Cheap shipping from the US to Japan?

Question

OK, the United States Post Office doesn't do sea mail anymore -- no surface mail to Japan. How do you get a box of household goods (say, some Corelle dishes and silverware, and maybe other stuff) from the US to Japan for a reasonable price? Do you have to live in a big city like Chicago or Houston? By reasonable price, I mean less than $100 for a big, heavy box (big being maybe like a box the supermarkets use for fruit, heavy being 40 or 50 pounds).

I am not finding much information at all through search engines -- any links would be very helpful!

Also, what do you do if you're shipping from a tiny town, like, say, Wahoo, Nebraska? Or Colby, Kansas?

LOL! Smuggling is not cost effective -- somebody has to buy a plane ticket, and you're only allowed two big bags for free. Which works out to what, $500 to $700 a bag? Nice try though.

I have relatives in the States who want to send Christmas packages with brownie mixes and American cheese -- and I'd love to get them! I'm afraid we don't have any special connections with the military or the foreign service, so sending it via embassy mail wouldn't work, either.

Don't let me trample your ideas, though -- even silly ideas might give someone the seed of an idea that would work.

Answer 1

I would try UPS. I think they are the cheapest internationally.. or DHL.

Answer 2

Cheap Shipping To Japan

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Cheap shipping from the US to Japan?
OK, the United States Post Office doesn't do sea mail anymore -- no surface mail to Japan. How do you get a box of household goods (say, some Corelle dishes and silverware, and maybe other stuff) from the US to Japan for a reasonable price? Do you have to live in a big city like Chicago or...

Answer 4

Well, if you know anyone in the military living in Japan, you could ship it to a military APO address. It is basically the same as shipping within the US...it gets shipped to California (usually) and the military postal service takes it from there...you'd probably have to ship it as a Parcel which takes a long time (like 2-4 weeks)...otherwise, I'm not sure! Best of luck!

Answer 5

I've been trying to find cheaper rates as well. Unfortunately, after weeks of searching I've found nothing cheaper than DHL and they charge quite a bit for small packages. for about a 20 lb box that is 20x20x20 it's going to cost you about $175-$200. The military advice above is likely the best option if you have it available to you.

Answer 6

First find the weight of each box and then your best option would be flat rate boxes and if it's a lot of books/documents she can ship it Media Mail which is much more cheaper.

Answer 7

Smuggling!!