Send olive oil abroad

Shipping olive oil abroad with City Sender works like any parcel: you enter the destination, weight and box dimensions, see prices and estimated delivery times from DHL, UPS, FedEx, ELTA Courier and others side by side, and book online. Prices are up to 60% lower than booking the same service directly with the courier.

Olive oil is sent by families to children and relatives living abroad, and by producers and e-shops to their customers. For pricing, note that one litre of olive oil weighs about 0.9 kg, so a 5-litre tin with its packaging comes to around 5 kg or more. Always weigh the parcel after packing.

Olive oil is not a dangerous good, but as a liquid it needs leak-proof, sturdy packaging. For containers up to 5 litres, wrap each one in several layers of bubble wrap and place it in a new five-ply (5-ply) cardboard box. If you are sending several tins, put them in the centre of the box with protection around the sides so they don't hit the walls. A metal tin holds up better than a glass bottle.

For containers over 5 litres, such as 10- or 17-litre tins, use a wooden crate, which is far more resistant in international transport. Another very safe option is a bag-in-box inside a cardboard box, with bubble wrap and a second outer box.

Within the EU there are no customs duties or import VAT. For countries outside the EU, the parcel goes through a customs check and needs a description and value of the contents. Food may have extra requirements: for the USA, businesses shipping food need to file FDA Prior Notice. Import duties, taxes or fees may apply under the destination country's rules.

Before collection, photograph the packaging open and closed: it helps if a compensation claim is needed. If something goes wrong, you talk to a real person on the City Sender team, who replies within 20 minutes during business hours and coordinates the case with the courier.