Sending a Christmas parcel from England to Oz.

I am a Mom in England whose son is spending a year in Australia and I want to send him a few gifts so he will have something to open from home on Christmas morning.

It seems there are a lot of restrictions on what can and cannot be accepted into Australia from abroad.

Am I correct in thinking that if I include some chocolate and a few sweets that this will require quarantine and will incur an extra charge at the other end?

What sort of items are acceptable for me to send? What do your relatives send to you without any problem?

Thanks in anticipation of your responses.

I have sent chocolate to oz with birthday cards and just told the post office it was a present, no extra charges incurred. I think it is things like fresh herbs etc they have problems. if you look on customs website i am sure there will be a list of what can't be sent.

Sarah

Chocolate and lollies in their manufacturers sealed packets should be fine. They shouldnt be quarantined but may be inspected. Just make sure you declare it fully and as the pp says no growing plants or seeds that could be germinated.

We have had care packs with candy from the USA sent as gifts with no extra charges or problems.

Its tough when your kids are the other side of the world, big boys or not!

I have sent sweets - last year I included an oversized box of tictacs (they had a funny package design) and after I posted them I worried as they might look dodgy on an X-ray - anyway they were declared as tictacs! And no problems. I always write exactly what is in a a package as I worry about not doing it properly, but I know lots of people just write gift and t is also fine. We have been sending xmas gifts to oz for four years and have never had anything quarantined or charged.

In fact I just remembered that we sent a parcel of tea from Darjeeling (india) which also passed through quarantine - although they did open the package! Tea he! X

Thanks for your replies, it is put my mind at rest that I will be able to include these items without any problem. It does seem a shame that you have to write on the parcel exactly what's inside thus spoiling the surprise for the recipient but if that's what you have to do then so be it.

Yes, indeed it is very hard having a child on the other side of the world. It will be the first time we will not have spent Xmas together and it will feel very strange. Thank goodness for Skype!

Bear in mind that December in Australia is pretty hot - a friend sent me chocolates from the UK and they wound up on my doorstep as a gourmet amorphous blob....we turned it into a mousse haha

Thanks for that thought but it's too late now, parcel went off today. My God it's not cheap to send to Oz is it? He won't be getting many presents!

In my experince yes - posting stuff privately can be prohibitive, getting postage included when shopping online, can frequently be the far better option.

When you add in insurance, the time to shop, go to the post office, parcel it up etc.

I'd be tempted to look at online stores that ship over to Australia.

ie JJB is £5, Debenhams for example does it for £14.

I cant make head nor tale of the PO charges to be honest.

http://c435158.r58.cf3.rackcdn.com/RMLT13%20Price%20Guide_4%20April%202011.pdf