To not send a gift to Switzerland

[Twocupsofteaplease]

I saw a book that I thought my friend would like to read. She lives in Switzerland so I thought I would pop it in the post. It isn't a birthday gift but I like to post little things to my friends if I see something that I think would they would like. £6.55 in stamps! Almost the same cost as the book itself (a small hardback, not a huge book)! I'm really shocked. Had no idea it was so expensive to post to CH. There's no AIBU really felt the need to express my shock.

Ok

Right well ok.....

Posting stuff is always expensive, has been for a while. When was the last time you posted something?

Did you ask at the post office what was the cheapest method to send the book? There used to be a printed matter category which used to be reasonably cheap, but with the changes in the post office charges not sure if it is still available.

London to Zurich is just under 600 miles if you drove. So depending where in the UK you are and where in Switzerland your friend is that works out to 1p per mile. Seems reasonable to me.

that's why many people order and pay for shops to deliver directly, amazon or others. It's cheaper than sending stuff yourself.

For bigger items, couriers work a lot cheaper than royal mail, I don't use them anymore for parcels.

have you tried book depository? they do free worldwide delivery

Did you speak to someone in the post office about cheapest options, or look into couriers?

Yep, shipping is expensive. Just suck it up and send it, it's lovely to receive gifts in the post!

When I'm sending books/CDs to Germany I buy them from Amazon.de. Have you tried that?

To a poster above, I regularly send parcels to friends across UK and the world. I just didn't expect that stamps for one small book would be so expensive. This was the cheapest option. I sent a book last week to a friend for 83p postage in UK. For the same price, I'm also able to send a small parcel of goods to Asia.

I'd already bought the book so sucked up the cost and sent in the end. Next time, I will use Amazon!
Whateverhappenedtome, I didn't realise this was possible. I will check this out for next time. Thanks for the tip!

Thought “sending a gift to Switzerland” was a euphemism for something

The Swiss also charge ridiculous import taxes to receive gifts from other countries. So it’ll cost your friend as well.

How much is it to order from Amazon and get it shipped to her directly?

You need amazon.de

For £6.55 you can post 500g of printed paper to Europe . How heavy is your book?

MrsFionaCharming I didn't know this! Hope not. I think what I've learnt is that Switzerland is just an expensive place to post to. Next time, will definitely stick to Amazon. I've now checked and they have cheaper postage than Royal Mail. On a plus note, I really think my friend will love the book. Thanks everyone. Lots of tips for next time!