Sending presents abroad

I sent some Earl Grey Decaf Tea Bags to Canada a couple of weeks ago. I've told her the cost is so much it might be better if she tried her own countries Amazon in future. Although my daughter is going over in March so will take a supply with her then.

Hello GrandmaHil

I understand your problem, its so frustrating when postage costs are way over the cost of the gift!

My eldest daughter has lived in Singapore for many years and I went through the whole palaver of wrapping gifts with huge postage costs etc.

She suggested that I buy gifts though Amazon Singapore, where there is local delivery and prices are reasonable as its core market are people living I Singapore. Amazon converts the cost from Singapore dollars to sterling and they get the gift within a couple of days. My daughter wraps gifts for grandchildren in some wrapping paper at their end.

I should imagine there will be something similar in Thailand.

Good luck!

I had an online bookseller send 2 books to a friend in France. She was charged the equivalent of £24 in tax. She wanted to send a small present from France to a family member in the UK. At the post office she found the paperwork daunting. She asked an assistant to help her fill in the forms and he said, ”No, and you can blame Boris Johnson.”

Even parcels ordered in this country aren’t delivered. I have been waiting a long time for some gifts I ordered from Etsy, not the makers fault but the post. Money is the best for anybody not close

I'm afraid I still send things.

I know it's expensive but it brings me joy.

So sorry. I have no experience with shopping in the Far East.

My daughter and fam live just on the outskirts of nowhere in Northland New Zealand. It's a tiny place but I've registered as an online shopper with KMart in Whangerei (about 2 hours from their home), and The Warehouse in Kaitaia (where they live) as well as Farmers. I order online from these stores (Easter chocs, advent calendars, bday and Xmas gifts) and my DD receives Warehouse parcels within 2 days and KMart parcels within 5 days. No mess no fuss. I've NEVER had a problem in 4 years.

Tracking is available and delivery costs are their local delivery costs. Or I order 'click and collect' for her. Just ordered the advent calendars from The Warehouse on Sunday night and she collected them yesterday.

I hope you find an easier and cheaper way for Thailand gifts.

The reason many gifts send by individuals take so long is that the customs now want the information sent electronically with the correct harmonised code on the customs form. Hand written customs forms only delays the package.

Online ordering from somewhere in their country? Give their address when you pay for it.

Ive been sending parcels all over the world for about 20 years. The cheapest way is undoubtedly Royal Mail untracked but you are taking a chance.

I send most things RM tracked or tracked and signed. The customer pays the postage. Unless they live in the USA (where they have a very high import tax threshold of about £800) I ask them what value they wish me to put on the package. Many Americans want items very quickly so I send the Fedex Express (overnight) but its expensive. Again the customer pays.

Always use very generic packaging - nothing to draw attention for the parcel - so special gift wrapping is out. I also use very generic customs descriptions:- "metal necklace" rather than " antique sterling silver necklace".

I dont recall posting anything to Thailand but lots to Taiwan, South Khorea, Taiwan China and Japan. Many sellers will not post to these countries but they buyers just use a re-shipper based in the UK or USA.

My DD and family live in Spain and although it doesn’t cost a fortune to send things the random charges applied by their customs just makes it ridiculous since Brexit, I doubt I’m even going to send their Advent calendars this year, which they love even though they are teenagers now. And things can take weeks and weeks to get there.

My daughter and family moved to USA 18 months ago. Last Xmas I wanted to send a few, lightweight Xmas tree presents to them to put under the Xmas tree as well as sending them money for their main present. What a shock I had when the total postage costs came to £50 !!!!!! This year we have sent some extra money to my daughter to buy a few treats for under the tree and we are sending money for their main present

I have just found a shop in Sydney that my DiL tells me has stuff the grandchildren would like;I have bought a gift voucher on line and it will be delivered to DiL by email. She'll get the pressies, wrap them and give them on Christmas day. Last time I posted a parcel from here Aussie customs kept the parcel for 5 weeks so it missed by GD's birthday (inspite of customs forms being completed etc)

My nephew and his family live in Cambodia. We have given up sending gifts as there have been numerous problems with them being lost (or held until a "fee" is paid by them) or arrive broken. For their son we send things via the computer (PlayStation vouchers or similar) and for the adults we send money online. It really is too complicated (and hugely expensive) to try and send parcels.

Do you know anyone going to visit the country in question and wouldn't mind taking it and posting it there. Think of baggage weight. I got a friend to send a card to Latvia from Holland. Although it got there quicker it cost more than posting from UK.
Post office tracked parcels are only tracked to UK customs not the recipient. You need to ask for tracking and signed for on receipt.

I gave up posting gifts to Canada 4 years ago as the postage even for very light items was almost the same as the cost of the item. DS lived in Thailand 10 years ago and tge only items I sent were clothes (he needs long length trousers and shirts), and books. Never sent any liquids or foods - crisps and chocolate mainly - as knew they would never be delivered. I did visit and took the items I wouldn't post with me in luggage. I now send money overseas.

I send gifts of money to my children and grandchildren. There are so many restrictions on what you can send and I am never in London over the winter so this week my little great grandson was 5 and so his daddy and I whapsapped about what he would like. He had a family party with the family in UK and videod all of it. Then I spoke to little Hugo and he was so happy. I do the same at Christmas. I get to watch my great grandchildren’s excitement at gift opening and bank transfers in UK are painless.

I gave up sending parcels to California years ago, when the postage was prohibitive even then. I would rather give the extra money to my daughter than to the post. I have sent presents, flowers, plants from shops there, ordering on-line and this works quite well. I don't know whether this would work for Thailand. We have settled on Amazon or other vouchers now so that we can spend them as we wish. But do make sure you put it on Amazon for the country you are sending it to, and not uk as they would still have to pay postage from here otherwise. I have been caught out on this myself.

Speaking as a grandmother of children abroad : the children love to receive packages from us, they look forward to the box being delivered, opening and discovering. Oh I know I could order whatever from in situ merchants, but that woukdn't be the same!

My son lives in Australia. I buy presents from Amazon.com.au or ebay.com.au. I'm then able to choose sellers in Australia, mostly with free delivery.

It is the same for us to send UK goods such as Amazon to Malta. The postage prices are extremely high, much higher at times than the goods themselves. Anyone who has found a way around this? Tia

I have just sent my 3 year old grandson in Australia a small parcel and it cost £31 to send it (more than the contents cost)
I will also transfer some money to my daughter too, but I just wanted to have a little surprise through the post. It is very difficult him being so far away as if he was nearer I am sure I would be doing so much more for him. I miss him and my daughter so much.

I am in Australia with some grandchildren in England. I settled for Amazon vouchers a long time ago! They come in cards or gift tins for Christmas and birthdays... which makes them a more interesting gift than the card alone.

I sent a parcel to Europe which cost twice as much as the content so have stopped now.
As fir them buying British i understand it’s not worth the stress of the paperwork. Brexit of course.
I voted remain but was outnumbered by a percentage or two.

I sent small Christmas gifts to my Mexican granddaughter 2 years running, well before the cut off point for last posting. She received them the following March !! each time. Gave up after that and just send some money to her mother to give to her or get her something

I send to family in the US using one of the delivery companies such as DPD. They’re much cheaper than the post office and often more convenient, too.

I don’t know who delivers to Thailand but going onto a website such as Parcel Monkey should help you with that.