How do I ship Iodine tablets from the UK to Japan?
April 14, 2011 11:30 AM

How do I ship Iodine tablets from the UK to Japan?

A friend in Japan has British citizenship. Her daughter also has British citizenship. Her husband and her son-in-law are both Japanese. My friend and her daughter were both supplied with iodine tablets by the British Embassy, but they would not supply the tablets for the Japanese family members.

They asked us to see if we were able to find some, and we were able to secure some, but now we're wondering about the best way to ship them while minimizing the risk of them going astray in the post, or their being disallowed by customs.

In case it matters, we're talking about 100 tablets.

Any help please?
posted by anonymous to Travel & Transportation (6 answers total)
Iodine is not a regulated substance. Use any courier service, such as FedEx or DHL, and you needn't worry about it getting lost. You'll have to declare what it is, but packages that small are typically not inspected by customs.
posted by halogen at 11:37 AM on April 14, 2011


I don't think you'll need to worry about customs. DHL would be how I would do it, if i wanted to be super sure that it got there, but I think that's really pricey.
posted by empath at 11:38 AM on April 14, 2011


You can buy them on eBay and have them shipped directly.
posted by musofire at 1:10 PM on April 14, 2011


Just use Royal Mail Airmail - the chances of them going missing to Japan are minute. If you're really worried and need them faster, use Airsure - it's quick, relatively inexpensive and has a tracking number.

There's no need to waste your money on a courier service but if you must, use an online discount courier service instead.
posted by turkeyphant at 2:37 PM on April 14, 2011


I agree with turkeyphant. Mail in Japan is extremely reliable.
posted by xmts at 10:52 PM on April 14, 2011


It's worth bearing in mind that the seafood-heavy diet in Japan means that most people are iodine-sufficient. You should not take iodine unless specifically instructed to.
posted by alby at 2:07 AM on April 15, 2011


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