Politekiwi

Hi all,

Bit of a weird one considering I'm not actually there yet, but my mum recently let me in on a little secret that she has been "squirreling" away little survival packages for me over in the USA when I go. Basic things, you know, like mums do. A few toiletries, socks, the odd packet of sweeties and so on.

However, when she has gone to the post office to check out the postage costs, getting these packages over to the USA often cost more than the entire contents of the package itself. One particular package they wanted to charge her £18, for just under 2kg. Over 2kg and (in a NY accent) Forget about it! Charging something like £58.

Does anyone have any idea how to get packages across the water cheaper? My poor old mum was crying because she couldn't send me my little packages and "look after her baby".

I've checked out a few websites that ship goods over the pond, and all the major couriers tend to come out more expensive. There is the odd company that claim to have postage as low as £3.50 up to 2kg, but this is for their own goods, and not personal postage.

Any ideas?

BunnyGirl

Not that I know of, my mum sends me stuff, she just makes sure the packages are as close to the weight limit as possible so she doesn't 'waste' any of it.

Silly question but if you're not even over here yet can't she just give you the stuff to pack in your suitcases?

Noorah101

Can she order on the USA Amazon site, so the shipping would be local to the USA? Not as much fun as putting the goodies in the box herself, and no home made treats, but could keep the cost down.

Rene

WhyteBoar

Have you looked in to companies like Parcel Monkey or Parcel Hero? I know in the past it has worked out cheaper to use them to send parcels from the UK to Germany and the USA.

Politekiwi

Haha, I suppose yes she could. I think she's thinking in the long term. You know mums

Politekiwi

I suppose she could, but like you say, I'm sure she's got some home treats lined up.

Politekiwi

Yeah I've looked at all of those for her. They come out cheaper in the over 2kg categories, but even more expensive if less than 2kg. It seems like the shipping companies "can't be bothered" with the little packages, so they charge more. I suppose it's more hassle for them at the end of the day.

I spent some time in Germany a few years back, and the postage there seemed very reasonable at the time (I forget exactly the cost now). But it seems USA is the most expensive of all. We could even get stuff to New Zealand for cheaper!

English88

My mum sends me monster munch, mini cheddars and jaffa cakes but she said it was costing her a fortune so now she only brings them when she visits :'(

Politekiwi

I know!!! For the sake of some Jaffa Cakes, she's not willing to shell out £18, nor can she afford to. How do you suppose these companies are quoting £3.50 shipping then? My original thought was that they offset the postage cost on the cost of their goods. But looking at what they supply, they would be making next to no money on their goods if they did that.

Pulaski

Which companies? ..... Retailers of British groceries? (If so: ) They're sending hundreds of packages a week, and they're bundled into industrial pallet-load quantities and therefore shipped at a huge discount, whether by airfrieght or by the container load on a ship.

Nutek

My parents just eat the postage, though I keep telling them not to. Haven't found a way around it, unfortunately.

Sending the other way (USA > UK) is easier/cheaper, but still pricey.

Bob

What the UK to the US, send smaller parcels and surface mail. It's not cheaper but it's cheaper and takes 6-12 weeks.

From the US to the UK, you don't have that option.

Pulaski

Thanks for clearing that one up, Bob.

Bob

Meant it's not a lot cheaper, these days, but it is still cheaper.

Politekiwi

I did consider that. But if they are sending individual packages, then how does that work. What about like ebayers who send goods out all the time? I know they charge postage costs on top of the goods price, but who would be stupid enough to suck up that sort of cost for something simple, a phone charger for example, being under 1kg would still cost over £10 to post... So confusing.