I agree with Paul 100% and I just want to add my two centavos of Real (the
Brazilian currency - that after all this financial storm is much more
"unReal" than "Real").
 
Register your package. It is cheap and will also turn it difficult to make
your package disappear or be opened by a thief. Don't forget that the
American mail maybe the best one (in fact it is not) in the world, but your
package will be handled by several other country mails. It is not common,
but sometimes a parcel may disappear. In these cases the registration number
will help to trace the package path. And it will also be a "proof" to your
buddy that the parcel was sent. 
 
Another hint: package your shells very very carefully. Sometimes the boxes I
send arrive completely damaged, but fortunately I never had a shell broken.
 
And Paul, don't even think to write "1 bomb" in the green label. At least in
Brazil they read each label, trying to find more items to pay customs fees.
I don't know if a bomb would be considered an import item, but it surely
would put the package under suspicion.  ;-))
 
All the best,
 
Eduardo
Brasilia, Brazil
 
----------
De:  Paul Monfils [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
<mailto:[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]> 
Enviada em:  Quinta-feira, 11 de Março de 1999 14:14
Para:  [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> 
Assunto:  [CONCH-L] Shipping shells out of USA. -Reply
 
Aydin, I've always been tempted to write "1 bomb" on the customs
declaration, just to see if anyone actually reads the things.  Never had the
nerve though.  I don't look good in stripes.  Sam, you should normally have
no problems sending non-protected shells out of the country.  By "normally"
I mean in the absence of some unusual situation like a war or a postal
strike in the country of destination.  I send parcels out of the country
frequently.  Naturally, they should be well packed, in a strong carton which
is in good condition.  If the bottom flaps of the carton are not glued, glue
them.  It doesn't hurt to also run a bead of glue up the corner seam.  Tape
the box well with package sealing tape.  Print the address clearly, directly
on the box, with an indelible marker.  Don't use any kind of stick-on labels
- they can fall off or be torn off.  Don't use an outer paper wrapper over
the box - again it can be torn off.  And don't tie the box up with cord or
rope - this is no longer allowed.  If the parcel is not very large or heavy,
I recommend using the "air mail small packet" rate.  It is fast, safe, and
not too expensive.  Also, small packets are rarely opened by customs.
Unlike Aydin, I have never sent a parcel outside the country without being
required to fill out the appropriate customs declarations.  For items sent
under the small packet rate, all that is required is a little green sticker
that takes about 15 seconds to fill out.  In the contents section, write
"sea shells for scientific study".  In the value section write 0 (zero)
(otherwise the recipient may have to pay import fees on the declared value).
In the little boxes at the bottom, check off "gift".  That's all there is to
it.  Of course, if the shells you are sending are monetarily valuable, and
you want to insure the parcel, then you have to declare the actual value,
and the recipient will have to pay the fees.  Sorry, I don't have the
specific size and weight limits handy for small packet service, but it can
be used for a fairly average size box, not just tiny things.  For larger
boxes you will have to choose between air parcel post and surface mail.  Air
PP is rather expensive.  Surface mail is S L O W, and has a greater risk of
loss or damage.  For both of these, a longer customs declaration is needed,
but still no big deal - takes maybe 2 minutes to fill out.  You have to fill
in the name and address of the sender and the addressee, plus the same
information needed for the small packet sticker (which should be filled in
as noted above).  Small packet to Europe takes 1 to 2 weeks, average 10
days.  To the western Pacific area, average 2 weeks.  Surface mail can take
2 months or longer, depending on how many other ports the ship is going to,
and how long it remains in each port before moving on.  In the past year I
have sent about 40 parcels to 16 different countries, and all have arrived
safely.
Regards,
Paul Monfils
Rhode Island