Hi Dawn, In my experience, trying to deal with a foreign customs agency directly is a futile effort. If you write to them, one of two things is likely to happen. First - nothing. That has usually been my experience. Or secondly, you get a form letter several months later saying they have no record of the parcel. Just trying to deal with domestic customs can be a nightmare (as the recent pen discussion illustrates). The problem is - there is no way of knowing how far the parcel got, unless it is registered. Much mail going to Italy and other Mediterranean countries from the United States gets flown into Spain first, or sometimes France, and is then transferred to another plane headed for the country of destination. So, a holdup could occur in the country of origin, or in the country of destination, or at some intermediate transfer point. Seven weeks is longer than airmail should take, but I wouldn't give up yet - I have seen airmail parcels take considerably longer than that. When a parcel is registered, it has to be signed for at each transfer point, so it is much easier to trace. Also, your mention of possibly being "scammed" brings up the other advantage of using registered mail. Let's face it - sadly, not everyone is honest, even though the vast majority of shell folks I have dealt with have been. A registered parcel has to be signed for, by the addressee, at the time of delivery. Therefore, a potentially dishonest person, having provided hard evidence that he did receive the parcel, is not likely to claim that he didn't. If you really want solid evidence of delivery, ask for a return receipt at the time you mail the parcel. This is a postcard which is attached to the parcel. The addressee has to sign the postcard in order to get the parcel, and the postcard is then removed from the parcel, and immediately mailed back to you. Regards, Paul M. Rhode Island