Shipping to China via USPS

[hungryhamster 0]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to send my fiancé a Christmas gift and have an item weighing over a pound (a phone), but shipping is apparently expensive. My fiancé says to use FedEx, but the cost is very expensive and I was thinking of USPS (more than half the cost). However, customs horror stories I read online and how I read conditions with USPS process makes me very nervous. Does anyone have experience with mailing things overseas - particularly with USPS? Thank you.

[Maharosa 251]

I have a lot of family overseas and ship stuff with USPS all the time. I have never had an issue. If you do intend to ship a phone, you'll want to be sure, if it has a removable battery, you put the battery in the phone before shipping it. Also, be sure to ship priority mail, it's a little more expensive, but it will get there faster and still cheaper than FedEx.

[Jawaree 718]

Take photo of items and be sure to insure,

many times the sticky fingers whomever

leave the insured stuff alone as the company

will investigate having to refund customers items

and cost to send the package originally. Hold

on to tracking & insurance reciepts

[RandyW 149]

I send myself packages from the U.S. to China from time to time - be sure to have a label with the address in CHINESE CHARACTERS. It usually takes about three weeks - may be less if to a major city.

For tracking, you will need to send it Express Mail International, which is part of the International EMS Consortium (yes, China's EMS).

[RandyW 149]

I send myself packages from the U.S. to China from time to time - be sure to have a label with the address in CHINESE CHARACTERS. It usually takes about three weeks - may be less if to a major city.

For tracking, you will need to send it Express Mail International, which is part of the International EMS Consortium (yes, China's EMS).

If sending by EMS, the package may be tracked in China through the China Post tracking web site EMS China Courier Service Corporation, Inc. using the same same package ID that it was shipped under from the U.S.

[Sam and Fen 41]

No matter who you use to ship the problem will be at Chinese Customs. Your fiancee will have to pay duty on it before it will be released by them to her and she will need to know whats in the package and what the value is.

This is what happend when I shipped a phone and some other items for my then fiancee for CNY.

[CowBoE 429]

I sent a card with some pictures in to my fiancee (at the time) in China, and it didn't arrive for nearly 2 months!!!

After a month, we had given up on it. I am very leery about sending anything to China using USPS now.

After that, I sent my K1 visa documents using FedEx and it got delivered in about 4 business days.

By the time you go through the shipping and customs duty tax,

it might be easier just to let her buy very popular "Xiaomi" Chinese smartphone.

Just in 2 years, this phone is outselling iPhone and SamSung in China.

Edited November 27, 2014 by DualityOneness

[Tuzi and Niu 5]

I've mailed items via USPS Priority Mail Express and the service was fast (within a 4 days including a weekend). The price included tracking with email and sms updates. I've also used regular priority mail to send documents and thought that the service was on the slow side.

[CowBoE 429]

I should also mentioned that my 2 months lost mail was sent via regular class.
Perhaps, registered or priority mail does better.

[RandyW 149]

I don't think customs will be a problem as long as it's packaged and declared for personal use. Repackage it, and declare a low value - $100 should be high enough that it won't get stolen, and not high enough that it'll trigger a fee.

Better yet - yes, let her select and buy her own phone. But Chinese brands seem to only last for a couple of years before something breaks.

[hungryhamster 0]

Thank you everyone. I shipped as express international mail with USPS, which with the insurance didn't cost too much more than doing priority with insurance. However, I was told to be honest with my package (and the fact that I'm insuring it), so I actually did put the whole amount. I was warned by my fiancé of a possible customs fee, but hopefully it's not too bad. I was hoping originally the gift will be a surprise, but apparently shipping leaves for no surprises.

[httuner 10]

Thank you everyone. I shipped as express international mail with USPS, which with the insurance didn't cost too much more than doing priority with insurance. However, I was told to be honest with my package (and the fact that I'm insuring it), so I actually did put the whole amount. I was warned by my fiancé of a possible customs fee, but hopefully it's not too bad. I was hoping originally the gift will be a surprise, but apparently shipping leaves for no surprises.

Let me know how it turns out once it arrives and gets delivered. I am in the same situation just about and am curious to know results.

[Daveykins 17]

My wife ships stuff to China all the time with USPS priority international mail. Sometimes it takes months like others have mentioned due whatever issue Chinese customs has sometimes...