Sending presents abroad

I send Country File calendars to relations abroad each year. The postage is added to the calendar cost and they are sent world-wide by the company that makes them.
It means we all have the same pictures to look at through the year and just gives the opportunity for a tiny point of contact each day.

Ask the family how best to do things - they will know other people in a similar situation and can probably make suggestions. In the end though, you probably find sending money is the best. And although the 2 year old is a little young, even the adults often like the pleasure of 'treat money'.
What I have done since young relatives moved abroad (20 years now!) is send a small, light Xmas tree ornament, well in advance. When they didn't bother with trees, they could hang it in a window to remind them of home. This has become a regular, much appreciated tradition (in addition to the money!)
I have also sent old-fashioned advent calendars.

It is heartbreaking isn't it?
You spot something you love for your family abroad and it is extortioate to send to them. Cant send a sweetie, royal mail is so expensive and to use one of the courier firms you have to jump through so many hoops on the declaration forms.

I sent 2 parcels via Royal Mail last week one to Australia one to USA, both not heavy.
One was 0.28kg.. The other 0.8kg total cost £44.15..
Not sure I'm doing it next year.

That's right Chocolatelovinggran I have told my family not to send parcels to France because of the excessive tax.

And because of Blooming Brexit, friends and family in Europe pay import tax on gifts from Britain, on parcels from my house containing handmade items, as well as from a shop.

We have now found it almost impossible to post presents gone are the days when I could send my grandkids in NZ an English souvenir or toy now even a card cost abut 3x the value
My daughter in law in NZ just told me …this Christmas is the last present they ll send me . They saw something that ‘was me’ and it was light, however when they went to send it the size took it into the next level and it cost them £43 to post it I have a card and photo present for them which will cost twice the price of the present I know it s got ridiculous

Online shopping doesn't seem to be a thing in the Philippines (unless it's Anazon) according to my son.

He says they quite often let you put stuff in a "basket" and at checkout tell you to call them and pay over the phone or "pay on collection".
He says the stores are all very keen to please and even when you collect they will have substituted the items they don't have - even quite big items such as computers apparently!

I don’t do it but like calendargirl mine is in Oz where you can use on line shopping. Is that available in Thailand?

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If you shop at some of the big international stores they deliver for you and handle the customs declarations etc.
There are a lot of things you cant send probably though. I can't send silver or pearls for example to the Phillipines and hardly anywhere will take perfumes. Having said that some bigger stores are set up to send small quantities of these "dangerous substances" via the low quantity exemptions if they are in small bottles.
I have just sent a gift set to my daughter in law in the Philippines from Liberty's which had a small perfume in it. It was there really quickly and fully tracked right to the door. It was more expensive to buy from Liberty's than elsewhere but I saved a huge sum on postage.

I tried to send a parcel directly to her from Molton Brown - but in spite of telling me they delivered "worldwide all the time" they had 3 attempts at sending and each time customs returned it - so something obviously wasn't correctly done.

I have never had a parcel come back from Fortnum & Mason or Liberty's.

I use a credit card at Liberty's that I'd registered to me here in the UK but I pay in the delivering country currency which i was told helps at customs. I have a Halifax Clarity card which has a good exchange rate system in my opinion.

I have also sent flowers via a small market stall shop in the Philippines (see picture). It was a difficult one for me but had i used one of the international flower services I'd have had to take out a new mortgage (!) and this huge bouquet was about £18 and came, surprisingly, with a "free bear".
The little shop (found on Facebook) didn't take PayPal or bank transfer and I set up a new account on a different platform specifically to be able to pay them. This was a risk I felt - but all went fine. I would be happy to send low value items this way.

I'm still feeling my way about with this international delivery (which was easier when they lived in America and Europe. Asia isn't necessarily more expensive than USA though.

I look forward to more replies from more experienced Gransnetters.

I can well understand why you prefer sending an actual present, but think it would be so much easier to send your DD the money, and get her to buy suitable presents, from you.

GD will be none the wiser, the parcel could come ‘via the postman’ if so desired, and more importantly, you won’t waste money on sending stuff that might be delayed in getting there, expensive to post and most important, it will be something that’s wanted/needed.

So often what we think is suitable isn’t, which is a waste.

(Speaking as a granny with family in Oz).