I don't know which option to choose. Can you give me some advice?

I suggest Priority Mail but I understand that the higher cost might not make sense for smaller items. In my experience, it heavily depends which country it is being shipped to. I've seen packages move very quickly to Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Germany, France, Great Britain and Australia can sometimes take 2-3 weeks. Canada and Italy are usually the slowest with packages taking 3-4 weeks. These are not hard rules, just my experience based on a few thousand packages over the last few years. Regardless of location, you need to be prepared to wait if you choose First Class Mail.

What factors can cause delays?

In my experience, delays are often caused by customs departments. All countries vary in their speed at processing packages. Holidays can cause delay. Larger packages with more or higher priced items seem to require more attention. Delays and backlogs can also be caused by extreme weather as we've seen in Australia in the past year and labor disputes/strikes as we've seen in Canada. You can check the USPS for available service updates that may be causing delays.

Can I upgrade my shipping to get it even faster than Priority Mail?

Yes! Express Mail is available for a $5-$8 above Priority Mail pricing. It includes tracking and typically cuts the delivery time to 3-5 business days. If you'd like Express Shipping, contact me for actual rates.

Will you mark my package as a gift so I don't have to pay customs fees?

No. The fines for falsifying customs forms are quite expensive and in some cases include jail time. These penalties are the responsibility of the shipper so I'd rather not take the chance.

My package hasn't arrived yet. Do you have any advice?

Yes! If you package was sent a while ago, contact your post office and make sure they aren't holding if for you. International customers often have to pay fees to their government to import goods. Packages are held until these fees are paid and although you will typically get notification of a held package in the mail, that sometimes doesn't happen. Out of the small amount of packages I've had go missing, 75% of them show up back in the US simply because no one claimed them. I've seen this happen most often in Germany and the UK but it's possible anywhere.

I had my order shipped via First Class Mail and it hasn't arrived yet. As the shipper, do you have the ability to track it?

As noted here and when you completed your transaction, First Class Mail does not have tracking. I am unable to track a package that doesn't have tracking.

What are import fees? How much will it cost?

Import fees are set by your own government and are referred to as customs fees, duty, processing fees, VAT, etc. To get information on the costs associated with importing goods, contact your government or your post office. These fees are the responsibility of the importer.

How are the items shipped?

byrd & belle is very mindful of the packaging used to ship your items. Envelopes and boxes are are clean, crisp and new but always contain some measure of recycled material and they themselves are always recyclable. If you have a delivery location that is exposed to a lot of water/weather, let me know and I'll happily pack it in something more protective but for the most part, I try to avoid any plastics in my packaging.

What happens if my package is lost?

All packages are insured and claims on missing packages can be filed 45 days after ship date (60 days for packages to Italy). Refunds can be issued when insurance claims are filed. You will need to sign an insurance form asserting to the insurance company (U-Pic) that the goods were not received. If the claim is filed within 60 days of the purchase date, the money will be refunded. If the claim is filed more than 60 days after the purchase date, the money will be returned via Paypal.