Sending packages

When I studied abroad (22 years ago) there literally was a "slow boat to China" option for shipping anything larger than a letter. Lots has changed since then, and there are no "cheap" options any more. In fact, it is downright expensive, and I do not recommend that you plan to ship anything large or heavy. Grandma wanted to ship several care packages, so most of this information comes from my mother-in-law.

United States Postal Service (USPS)

Grandma found this option to be the cheapest but also slowest. Their services and prices can be found at the USPS international services webpage. A package of about 4 pounds cost $49 and should have arrived in about 4-6 weeks. I say "should have" because the first package came back to us in 2 months with no explanation. We suspect that Grandma did two things incorrectly: she only put our daughter's name on the address label (put the host family's name, too!) and she did not itemize specifically enough for the customs label (put each item and it's dollar value; do NOT just say "misc"). The next time she used USPS, the package arrived in about 3 weeks. The length of time is not a reflection of the postal service in the USA or in Germany; it reflects the length of time it may be held by the custom's office in the other country.

At this cheaper rate, there is no tracking, delivery confirmation, or insurance available. To add those services, the price rises dramatically.

To send a one-ounce letter internationally, the Global Forever stamp is $1.15. Letters have arrived in Germany within 3-5 days.

United Parcel Service (UPS)

Grandma decided to try UPS after the failed USPS package. UPS international services and rates can be found on the UPS international shipping resources webpage. Grandma sent a small package of odds and ends, and she refuses to tell me what she spent to send it. All she will say is "it was a lot." It did arrive within a week to my daughter, and Grandma could track it the whole way. Unfortunately, my daughter had to pay a small customs tax to collect the package. Since the overall value of the package was not high, the customs tax was not excessive. However, if you send something more expensive, the customs tax would need to be taken into account.