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