Sending audio cables to Europe

USPS Express Mail for shipping internationally never had a problem using USPS.

Just a short remark from the receiving end, Switzerland, that is. All the advice above is excellent. Fedex and UPS are indeed expensive, but seem to clear customs especially fast. If you want to go USPS, make sure to use their Express (EMS) service, not cheap either but very good and reliable on the delivery end. Clearly it is unethical to lie about prices on your export papers. However if you do, you cannot be held to account by the customs authority of the destination country, but it could happen to your customer, that customs wants to see his wire transfer or Paypal statement to find out if the value you gave for the goods is correct. The fines for faulty declarations can be quite stiff. However it is the customer who is in for trouble, not you, if he armtwists you to give a lower declaration and he is found out. Besides insurance coverage is only for the amount declared in the shipping papers. So if the customer wants you to cheat and the goods get lost or damaged you or rather your shipper are only liable for damages up to the amount declared as far as I know.

Besides insurance coverage is only for the amount declared in the shipping papers. So if the customer wants you to cheat and the goods get lost or damaged you or rather your shipper are only liable for damages up to the amount declared as far as I know.
Detlof

This is how I believe it works. That is why the amount I write in on the customs form is the same amount that I insure for, the actual selling price. I won't risk a buyer telling me shipment is lost or damaged, and he wants a full refund, while I cut the insurance/customs number to please him, then I'm out $$$.

Once I had to send package to Chile. I checked cheapest UPS and FEDEX - very expensive. USPS tends to get stolen (same with some European countries) unless it is "USPS Express Mail" - handled much better and not very expensive.

About stealing...Since I buy most of my soft- and hardware in the States and this since over 30 years and most of the stuff, like LPs, tapes or CDs go by USPS, I must say that I have only suffered two losses so far (touch wood).
One was a bunch of CDs from Amazon, the other was one half of a Beveridge two chassis preamp. The thief stole the powersupply, which was taped to the main unit and left me the latter. He probably thought he was clever, because the two went under the same shipping number, so nobody but me noticed that something was missing and the only satisfaction I had, was that he must have been as frustrated as myself. The theft happened in Germany with those goods in transit to Switzerland. Nowadays, probably because of the terrorist threat, security is much better. Mind you this is Europe. I spend much time in South Africa and there things are completely different. There is a small chance that you will receive a shipment intact, if at all, unless you send it Express or by private carriers . I suppose this goes for most "third world countries", where poverty is very high and the income gap between the very rich and the average citizen is huge.