Re: hard copy greeting cards...you've no doubt found them outrageously expensive in most places over there too. My dad just skypes everyone to wish them a Merry Christmas, its cheaper.

I bought a heap of different cards before we left the UK....I didn't know then how sensible that was!

Watch out you don't order anything to be delivered from the US via courier (Fedex, Purolateer, etc) either, your purchase will be sent to a concentration camp for parcels and ransomed back for hundreds of dollars plus the original price. USPS regular post only, and they're quite reasonable.

Apropos to gifts for family back home, I send my dad a hamper from www.lewisandcooper.co.uk this year. I've delivery confirmation but no feedback on whether it was any good yet!

Hard to ebay stuff to a non confirmed address with many sellers.

I use amazon for UK pressies as a general rule.

Mailing large bulky things, or small things is a bit of a mugs game here. What pisses me off is they sell mailing tubes here for posters and that, but you have to be carefull. I was mailing some posters my dad bought on the cheap over for him, and they wanted nearly $30 to do that. I baulked at that, went away and cut about 2cm off the tube and sent them for about $10. It pays to be carefull and know the rules when packing stuff.

Also bizarely Ive sent sax mouthpieces to buyers that I packed small to minimise the cost and if I hadnt caught it, it actually would have cost more than putting them in a larger box... too small can cost extra too! Does my head in.

True for regular fedex and especially UPS.(Ups Brokerage is the worst rip off)

I get some sax related stuff delivered via DHL global that offers a reasonable cheap brokerage charge, and generally delivered this end by Canada Post.

USPS is the best way to go though, quite often the postie doesnt even collect the taxes, nevermind any duty or excessive brokerage fees. (Flat $6 brokerage is the main advantage of USPS, you cant always dodge the tax.)

AFAIK Purolator is a Cdn courier company, actually an arm of Canada post, so I cant see you receiving anything from the US via them.

My sister thought her eldest son living in Budapest might like a couple of issues of the local weekly rag from home a while back. These papers combined were probably no bulkier than half a single weekday issue of the Calgary Sun as not much goes on in the back of beyond. Postage - $35.00....she binned the papers & told him to read it online.

They're much cheaper AND prettier here.

And so far I've noticed the quotes inside are far more 'gushy' here.....

Postal cost irk me too, and sometimes it's the shipper that takes the piss. I order 4 rubber grommets for a boat trailer from a company in California recently. They weighed 6oz and cost $4.06 in total. I got charged a flat rate shipping fee of $20. What can you do when they're the sole supplier?

Get a state side shipping address and have them forwarded on. Not worth it if its just now and then though.

They are vomit inducing, most of them I'm too embarrassed to send.

Agreed......

And I thought it was just me

You are right and funny how most people don't think to go with USPS. Purolator is indeed an arm of CP.