Holiday gift shipping: pro tips!

It's that time of year when people are getting all kinds of parcels on their doorsteps, and when surprises are very easily spoiled. So:

1) If you're shipping an unwrapped gift, make it obvious to the recipient right on the shipping label. The USPS will usually deliver as long as the address and zip code are correct, and often if the surname is correct. So, using the Renlund surname as an example, you could send the gift to "U G Renlund" (for "Unwrapped Gift") at the usual address. For a specific occasion you could send to "B D Renlund" (birthday) or "S C Renlund" ("Santa Claus," for Christmas). Or if you're worried all these are too obvious and might lead to mail theft, pick a fake first name that everyone in the family knows means "unwrapped gift inside," such as "Aloysius Renlund." This trick works whether you're packing the box yourself or sending it directly from a website or other retailer.

2) In conjunction with the previous tip: sending gifts directly from a retailer to multiple people in one household? Have a confederate in that household who likes to wrap gifts and is willing to help? Ask that person to receive and wrap the gifts as they arrive. Of course, you should gift-wrap (or pay the retailer to gift-wrap) the present you're sending to your confederate so as not to spoil the surprise for them; it's not much fun to wrap a gift for oneself. And of course, you should be willing to wrap incoming gifts to your household in return. But doing it this way means each of you pays for just one gift wrap while getting all the other presents wrapped. And at the end of the holidays, you won't have to get rid of, say, a pile of tatty Amazon gift bags.

3) Pack tight. A well-packed parcel should be solid. You want to be able to shake the box and not hear anything rattle around. The looser the packing, the more likely the item inside will get shaken up and damaged in transit. Also, shield your wrapped gifts with bubble wrap so the wrapping paper won't rub up against packing peanuts (or other box filler) and rip itself to shreds.

4) If you are packing a gift for shipment, always, always, ALWAYS print the recipient's name and address on a piece of paper and put it inside the box! If the box is damaged or the label becomes unreadable, this information can give the USPS or other parcel carriers the hint they need to get a damaged parcel to its proper destination.

5) If you're sending a gift to a friend overseas, consider finding an online retailer in your friend's country, buying the gift online and having the local retailer send the package directly to your friend. This bypasses the hassle of dealing with customs forms, paying a premium in shipping costs and requiring your friend to pay any duties on the parcel. Big companies like Amazon have localized websites in the UK, Canada, Germany, Japan, etc., as do many other businesses both large and small. All you need is a method of payment the website will accept, and most credit card companies will convert your payment to the local currency for a nominal fee.

For example, if I wanted to send a book to Gretel in the UK, instead of buying a book in the US and mailing it to the UK, I could go to amazon.co.uk, find a copy of the book there, pay for it with a credit card and have it mailed directly to her. It would arrive in a matter of days rather than multiple weeks, and she wouldn't have to pay any duties on it as an imported good.

What are your best tips for holiday gift shipping? Please share!