Shipping items back to the US

[cruiserfan007]

Has anyone shipped purchases back to the US from Italy or France that were to big to bring back yourself? Was it handled by the merchant and what were the costs?

 

Thanks, Steve

Voyager of the Seas Oct.11th 2009

[Oakman]

We have shipped items on several occcasions from Europe with great success. We pre-payed the agreed upon shipping with the merchant. All paperwork was completed with several contact numbers indicated. In several instances, when the item shipped, we were notified by e-mail with a tracking number. All of our transactions were positive experiences, and we have no hesitation in doing it on future trips to Europe. In one case, when we purchased a lare amount of pottery in Capri, one piece arrived broken. We contactd the merchant by e-mail, and on our word alone, replaced the broken piece for no charge. One hint-be prepared to wait several weeks upon your return. Shipping sometimes takes weeks. Shop and ship with confidence!!!

[nparmelee]

I shipped a copper pot back from Montepulciano in May. It was pretty heavy so we were happy to ship it instead of lugging it around for another 2+ weeks and then dealing with luggage weight going home. The merchant shipped it for us and it was a bit pricey, about 30-35 euros for the shipping.

[agabbymama]

We visited a winery in Tuscany in Oct '08. We were going to purchase 3 bottles and have them shipped home. The shipping was around $100, so we decided against it.

 

The same can be said for shipping from the US to Italy. We were limited on our luggage to only 44 lbs, so thought about shipping an extra suitcase to the hotel in Rome. The quotes I was getting were $300 for a 10 lb box. We also decided against that.

 

International shipping rates are really outrageously high in my opinion, but it did keep our purchases on the small side, jewelry and such.

[cruiserfan007]

:) Thanks everyone....Steve

[corvettelover]

We visited a winery in Tuscany in Oct '08. We were going to purchase 3 bottles and have them shipped home. The shipping was around $100, so we decided against it.

 

The same can be said for shipping from the US to Italy. We were limited on our luggage to only 44 lbs, so thought about shipping an extra suitcase to the hotel in Rome. The quotes I was getting were $300 for a 10 lb box. We also decided against that.

 

International shipping rates are really outrageously high in my opinion, but it did keep our purchases on the small side, jewelry and such.

 

Had the same experience trying to ship from Prague, opted to buy an extra suitcase and pay the extra fee- found that to be cheaper than shipping, by a wide margin.

[kadey]

We just shipped a light fixture home from Murano. Shipping and insurance were included in our price. We asked them to hold the fixture until the day we were heading back home.The fixture arrived four days later.

[Queenk2]

On a few occasions we have had glass shipped from Murano, We have had no problems. The glasses and other items arrived unharmed and within a reasonable time frae.

[genni]

Shipping can get to be very expensive - there's a formula usually applied by volume and weight (I'll see if I can get it from a friend who does ship to the USA). If not very large nor heavy, it might be an option, but at times one may find they are paying as much or more than the value of the item to be shipped!...There may also be 'import duties' on wine?

One important note - the best thing to do is open the package in front of the delivery person (although they never want to hang around for that) to check the condition of the items...(if anything is broken, you should keep all packing material in case the shipping co. sends an inspector)...I've found that the more a merchant ships, the better deal they can get (do they pass that on to the consumer?).