Friend posting things to my parents house

Makeup. Clothing brands. Hobby stuff. Specific British things (flags). Sporting stuff specific to the UK (football jersey). Shoes. Perfumes. Etc etc etc. the list doesn’t have to be sinister or I’ll intended.

Sometimes you just can’t get things in one country you can get in another. I live abroad and it’s the little things that matter. There doesn’t have to be a sinister reason.

That's what I thought.

"Friend - unfortunately you need to stop using my parents' address for parcels. There have been too many and it's too much for them to manage, so they won't be able to accept any more. Also, we probably won't have room in the luggage to bring everything back - which parcels do you want to return and we can discuss reimbursement for any return fees? Oh, and just checking you're aware DH and I will have to open anything we bring back due to taking it through customs?"

CF. No time for this sort of crap. She's not a friend, she's a user.

"... She asked me a couple of weeks ago if she could order something online from the UK which can only be delivered to a UK address and if she could get it posted to my parents house and I could collect it for her when we are all over at easter..."

I'd have said "No" straightaway. Why does she need to have stuff dlivered to your parents house rather than to her home in france?

Tell her to jog on

I hope you’ve spoken to her and have said you will only bring back the 4 - how dare she use your parents like a postbox!! Dont ever allow this again. Your poor parents.

If they are legal to send from uk to france, tell dfriend that you will post them when you are in the UK.
If they are not legal to post, you certainly are nor taking them through an airport!

I'm struggling to think of anything too.
The only things I can come up with are
1food stuffs.
2Plant seeds.
3Artisan UK made stuff with small businesses who don't want to deal with export laws.
4 Alcohol/tobacco

1 & 2 are potentially illegal
3 & 4 will have duty on it.

The CF friend is Canadian.
There's bound to be a canoe

How big are these packages?
You need to tell her ‘No more. And will have to see if they fit in your luggage, unpackaged, before being sure of bringing them back.”

I can't imagine what is being ordered that can't be delivered direct to France without inconvenience to anyone.
We use Amazon. Fr to buy and ship to family in France.
What about stuff you want to bring back?

Can't believe you agreed to do this. What if the airline lose them? 😉

God, I miss the EU!

That's really taking the piss. I would NOT bring them all back. She can arrange to have them collected from your parents. I would be tempted to only take 1 as that's what you agreed. How dare she take advantage of your luggage space, put you in a difficult position with customs and force so many parcels on you? A true, bona-fide CF!!!

Get parents to return to sender. How do you know not drugs?

for me i make sure to ask as its good manners

@GarlicStyle

Or five pieces of jewellery, tech or designer clothes. Not too big but liable for import duty and, potentially, tax.

Yep, agreed, hence my comment/hint up thread about personal allowance (?€430)…an allowance that theory at least you only get for items you have bought for yourself or are planning to give as gifts.

It’s quite possible the friend is trying to do a bit of an end run around duty charges on goods shipped UK>France and in the unlikely event the OP gets rummaged by the Douane and they find high value items the OP will have to face the consequences.

If you have to bring them I'd be asking her now what's in them and if there will be anything to pay, and make a decision on what to do.

Don't spoil the first few days at your parents opening the parcels and worrying what the consequences will be.

Please note that my previous post stated there instead of their and it may have been due to the rage I felt on the OP's behalf! 😂

Or five pieces of jewellery, tech or designer clothes. Not too big but liable for import duty and, potentially, tax. There's got to be a reason the 'friend' couldn't have the things delivered to France, and it's going to be that she wouldn't pay charges.

this is like Benji on the ‘three words’ advert, currently on Youtube

Friend of mine kept doing this when I flew to the uk, my parents are lovely people who would help anyone but even they were pissed by the end 😂

The last time she did it I told her to let me know the order if importance of the items because I had only planned space for the 1 item and didn’t know if I could bring back all 5. She told me the order but said she desperately needed them all. I left 2 behind to teach her a lesson and she had to wait 3m til I went back for the rest. Didn’t ask again

Tell her that you can only fit the original 3 in your luggage so you'll return the rest.

You only agreed to one thing. She expanded that first order into three things without asking, and has now separately added three more, ditto. I'd be inclined to tell her you'll bring the first item that you agreed to and the rest will be returned.

You have a CCF (Canadian cheeky fucker)
Can I suggest you don't bring any of their stuff via your luggage but instead box it/bag it and post it to her, on her money obviously.
Get her to give you the money before you leave France or her stuff goes to the charity shop/bin.
I definitely wouldn't be bringing back stuff. Not like a few packs of baccy from your hols!!
'Please quit with your parcels to my parents house. They are not your personal PO address' should do it