Tips For Internationally Shipping Packages

I've shipped my fair share of Christmas gifts and care packages overseas and here are some things that I find are worth thinking of before heading to the post office.

I send most of my packages to Italy, so this is my advice from my experience of doing that, however, most of these tips can be universal.

Bubble Wrap

Anytime I send a package overseas, each item gets individually wrapped with bubble wrap. Especially if I'm sending a gift, the last thing you want is for it to arrive broken....che vergogna sarebbe. Normal bubble wrap or the "never ending" bubble wrap is great, and super cheap so don't be afraid to really secure your items.

CBSA Protocol

Recently I had a friend ask how to send alcohol from Canada to Italy, and the first thing to do is definitely consult the law of your country which in our case would be the CBSA website and to check Italy's laws as well, as some countries will refuse any package including things like alcohol, medications, ecc.

Packaging Sizes

Of course, you're going to pay for the size and weight of your package, so you want to make sure you can maximize the space of the package you're using to send the items over. Even if you have to squeeze things in there, long as they're wrapped in bubble wrap, they won't get damaged. It's an easy way to save some money by playing Tetris with your items in the box.

Shipping Labels

I'm a huge fan of handwritten anything, and although sometimes I do write out the address of the person I'm sending a package to, on the package, it can be hard for the postal services to read your writing. It's a safe bet to type it out on the computer and print it off, taping it securely to the package and putting your return address in the top corner as well.

Language Barrier

Having sent many packages to Italy specifically, I find it's best to write the address in the language of the country that is accepting your package...for example, let's say I'm sending a package to Italy and you write the persons address like this...

SIR MARIO ROSSI VIALE EUROPA 22 00144 ROMA RM ITALY

Notice how there's a mix of Italian and English? Here's how I find it best to write, so the country accepting it doesn't get confused and possibly send it to the wrong address or back to you.

SIG MARIO ROSSI VIALE EUROPA 22 00144 ROMA RM ITALIA

(Example from http://bitboost.com/ref/international-address-formats/italy/ )

Check out the website above for more info of different mailing situations as well.

I hope you find these tips helpful when you're shipping your packages internationally, if you need any help, feel free to comment or send an email!

Vi voglio bene,

Melissa