.

A store is free to charge whatever it wants for shipping, of course. Some may mark up the cost a lot. I think it would be a good idea to do a bit of Googling to find out what you might pay if you shipped the goods yourself. Check some of the commercial companies in the market. I'd guess FedEx, UPS and DHL all operate in Italy.

The Italian post office used to have an absolutely dreadful reputation. That was a few decades ago; I have no idea whether there are concerns with using it now.

The only items we have shipped from Italy were art works. In each case the VAT saved paid a good portion of the shipping charged. The seller may be willing to pack and ship for you. Not always. In our situations, the vendor packaged what we bought sent via registered Italian post. It was reasonable I thought. We received it within a couple of weeks. A couple of points ---- when shipping make absolutely certain that the custom declaration form is completed and attached. Other wise it can wind up in a NJ customs office forever or it could be returned to the original sender. Pay for tracking. Second, I would not ship anything easily broken. Even with insurance, it will be a long hassle trying to be reimbursed for the damage. A common escape for insurance coverage is that the item was not properly packed (because it broke). You can say that about any packing.

PS -- Interesting story with the US postal employee who delivered our last piece. It was 5' diameter copper plate/wall hanging. She insisted on having us unwrap and check for damage before she would leave. We did so and then she confessed. She saw the return address on the package. It was her hometown in Italy and she know the artist. Small world. Just overly curious to see what we had.

When we had stores ship items to us they all used DHL.

Wow, alot of great information!!
But, what is VAT?

VAT is the English abbreviation for Value Added Tax. Italy and other countries have a similar tax in their own language. Here, the term is being used as a sort of a shorthand.

Every time a product passes through hands in its process of manufacture and final sale, the government imposes a tax to reflect the value added in that process. At the end, the buyer pays the tax, included in the final price.

In the EU and the UK sales taxes are not added to the price of an item at the register but are included in the ticket price. What you see is what you pay. But the tax which goes to the government is in there. In the UK, for example, there are three levels of VAT depending on the item, 20% on most things, 5% on some and zero % on a few. If for some reason you are exempt for paying that, it is deducted before you pay.

In the case of some items being sold and shipped overseas by the shop in Italy the VAT can be reclaimed by the seller and you don't have to pay it.

There are also VAT reclaim programs set up where, if you buy over a certain amount from one vendor and they participate in the program, you can declare these purchases to Customs on your departure from the EU, often by use of an agent who takes a cut. All items declared that way must be in the condition sold, unused and unworn, in original packaging. Those refunds are sometimes very slow and sometimes don't happen.

You ask what time it is, I tell you how to build a clock...

I have shipped items home using DHL. I can't remember the cost, but I was traveling for a few months and decided to ship home items I didn't need and things I had purchased. It was worth the cost not to lug items around and everything showed up just fine.

If I am gone for only a couple of weeks, I might bring a packable bag that I can check on the way home. Or purchase a bag there. It would depend on what I purchased.

I always ship my purchases home. I travel with a backpack and think thats enough to carry. I've been using DHL when travelling from Italy, Athens last year and the Christmas markets in Munich and Salzburg Last winter. Not sure if Mailboxes is in every country. Couldn't find them in Athens last year. Have a great trip!

Thank you so very much!!