BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello, I haven't posted on this branch before, and I'm in need of some advice please.

I'll be sending some stuff from Oz over to America and I've heard conflicting stories regarding your Customs. Some have said if you send foodstuffs to America you have to notify some government agency - yet others have said this is not the case.

Likewise, I'm told a) You are not allowed to send food items over and b) you are. I heard that one of the items was banned in the US.

Should I send the items registered or insured? Is there a difference in relability of goods being received if they are sent airmail or by sea?
Thanks.

It would help if you would begin by telling us what it is that you plan on sending.

Oh hi Static. Apart from letters etc. some souvenirs like a boomerang (maybe), a clock made from Australian mulga wood, a koala, kangaroo and a wombat and some Vegemite.

Oh, pimping for the Oz Tourist Board, are we?

Just send it by airmail. Don't insure or register it. Put a "small packet" sticker on it, don't declare the Vegemite (which is sold here, by the way).

And remember: there are no returns on defective boomerangs.

Thanks for your help Static, much appreciated. Surprised insurance isn't necessary. They must all be good drivers. Still, costs less that way.

I do work in gov. Out here defective boomerangs are called sticks.

quote:

Originally posted by Whistler:
Oh hi Static. Apart from letters etc. some souvenirs like a boomerang (maybe), a clock made from Australian mulga wood, a koala, kangaroo and a wombat and some Vegemite.

I think they will be more worried about the live animals than a food paste. Actually there may not be any Vegimate left, they will have to eat something on the way over. Or are they stuffed, then it would just depend on what state you send them to. California wouldn't look too highly on it, but Montana or Texas would welcome them.

quote:

Originally posted by Whistler:
Surprised insurance isn't necessary. They must all be good drivers. Still, costs less that way.

Has nothing to do with necessity or quality of drivers, has everything to do with the cost of the insurance vs. actually getting paid for a claim. I know several people who have filed claims on postal insurance and finally given up because of too much hassle.

quote:

Originally posted by m0loch:
I know several people who have filed claims on postal insurance and finally given up because of too much hassle.

ug. been there done that. gave up.

quote:

Originally posted by Skimaxpower:

quote:

Originally posted by m0loch:
I know several people who have filed claims on postal insurance and finally given up because of too much hassle.

ug. been there done that. gave up.

That's probably how they (insurance cos.) make their profit - diddle the poor bloke out of what's owed him. Greedy blighters aren't they?

Food stuffs need a "prior notice" packing slip from the Food and Drug Administration. (My sister has to get one to send me Swiss chocolate!) It is so freaking complicated, I had to call the FDA and have them walk me through it step-by-step. It took half an hour; then another two while I tried to set one up on my own, simultaneously writing a manual. - I know, I could buy Swiss chocolate here, but not the kind I love, and not the other culinary delights my dear sister sends me every Christmas.

If anyone is in need of my "manual", email me at: ask@YourSafariExpert.com.

I'm in Canada, which is a bit different, but I send food stuff to the US all the time (anything purchased and packaged is just fine. I send chocolate bars regularly!)

What they don't like is anything that was once alive... (plants/etc). One package that customs did their worst with ended up with an item "quarantined" (it was a gag gift for a friend's birthday: a "roll in the hay", and it was a Tootsie Roll chocolate in a piece of hay... the Tootsie Roll made it through just fine, but the hay got stuck at the border!)

I respectfully disagree. Perhaps sending "packaged" food stuff from Canada is ok, but I know that my sister has to have a 'Prior Notice for Mailing' from the Food and Drug Administration even for chocolate, etc. It is not a matter of arriving here in America; it's a matter of the parcel even being accepted at the postal office in Switzerland (forced by US regulation).