Small, personal-connection-enhancing, awesome gifts to ship overseas.

November 9, 2022 9:27 PM

This is hard for me: I want to ship, for a reasonable cost, personal gifts to friends in expensive-to-ship-to places (i.e. not in North America, where I reside). This means they need to be very very small. My go-to is cute socks with a relevant theme, but they're borderline too big, and surely there are better ideas?

I'm really hoping for some creative ideas! Especially since I'm in the US, so the "send something cool from your own culture that doesn't exist in their location" becomes really hard.

constraints: I shy away from jewelry, because many people don't wear it. Ditto perfume. Ditto candles (sorry, candle lovers!). Food items are fraught; I always feel a little guilty sending sweet things, and think that if I really cared I'd give people salads.

size: It can be _excessively_ expensive to ship to some places, and that seems to be based on size more than weight. Usually I get or make a nice greeting card, so something that would fit in a box that size and <1" thick would be ideal.

creative options: I am very open to making simple but genuinely cool or beautiful items (out of interesting/cool materials is usually how that works for me). Making time needs to be 30 minutes or less this year, unless I can make several items at one time.

posted by amtho to Grab Bag (22 answers total)

Postcards, art in the form of small prints or stickers, interesting tea bags that come in individual packets, a map of your city or somewhere you've recently been, a mix CD. In the US do you ever get commemorative coins that you would just get in your change from a store? Like a quarter with a unique colour or design but that is still just worth 25 cents? Those would be fun to receive. Packet of spices, magnet, sheet music to your favourite song. Make your own crossword, madlibs with a theme of your city or favourite things.

This would require a bulkier package to be sent at the beginning, but if you both had an instant camera or small photo printer you could send photos to each other
posted by Lay Off The Books at 9:52 PM on November 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

Digital stuff you made for them on a USB stick. Cookbook, photos, etc.
posted by aniola at 10:05 PM on November 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

Boutique stationery might be nice. Novelty pins from small shops as well as iron-on patches too. One time I asked a colleague to bring back that week's Playbill because she was in NYC, so don't underestimate local printed material/publications and even zines. Time to lean into the kind of sellers that would reside on Etsy, honestly that would be very 'American culture'.
posted by cendawanita at 10:14 PM on November 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

Bookmarks! Would be fun and easy to make. Today, I saw these cute felt corner page bookmarks - some had little decorations on them like simple embroidered initials and a little embroidered leaf. You could find all sorts of different type bookmarks.
posted by Sassyfras at 10:17 PM on November 9, 2022 [4 favorites]

I'm not sure if the things need to be made by you, but if not, ordering directly from stores in the countries / regions of your friends might be an option.
posted by melamakarona at 12:13 AM on November 10, 2022 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: melamakarona: I sometimes order from Etsy sellers in the target location, which is great! Things arrive super fast for an international purchase!

However, some of my gift recipients aren't down for the Etsy aesthetic...
posted by amtho at 1:39 AM on November 10, 2022

There are a lot of cool indie soap makers out there making really pretty soaps in loafs that get cut to about the size of a deck of playing cards or a little bigger. You were opposed to candles and perfume so most of them might be too scented for you, but there are plenty of poems who are making, like, organic goats milk soap that might be unscented or lightly scented, as well. (Etsy links are just an easy example, there are lots of non-etsy sources, too.)
posted by jacquilynne at 1:45 AM on November 10, 2022

A gift that's always a huge hit for me and is super lightweight to ship is special window stickers that create rainbows in your room when the sun hits them. This is one example to show you how it works. The recipients will think of you everytime the sun shines and rainbows appear on their walls, so it's a gift that keeps on giving.
posted by PardonMyFrench at 2:09 AM on November 10, 2022 [6 favorites]

Not sure if this end up being less than 30 minutes, or the degree of closeness in these relationships: one of the most treasured gifts I’ve received was a small photo album of pics of the most mundane things from an distant friends’ hometown. The fire hydrant on their street. The letterbox they pass every morning. The sign outside their favorite coffee shop. The local stray cat. I paged thru that album with such curiosity and affection. It tied me to the life of someone I loved in ways I didn’t know I I needed and missed.
posted by Silvery Fish at 3:05 AM on November 10, 2022 [18 favorites]

To present a slightly different suggestion - I'd be perfectly happy if you just send me a nice card. If you like making cards, I'd feel extra special to get one. If you prefer to buy a card, perhaps add a thoughtful message/quote relevant to our relationship or a photo that has meaning for both of us. My cousin loves to wrap and prettify gifts and cards. Specifically, she adds stickers, confetti or sparkly things to the cards in the envelope. Even though I sometimes end up with sparkly things on the floor I adore the cards. Even though my cousin tries to give very thoughtful gifts and asks me questions for ideas, they can be a bit hit and miss. I'd rather she spent the money on herself and failing that, try to direct her to joint experiences. I have all the things I could possibly need and I get a lot of enjoyment out of my box full of lovely cards people have sent me :)

If you insist on sending me a small gift - I'd much rather have something connected to you personally or to your location than anything else. So yes to a little photo book or map. No to soaps, socks or stuff to stick on windows. I am sure there are many people who love that kind of thing but there are just as many who'd appreciate the gesture more than the item itself. And if the gesture is the focus then putting effort into the card is a win win in terms of time spent and ease of shipping internationally. Just my 2 cents.
posted by koahiatamadl at 4:24 AM on November 10, 2022 [4 favorites]

Are your recipients Christmas tree-havers? There is a simply endless variety of flat tree ornaments that fit in a small package. Tons of people are doing laser-cut wood now. There's probably a pottery artisan near you. Or do a search for "make a flat ornament" and gets tons of DIY ideas.
posted by evilmomlady at 4:51 AM on November 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

Don't limit yourself to Etsy, research the local equivalents (or ask your recipients what their favourite online shops are). In the era of Google Translate, there's no excuse in not shopping internationally.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 5:00 AM on November 10, 2022

A feather.
A picture of your favorite birding opportunity -- a backyard birdfeeder, the aviary at the zoo, a lake where you enjoy the ducks and geese, etc.
Money for their own setup (suitable for their own interests and abilities) and a plan to exchange letters or texts or other data concerning your shared experiences for the next four months. Longer if you both are still having fun with it.

Substitute any shared activities that you can use as an excuse to keep in touch.
posted by TrishaU at 5:32 AM on November 10, 2022

To explain -- you are not offering a gift that can be put in a basket.
You are offering your time and company.
posted by TrishaU at 5:35 AM on November 10, 2022

I have ordered from local supermarkets, toy stores, local version of Amazon and other distant local-to-them places for gifts. Saves on postage and I've been able to find Asian treats at reasonable prices for what it would cost me to post to send for example. Books especially - it's nice to support a local bookstore.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 5:53 AM on November 10, 2022

I actually think sweet stuff is cool, unless you know they're trying to lose weight, or are diabetic. It's a one-off gift, not a diet plan! :)

Things that seem like really mundane candy bars to you will seem exotic when sent overseas to places they're not sold, so you get good bang for your buck by just sending eg. a box of a few varied common chocolate bars. Or even just one bar! They're small and light and even the wrapping designs/unfamiliar names/flavour and texture combos can be fun to discover. They keep for a long time so they don't need to gorge them all at once, and if they really don't want to eat them, they probably know a kid who would.

Just not Hershey's. That stuff's nasty.
posted by penguin pie at 6:11 AM on November 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

A feather.

The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This protects wild birds by preventing their killing by collectors and the commercial trade in their feathers, and extends to all feathers, regardless of how they were obtained. There is no exemption for molted feathers or those taken from road- or window-killed birds.

I'm not sure how much this is enforced, but I wouldn't mail one from the US.
posted by FencingGal at 6:21 AM on November 10, 2022 [6 favorites]

Digital stuff you made for them on a USB stick. Cookbook, photos, etc.

Don't expect randomly-sent stuff on USB sticks to arrive intact or unexamined, and there's really no reason to put digital files on a physical medium to send them in modernity. Making those available on dropbox or whatever is a smarter play. Sending food-items is also throwing dice given the world's agricultural restrictions. There's a decent chance that stuff will just end up in the trash.

I'm broadly in favor of the "find something small and unique-ish on Etsy that speaks to you about some topic they'd like and send them that" approach being championed up thread; buttons, pins, small ornaments of various kinds; it's a nice way of supporting small shops at this end and giving people something quasi-unique at the other.
posted by mhoye at 6:57 AM on November 10, 2022

- flat Christmas ornaments
- Paper snowflakes
- Stickers
- Individual tea bag (commercially packaged)
- Face mask for a spa day
- Face mask for a covid day
- Cute post-it notes
- Key chains/enamel pins
- Magnet
- A favourite recipe
- Calendars
- Chewing gum or flat candy
- Quiz, crossword, sudoku
- Comic strip
- Balsa wood airplanes
- Notepaper or list paper
- Powdered drinks packet
- A list of things you like or admire about the person
- A list of questions for the person
posted by Juniper Toast at 7:19 AM on November 10, 2022 [2 favorites]

You could buy wooden sheep cut-outs and knit or crochet jumpers for them - a band of knitting or crochet around their middles would be enough if you don't want to make it complicated. Easy to post, and can be made in less than half an hour. There are camels and other animals and birds available too.
posted by paduasoy at 8:10 AM on November 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you would like more options than Etsy: I have used country-local eBay for things like this (low prices and low shipping). Sometimes you have to change your PayPal address just for that one transaction. I’ve had success sending small gifts to friends abroad this way.
posted by saltykitten at 9:02 AM on November 10, 2022

Prints along with cards can be great -- maybe an illustration of a place that you both love, or perhaps of a pet?

Speaking of pets, if they have a dog, perhaps a bandana; maybe a small cat toy if they have a cat.

Some friends have enjoyed these flat-packed art pieces from Studio ROOF -- you could find a bug or bird that's more local to you, or they also have flowers, ornaments and cards.

I have gifted and been gifted these little push bowls -- I picked them up during my travels because they're flat, but they've become more accessible now.

If you're struggling to find zines near you, I love comics from Shortbox, but they are from the UK if you wanted something more locally and I'm not sure of some of the sizes of their comics. It'd probably be best to go to a local independent bookstore.

You could package small amounts of spices with a favorite savory recipe. I haven't tried these yet, but the individual packets might be a fun form factor to try to find. If they make cocktails, these different salts to rim glasses look fun.

We've been 3D printing cookie cutters for various themes, though they may be an inch tall or so.
posted by sincerely yours at 11:08 AM on November 10, 2022