International shipping advice?

8 posts
I might be doing a swap with someone in Poland and I live in America. It would be my first international swap and second overall. How much would the shipping cost, and also any general advice would be welcomed.

Thanks
Use this site:
http://ircalc.usps.com/?country=10357
1. Make sure you select "large envelope" (even if it is not).
2. Select one or more of the three boxes on the next page (rigid, 1/4", not square) (even if it is not).
Expand "First Class International Options"
This will give you an accurate price for walking up to the USPS counter.

Every blue moon (twice I think), I got through with "letter" price, saving tons (counter newbie).

I have not tried the "online price" option which will save you $1-2. If you do, let me know how that works, especially with the customs form. I plan on $13.70 for almost all international swaps.

My current (first) swap with Poland is missing. He got his in a week, mine are 4-5 weeks with nothing. He thinks they will not show up, as it usually takes 1 week to get to the US. I recommend tracked mail from Poland to the US--from what I have read now, Poland's postal service appears quite dubious.
Quote: "gyoschak"I recommend tracked mail from Poland to the US--from what I have read now, Poland's postal service appears quite dubious.
​Quite often Americans thinks that post in Eastern Europe is dubious. But my experience shows that always when there was any kind of problems, they happened in USA (it can be seen well by tracking). Last time my letter was found in USA after my complaint - 2 months after I sent it from here. It left my country in the same day, but got struck in USA for 2 months. Good that all ended well.

Poland's postal service is absolutely safe and I would not afraid to swap or order something from Poland at all.
Hello.
I live in Poland. I made already a number of exchanges, and that has not happened in Poland there was something wrong.
Please do not write in stupidity.
I've included a link for tracking:

http://www.pocztex.pl/sledzenie-przesylek/

Do not be afraid to replace in Poland.;)
Rather than including a generalized statement that "postal service appears quite dubious," I will instead provide factual data/statements from a swapper (who is a fellow countrymen to you) that you may instead discount as stupid:

"10 of 200 posts were lost/stolen" (5%), "not so bad."

I leave it to the masses to determine what is good/bad.
ciusek, martins.lv,

I'm sure gyoschak is speaking strictly from his personal experience or from what people have to say on the Internet. So please don't be offended. B)

I had quite a few swaps with Latvia and 1 or 2 with Poland. Every time there was no issue either way. It is much cheaper to send a package with tracking number from Europe than from US/Canada. I always send regular air package and it generally arrives in under 2 weeks.

I did have a few issues with mail to/from US but eventually everything was sorted out and packages arrived. There are some reasonable delays as well as some that are totally unexplainable, it's life I guess.

Happy swapping everyone and hope your mail arrives every single time! :wiz:
My advice is to make sure the postal clerk gets the country code correct. My first international shipment was supposed to go to Israel, but the clerk marked Ireland on the shipping label. So instead of 1-2 weeks, it took more than 1 month for the coins to arrive.
I just completed a swap with a member in the Netherlands that took 1 week.
Quote: "JRo69"​My advice is to make sure the postal clerk gets the country code correct. My first international shipment was supposed to go to Israel, but the clerk marked Ireland on the shipping label. So instead of 1-2 weeks, it took more than 1 month for the coins to arrive.
​I just completed a swap with a member in the Netherlands that took 1 week.
​Good advice - thank you
Topic locked (Numista Robot, 23-Jan-2019, 23:50)

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