Christmas parcels
 

Yeah, getting to that time of year, but worth noting that folks in the UK who want to send stuff over here, worth getting ready to send things pretty soon if they want to use the cheap, surface mail option.

Saying that, my mother was told to expect the usual 12 weeks, so she sent some stuff at the beginning of the month and the small parcel arrived today :lol:

Re: Christmas parcels
 

We're sending ourselves this year! A bit more expensive, but much better than the usual stuff I send them! ;):)

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I sent a parcel to England yesterday, they now seem to need to painstakingly enter all the information from the customs label onto a keyboard as well :confused: Think I'll use Amazon for Christmas.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Ouch, that's a chore?

Sending shit to the UK/EU, just such a ball ache. Only do a small handmade type stuff for my mum and then something small to my nephew in Austria as they don't really have anything online over there, it's still very 1980's about Austria at times :lol:

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Sure they'll appreciate it :D

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I have heard horror stories about the postal service in America. Thankfully I have never had to use it yet (thank you instant bank card etc...!)

Think all gifts will have to wait for when they come to see me in January :thumbsup:

Cx

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:thumbsup: Us too! We're going over late Nov/early Dec so going to drop off gifts then and pick up a bunch of goodies for ourselves!! :rofl:

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The USPS flat rate boxes arent bad. Well, not THAT bad anyway. ;)

47 bucks, 6 days, up to 20 pounds in weight. The customs forms are a pita though if you do em at the counter. You can fill em in online and print them which makes it easier.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Postal service is no different to anywhere else. Most mail makes delivery, some doesn't.

Not really the point of this thread though, it's about letting family in the UK know to get shipping soon if they want to use surface mail option, which is a hell of a lot cheaper than air mail for parcels.

There is no surface option from the US, so it's not a issue here.

They are if you compared how big those boxes were even 2-3 years ago, never mind older than that :D Inflation, my arse.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

I always use Amazon these days for Christmas presents, I love it, so convenient and hassle free. Shlepping through the shops, packing up stuff then standing in line at the post office, why does anyone do that when there's Amazon?

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Whenever I'm buying anything, like above, I use Amazon where I can, but just for straight parcels I generally use UPS, although I must admit the US Postal Service superb, and as we live 6 miles from Orlando International, the big post office there is open seven days a week till quite late at night.

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Because old people don't use computers? You can't give them homemade crafts? Plenty of reasons.

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It was just my reasoning for not sending my family Christmas presents and instead waiting for them to visit in January just like other people saying they are sending themselves :)

Knowing my family anything they send will probably be last minute anyway and arrive after them haha

Cx

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Does anybody really want home-made crafts though Bob?:p
Just kidding!

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Yes I do!

My 5 year old great niece just sent us a lovely hand decorated picture frame that she made. It even had a very interesting looking motorcycle glued on it:lol: It has a picture of her and her new baby sister in it and has pride of place on our dresser:nod: Certainly a forever present:thumbsup:

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Well depends....we make 'em as they're cheap and fun...home made frames with pictures the kids have made...well scribbles...that and the missus hand spins yarn as my mother knits, but so does the missus, so my mum makes her stuff too.

Anyway, for surface mail from the UK to the US, the deadline is 15th October to be guaranteed it'll get here by Christmas.

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Yeah, but that requires buying them, rather than making your own :D

It is a great site though :)

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Not going the other way, sending parcels to the UK.

3rd December is the last day to guarantee parcels sent the cheapest option from the US will reach the EU by Christmas.

It starts to get stupidly expensive there after for quicker delivery.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

My mum (lives in the UK) is supremely organized. She is the kind that gets Christmas present in the January sales and then saves them for a year; but that's not the point.

Anyway, she posted her International Christmas Cards by Oct 15th using surface mail. We received it here on the West Coast on Oct 26th! She was more than a little embarrassed when I told her it was our first card, probably by at least a month!

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Should have signed it and sent it back. ;) :D

Re: Christmas parcels
 

I buy gifts from this website http://www.gonedigging.co.uk/ - esp soccer gifts - really good quality and based in Harpenden, Herts where Mum lives - still have to pay the shipping though! Just bought a bunch of personalised star tree decorations and soccer diaries yesterday.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Of the 8 parcels my mum sent, only received the one yet :D

Definitely hit or miss this surface mail stuff.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Your mum sent 8 parcels. Wow. Can she be my mum too? :)

We have two more parcels on the way, posted today. I'll see how long these take, but since I want the contents, I am sure it will take weeks! :frown:

(My mum is also a serious John Lewis shopper, and since we have 3 of their grandkids, we are often the thrilled recipients of her little 'investments'. Who needs Father Christmas when you have generous grandparents?)

Re: Christmas parcels
 

It was only meant to be 2 parcels but the postie woman told her it would be better and much cheaper if she sent them in smaller, uniform parcels as it would get much better rates, so she repacked them.

Mostly stuff for the girls, a pair of coats are two of the parcels :lol:

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Does anybody know about sending homemade food from the UK to the US? I tried looking on the US Customs page and the USPS page for information, but I got a little bogged down in all of it. I THINK a homemade Christmas pudding should be okay. My mother-in-law wants to send us one, but wasn't sure if she could send her own homemade one or if she should send a prepackaged one.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Fruits and veg are a no-no, unless it's prepackaged.

With the booze in it, it's probably asking for some jobsworth to give it a bit of extra attention...

Re: Christmas parcels
 

I have been sent a couple in previous years. It probably comes down to whether anyone opens it to look or not.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

two more parcels arrived from my mother and they were battered to shit.

Re: Christmas parcels
 

Is that a Glaswegian specialty like the Mars Bars?

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Ohhh....now that might not be bad :D

It was something for the missus and one of the kids only anyway, so I'm less bothered... :D