6 weeks to go until we are on the plane! Wow -there are so many things to do. Just as I cross one item off my list, I add two more!
"Shipping and organizing what to bring" is the project of the week. I've searched this site many times, and find I am spending too many hours searching/reading and then getting interested in other great topics and before I know it 4 hours have passed and I haven't packed 1 box!
So, I think I'll ask my immediate questions now..
1) I need to ship a box of books (that I need within 2 months of landing). M-Bags sound good, but it took Barb & Art 4 months to get their box. If not M-Bags, what is the second best inexpensive alternative? Sounds like that is the US Postal Service. Yes? And will I need to pay customs on the box of books?
2) I will ship 1-2 boxes of non-books (probably clothes). Is there a customs charge if I value the boxes at say $200-300 each? Or am I better off to declare the insurance value at a smaller # to avoid paying customs (but taking the risk if it gets lost)?
So many decisions to make... it's all good. Thanks Slowtalk members. - Jill
Posts: 116 | Location: Seattle, WA | Registered: 26 October 2003
I have done the box thing twice and was only charges a small carrier fee...about twelve euros if I recall and that worked fine. My friend, who is an painting conservator says the M bags work fantastically (and she has tons of books). Wish I had known of them when I hopped the pond.
A true story about "M" bags: We shipped 6 boxes of books to ourselves in mid-August. Not cheap. Since we also shipped stuff, in retrospect I think we should have included the books with the shipment. Anyway, by the first of October we had 5 of the 6 boxes. We had pretty much given up on the sixth box...I had used strapping tape all around the boxes, but thought maybe customs had opened the box and not resealed it as well. Anyway, when we arrived back in Italy on Jan 26, Wendy said, "oh your box arrived and I picked it up for you" "What box?" was our response...Wendy just assumed we had sent it while we were in the states, but guess what? It was the missing, 6th box, SIX MONTHS LATER!!! I'd love to know where it was all that time! Oh, we didn't have to pay any customs...just listed them as "used books" with a value of $50.
I shipped three heavy boxes via US Postal Service at the end of October. I used the max. weight possible to send to Italy (one was 43.6 llbs) and paid a little over $50. Anyway, I just received my 3rd box yesterday. I had given up hope of ever receiving this box b/c like Art & Barb I had received the others earlier (before Christmas). I listed everything as "old" & "used" and valued my boxes between $300-$450, depending upon the contents. This last box was in rough shape when I received it, but all was intact inside.
A word of advice if you ship US Postal - pack it well! I wrapped those boxes round & round with duck tape and literally made it impossible to open and used bubble wrap & t-shirts inside to cushion my contents. It was well worth the effort I made!
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