What is the best way to ship my stuff from Hong Kong to Los Angeles?

February 3, 2007 10:21 AM

What is the best (and cheapest) way to ship a large box of souvenirs from Hong Kong or Bangkok to Los Angeles?

I'm going to be traveling in Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Thailand this Summer. When I was in Thailand before, I bought two suitcases worth of stuff to bring back, but I wish that I could have bought even more.

Basically, my plan is to buy 2+ years worth of Christmas and birthday presents for everyone I know and ship it all back to LA. I need the box to arrive within 3 months. Let's say for the sake of simplicity that the box weighs no more than 50 lbs/22kg and is twice the size of a microwave.

I have googled (all the answers seem to be directed at import/export businesses, not at regular dudes) and looked at other answers on MeFi. I'm concerned about shipping rates as well as tariffs. Also, any solution is going to have to be something I can do using only my hotel and a taxi. I'm also OK with checking a box in addition to two suitcases on the flight, but I don't know if this is a good idea or reasonably priced.

Thanks!

posted by benrodian to travel & transportation (3 comments total)

I forgot to mention that I'm going to be sending clothing, maybe some small electronic gadgets, and nice wooden carved things. I've heard that tariffs on clothing are a pain in the ass...
posted by benrodian at 10:30 AM on February 3, 2007

I don't know the answer myself, but if you don't get lucky on AskMe you could try posting the same question here or here.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 5:19 PM on February 3, 2007

Depending on the airline, you'll probably pay between $50 and $100 for a 3rd checked bag. But the benefit here is that you can just bring it home with you when you arrive. Customs will be a lot easier, since it's just a part of your luggage, not a separate item. You can most likely just carry it through customs in your home country without even declaring anything (though you might want to check with the relevant laws). That's essentially what I did with a suitcase full of Christmas presents this November, and it worked without a hitch.
posted by jbb7 at 1:39 AM on February 4, 2007 [1 favorite]