Shipping from Brussels to US-Details

The more he can get on the airplane... The better. Also, it might be cheaper to buy a cheap back and pack for luggage on the plane. Usually $75 or $100 to get an extra bag on the plane. Find a cheap bag and pack properly, and that could be the best route. Easier to get beer through airport than the post office


Otherwise, it is like shipping beer in the states. Would probably cost aroun $150ish if not more to ship that amount of beer.

 

http://www.bpost.be/site/nl/residential/parcels/international/kilopostint.html

Here you can see the costs for shipments Chris. A lot of money for 30 kilo....130 euro!

 

That is Bpost , Belgian post compagny

Cheaper option is to ship from Germany

 

The cheaper options have been having trouble recently with customs, BPost has not been having as many problems, something to keep in mind.

 

I just flew back from Brussels to Montreal, In addition to our bags being full of beer & chocolate I have (2) additional 12 bottle styro-shipper full. It cost me 150 euros and both boxes were in the just under 25kilo range. (Air Canada). No one can beat that price, plus no customs issues.

 

If you must ship, Belgian post (the bpost referred to above) is probably your only viable choice, as the express air shippers will probably demand invoices and commercial treatment. Not specifically beer but I've had problems with other contents. I sent a big box of not more than 15 pounds and it was 65 euros. So, agreed with the above, a suitcase is probably cheaper for you.

 

Ah, sorry, I thought you meant in as in visiting at the moment. The most recent problem I had, by the way, was shipping via UPS. It was 260-something euros to the states, where it made it as far as customs, was rejected THERE for lack of an invoice, and sent back -- at my expense, around 100 euros. That outlay was very painful for the box to make it onto US soil and then come back. A few years earlier, as I recall, another of the shipping companies rejected something because I had no invoice to include. Tricky business.

 

Hey man! Did you bring the shippers out there with you?

 

so on the question of airplane travel and extra luggage, what about customs getting into the states? do you not declare any of the beer and hope for the best for not getting checked? or did you pay duties on all of it? i'm looking at options also, as i'll be in belgium next week and most likely wanting to take some goodies back home with me too!

 

There are some other recent threads that touch on customs and duty, have a look and post back here if you don't see it. I find it hair-pullingly frustrating to get definitive information on this.

 

My wife and I just came back from Belgium with a lot of beer, nearly four cases worth. Customs agent only seemed concerned that it wasn't liquor. I wrote value on my declaration form at $300 (which was a little less than reality). No duties, additional paperwork or problems.

 

declare it. there is absolutely nothing illegal or immoral about bringing beer back with you for personal consumption. worst case, you pay a couple dollars in duty.

edit: people drastically overestimate just how much duty really is. it is a tiny fraction of the cost of the beer.

 

How were you able to pack that much beer? Was some in your luggage and some in 12 shipper boxes? I am going to Belgium next year and would like to bring back as much as possible. Thanks

 

We checked three pieces of luggage coming back. One was an REI upright suitcase that held a full case of 750's in the base plus two six pack of 12-oz bottles on top (Westy 12 and 8). If you're really interested, I'm sure I could find the model number. But it's a big suit case with wheels and a handle that extends up out of the back. We bought it at an used gear sale and it works great to carry a case+ and clothes. Then we had checked/carried over a wine carrier. It was basically a canvas suitcase with wheels that held a cardboard box and styro-shipper, much like we use to ship beer to/from each other. Finally, I bought a cheap-o suit case/duffel bag that just (and I mean just!) held a Cantillon wood crate. In that, I packed nearly a case of beer. Between the three bags, we got 52 actual bottles of beer and whiskey (176 pounds total). Now, we were flying business class on points on United, so could check two 70-lb bags each. So that may be differenty for you, but it worked just fine for us.

The odd thing. We flew into Chicago from Brussels. In Chicago, you go threw customs before you've picked up your checked in luggage. So the customs guy didn't see our luggage when evaluating our declaration form. Then when we passed through the second check, they only seemed concerned that our picture matched our passport. So not saying you won't get checked. But for us, they really didn't seem to care that I was carrying 175 pounds of beer into the country. Your experience may be different, but it really didn't seem to be a big deal at all.

 

Not this time, I have friends(or so I think) in The Netherlands who took care of me.

 

Seriously, don't worry about it, declare it all. No joke, I brought a shitload back and no one said a word. I must admit that I did not tell them about the 5 kilos of unpastuerized cheese in the same luggage.