Sending a large box to the states

Hello,
 I am going to be going on a trip for a month when my contract is up and want to send a large amount of my stuff home so I dont have to pay for it on flights and storage or lug it around with me. I was wondering if any one has any suggestions or experience going through a certain company or the postal service that they would recommend using to ship stuff back to America?? Anything helps, Thanks!!

Hi,
If all your stuff can fit into boxes - your best bet is to go to your local post office. I have shipped many things back home by surface mail. It can take up to 3 months, but usually takes 2 months or less. The cost for me from Korea to Canada was about a third of the price for shipping from Canada to Korea. Very reasonable! They even have boxes in about 4 different sizes at the post office. The most expensive being 1,500 Won, or so. They have tape provided and they even help you put the boxes together and pack them to.
That's what I would recommend.

Hope this helps!

That is exactly what I did as well. If i remember correctly, the limit is about 22kg per box so keep that in mind when you are sending stuff. I sent about 5 years worth of stuff home and I think about 5 or 6 boxes close to the limit and it maybe cost 300,000 won to send everything. The boxes arrived in Canada almost exactly 2 months after sending them.

I just sent some clothes home that I am not wearng here. I sent a box of 11kg and 8 kg.  both were done by ship and the total cost was 44,000.  It was so cheap.  And the people at the post office speak enough English to make it very easy.  Make sure you tell them ship and not air.  EMS is air and it is a lot mroe expensive. 

I sent some stuff home after my first time here.  Make sure you tape your boxes really well.  When I sent two boxes, it arrived two months later with three sides of each box squished open and the stuff falling out.  Needless to say, they were delivered in a mail basket. The third box I sent at the same time was labelled fragile (dishes) and it just took maybe one week longer but it arrived in perfect condition.  My mail office here would only allow 18kg per package and the grand total for three was about 110,000원. Good luck with shipping your stuff!

Just wanted to know if any of you insured the packages?

I did not insure my packages.  But I think they gave me 100,000 won of insurance anyways.  But I did not pay for it.  It might come standard.

I sent 3 huge boxes home bt may and june and all have arrived safely, super cheap like 20-25 bucks,. no insurance, i think korea it totally reliable!

just to add my two cents: I just sent 10 full sized, u-haul style boxes to the states. The max was 22kilograms per box at about 28 000 원 a pop. The price for an underweight box was negligible. I sent a few that were 1.3 kilograms for 25 000 원 each. If you're second guessing the weight, pack it a bit heavier and take out what you can at the post office.

Another tip, go to the post office when there's hardly anyone there and the kind people behind the counter might help you pack the boxes to the top of each weight. I saved a lot of money this way because originally all of my 12 boxes were underweight. They changed that to 10 full ones in less than 15 minutes. They helped make everything fit perfectly in 8 boxes and slightly under weight in 2 and I walked away happy with some spare changed and two empty boxes. Best of luck!

@matthew254: i just want to make sure i have it right... the max is only 2 kg (5 pounds)?  Or did you mean to say 22 kg?  Thanks! 

I just got boxes last week at my post office.  They gave me the size 5 box, which isn't all that big, but they said 20kg!

As others have said, there are various box sizes at the post office. Last year I spent a lot of time packing up the biggest of these boxes. When I tried to mail it they said that the box was too big to send by surface mail to America. I had to unpack the box and put all my stuff into two boxes (second from the biggest). Each box was about 30-35,000 won. It took about 3 months for my stuff to get to my hometown in Pennsylvania. Some were pretty beat up, but all my stuff made it. NOTE: Write your name, address, and phone number on the actual box in black marker. Don't depend on the slip from the Koreans that gets taped on top. Some of the labels on my boxes were almost completely ripped off.

What about the sizing, do you have to use their boxes? I'm intending to ship my Synth (keyboard) home, it weighs about 11 kgs. I don't care about the price I just want it home in one piece.

Does anyone know how taxes/duties might work? When I go home (from Korea, to the UK), I want to ship a TV with me. I want to know if I'm going to get nailed by taxes/duties or any other charges.

@ EdenB, I am taking my TV to the UK and this is all I have found out,

"People Moving or Returning to the UK
If you’re moving or returning to the UK (including British subjects) from outside the EU, you can import your belongings free of duty and tax provided you’ve lived at least 12 months outside the EU. Your possessions must have been used for at least six months outside the EU before being imported. Tax and duty must have been paid on all items being imported (this isn’t applicable to diplomats, members of officially recognised international organisations, members of NATO or British forces and their spouses, and any civilian staff accompanying them). Articles must be for your personal use, must be declared to customs, and you mustn’t sell, lend, hire out, or otherwise dispose of them in the UK (or elsewhere in the EU) within 12 months, without customs authorisation."

http://www.justlanded.com/english/UK/Articles/Visas-Permits/Customs

Just an update for those curious. Like previously mentioned, I shipped about a dozen boxes and predictably they took a little over a month to get to the states. However, one was lost completely and was last tracked in Busan. My wife called the company but all we could get was a small compensation that was hardly worth the effort. I didn't think this would happen but sure enough it did.

Also, two of my boxes came packaged in new generic boxes with my old, beatup ones taped up inside. Most of my stuff was in there but also some other contents clearly from Japan were mixed in. So while most people get their things just fine, two of my boxes came with most of their stuff plus someone else's and one of my boxes went missing entirely.

In related news, if you were a size zero in Japanese skinny jeans, I have your fashion magazines, uncooked noodles and Hawaii souvenir picture frame. Sorry.

Does anyone know how taxes/duties might work? When I go home (from Korea, to the UK), I want to ship a TV with me. I want to know if I'm going to get nailed by taxes/duties or any other charges.

Your telly's not going to work in the UK mate. They use NTSC we have PAL. Unless you want to take it for sentimental reasons

Your telly's not going to work in the UK mate. They use NTSC we have PAL. Unless you want to take it for sentimental reasons

Thanks for the warning. It'll work though. It's actually a PAL compatible TV I got so I could use my consoles and stuff.

Has anyone used a source different from the post office?  I want to send home my mac while I backpack and really don't want to gamble with the post office. 

i sent lots of stuff to the usa via the korea post.  all of it went OK, except for this box that i packed incorrectly.  there were heavy books on the bottom and light things on top, the books crushed the lighter things and tore open the box.

my friend mailed his laptop UPS or some such from busan to toronto.  it was a huge pain in the ass because he had to schedule a pickup time with a korean speaking delivery man, who had the exact opposite increments of available time.  when he finally got it picked up (i think it took about two weeks), they sent it back because he didnt take the battery out, so he had to repack it and wait again.  it wasnt cheap, but i think it got there safely.