Sending Your Mail with International Stamps

• 1). Determine the country to which you wish to send mail. Postal rates vary not only according to the weight of the item and the speed of desired delivery, but also the distance of the destination country from the United States. In other words, it costs more to mail an item to the United Arab Emirates than to Canada.
  
  
• 2). Consider what you wish to mail. You can mail anything from a postcard to a large parcel. The USPS has a standard list of items that it is illegal for Americans to mail, but different countries have their own customs regulations. You can use the USPS Global Express Guaranteed Service Guide online or at your post office to determine that you are not shipping a parcel whose contents are totally legal to mail from the United States but illegal to import into a foreign country.
  
  
• 3). Determine the size, weight and value of the item you wish to mail. If you are sending a parcel, it must weigh less than 70 pounds, its combined length and diameter must be less than 108 inches, and it must be valued at less than $2,500.
  
  
• 4). Choose whether to post your mail in your own envelope or package or to purchase a flat-rate envelope or box provided by the USPS. If it is a parcel, pack the item you will be mailing securely to protect it during shipping. If it is fragile, label it as fragile.
  
  
• 5). Take your mail to your local post office. Fill out a customs form and speak with the clerk to determine whether you will send your letter or parcel by air or surface shipping. If you are sending your mail by air, purchase enough international stamps to cover the mailing cost. If you decide to send it by surface mail, you cannot use international stamps, but you can still use first-class, pre-canceled and non-denominated stamps not restricted to domestic use. Affix the stamps and mail your package.