lao-ocean-girl

I wanted to inform people about a service by the United States Post Office that most people don’t know about.  It’s a very cheap way for people in the United States to send books or magazines internationally.  There is no longer an 11 pound minimum to send a package, but you’ll still get charged for 11 pounds of postage, even if you’re sending 2 pounds of books.

In December 2006, I sent about 45 pounds of books to myself in Korea for about $1/pound.  If I had sent it through normal means, it would have cost me $198.16!   (The weight limit for the cheaper ‘First Class Mail’ is 4 pounds)  I carefully placed the books in a sturdy box, wrapped groups of books in bubble wrap, and made sure contents wouldn’t shift.  When I got to the post office, this box was placed into an “M-bag,” which was just a big sturdy plastic bag.  I filled out the forms, and off it went.  I received the books in exactly 6 weeks.

261.1 General

Direct sacks of printed matter to a single foreign addressee, which are also known as M–bags, are subject to the following conditions of mailing:

1. Maximum weight: 66 pounds (including the tare weight of the sack).
2. Availability: All destinations that are referenced in the Individual Country Listings.
3. Identification: PS Tag 158, M–Bag Addressee Tag, must be completed and attached to the neck of the sack.
4. Postage: The applicable airmail or International Surface Air Lift (ISAL) postage must be affixed to PS Tag 158.
5. Extra services: Certificate of mailing is available. Registry and insurance are not available.

261.21 Printed Matter

Printed matter is admissible in M–bags. Printed matter is defined as paper on which words, letters, characters, figures, images, or any combination thereof, not having the character of a bill or statement of account, or of actual or personal correspondence, have been reproduced by any process other than handwriting or typewriting. Articles that meet the printed matter definition include newspapers, magazines, journals, books, sheet music, catalogues, directories, commercial advertising, and promotional matter.

The postal service has recently raised their prices for M-Bags (by a lot) to South Korea, and internationally, but it’s still the cheapest way to mail lots of books or magazines overseas:

[USPS International Mail Manual]