mailing small items via USPS intl package - customs form & env size

July 9, 2018 3:33 PM

I need to mail gifts out to international addresses and will need to use a customs form. The item is small and for US addresses I'm mailing in a 4x7 padded env. Given that intl shipping is expensive I want to keep it in the smallest lightest envelopes possible but the customs form will have to fit.

I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to print customs forms and what the smallest envelope they will fit on will be. I'm guessing that if printed at home the forms have to go into a clear stick on envelope. USPS has 2 sizes listed and I can't tell which would work. I'm also curious if there's a way to print the whole thing on a label and if there's any version of the form that is smaller.

Neither the USPS phone line or the local PO was helpful. So if you have experience shipping small items internationally I'd love to hear what works for you.

posted by oneear to Law & Government (4 answers total)

Best answer: stamps.com has customs form built right in when you buy postage through their website . I recently shipped a small padded 9x6 envelope and it was much easier than I thought. the form was prefilled and attached to the shipping label that I printed on plain paper and taped to the envelope.
posted by lunachic at 5:21 PM on July 9, 2018

Best answer: If you print online, 1-8 ounces is the same price for international, so you can always stick it in a large envelope or put it in a smaller envelope and then stick that between two larger pieces of cardboard. When you do it online you can print postage, which is fairly small, and you can resize it with your printer as necessary. The new USPS international forms that you get at the post office are gigantic and suck.
posted by Slinga at 5:54 PM on July 9, 2018

I have frequently and regularly sent things to a friend in Ireland for the past 30 years, and in all cases, the form was simply a piece of paper the size of an index card that was attached to a 2-inch-by-3-inch sticker; I filled out the form and part of the sticker, stuck the sticker on the package, and carried it up to the postal clerk, who ripped the piece of paper off and filed it after scanning the number on both the sticker and the paper. Then they mailed my package.

I was also mailing small things as gifts. If you're sending to a non-European country there may be a different form, but if it's in Europe, I'd be surprised if the form you would have to fill out is any different.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:22 PM on July 9, 2018

It's fine to put the form on the back of the package if need be. This has occasional made my postal people vaguely grumpy (I've never gotten a good reason why) but it works. It's what i do for small packages sometimes, especially with huge addresses.
posted by jessicapierce at 11:08 AM on July 10, 2018