I need to send something to my family in the USA from here in India. I have never sent anything abroad and need help with it. I would like to know what the procedures are? Where to ship the product from? How much it would cost?
Hello, @Mukesh! Welcome to the forum! There are two ways of approaching this: either sending your item to the USA through the India Post or sending your item to the USA through a private courier. So first, we have the India Post and they have this service called Speed Post. This service is available all over the country and also in about 99 more countries, including the USA. There are different rates for this though, depending on the weight of your parcel and whether it's just a document or merchandise. But here is a breakdown of the costs: Speed Post Rates from India to USA Parcel TypeFor First 250 Grams or 0.25 KilogramFor Every Additional 250 Grams or 0.25 KilogramDocumentsRs. 585Rs. 165MerchandiseRs. 585Rs. 165 You can send items up to 30 kilograms in weight with this service. They also have other services, like the Ordinary Post and Registered Post. But I won't recommend these two as they take a long time to reach the destination of the parcel, maybe about 15 days to 1 month. On the other hand, Speed Post takes a minimum of 8 days only. Rates for Speed Post are higher though but still considerably lower than private couriers. Plus, you can track your parcel through the internet when you use Speed Post which you cannot do with Ordinary Post. However, Registered Post does have a tracking system too and it's cheaper than Speed Post. So if you don't mind the long wait, you can utilise this service instead of the Speed Post service. If you're interested in this service, read on for the procedures you need to follow to send an item from India to the USA via Speed Post. But actually, these steps can be used for all the services mentioned above, whether it's Ordinary Post, Registered Post or Speed Post. So let's begin: Steps for Sending Item from India to USA by Speed Post Go to the nearest Post Office of India Post to you and inquire for the Speed Post service. Show them your items and then they will weigh it right in front of you. Once weighed, they will calculate the rate for the package and then wrap it in front of you as well. You would be asked to fill out a simple customs form. By this time, you also need to write the to and from address on the package's box so that it is easily distinguishable. Pay the required fees and your package would be registered in their computer for Speed Post. The staff would put a barcode sticker and a copy of the registration slip into the package. Then, you would be given the other registration slip that you need to keep for reference. You can track your package online, through the India Post site. But this is only until the package reaches the port of entry into the USA. Once the package reaches the port of entry in the USA, you have to use the United States Postal Service tracking site to know the whereabouts of your package. So keep note of the barcode given in the registration slip as this is what you need for tracking your package. Once the package reaches the destination, the one it was addressed to should be home and provide an identification card to show to the delivery men. He would be asked to sign in the form and the package would be released to him. Now, we go to the other way, which is through a private courier service. There are many private courier services in the country, with the bigger names like DHL and FedEx leading the pack. Rates are considerably higher for these though but the good thing about them is that they usually reach the destination in the depicted time. Here are the different rates for the different private couriers available in India: Private Courier Rates from India to USA Weight in KilogramsDHL RatesFedEx Rates0.5 KilogramRs. 3,073Rs. 3,2825 KilogramsRs. 7,231Rs. 9,38910 KilogramsRs. 10,971Rs. 13,94515 KilogramsRs. 14, 221Rs. 19,34420 KilogramsRs. 17,471Rs. 20,86025 KilogramsRs. 21,971Rs. 20,86030 KilogramsRs. 26,471Rs. 24,625 If you'd like your package to be delivered in as little as a day or two, there are additional charges for that. But for these private courier companies, delivery time is usually the same as the Speed Post service of India Post. Delays are rare though since you are paying higher for the delivery of your package. Here are the steps in sending a package from India to USA using these private courier companies: Steps for Sending Item from India to USA by Private Courier Choose which private courier company you'd like to use. Whichever you choose, it's more practical to open an account with them (with DHL, it's mandatory) so that you get the most out of their services. Once you have done this, it's also easier to keep track of your package. So go to the website of your preferred courier service and register an account, read through the steps and guidelines provided by the company as well. You can opt to have your package picked up by the courier company or you can choose to send it there yourself. Either way works though but you can see the package packed right in front of you when you go to the office of the company itself. So choose one company and go to the nearest office to you. Now, pack your package accordingly. You can either get the help of the company and they would wrap the package for you or pack the package yourself. Boxes are sometimes included in the rate but if you provide your own box, then that's a minus to your expenses. Make sure to watch online videos of how to pack your package properly for it to reach the destination safely. Now, fill out the the pro forma invoice if your package won't be sold commercially or the commercial invoice if the package would be sold commercially. Also complete the customs form given to you by the company and include the necessary details like where the package needs to go to and who would receive it. Your package would be ready to be shipped by now and you can track it online through the website of the private courier company. Once it reaches the destination, have the person written in the form be there and prepare an identification card to receive the package. There you go, I hope this helps and answers all your queries. Good luck!
