Costs of shipping packages to Jamaica

2 things you need to know about cost to ship a package to Jamaica

How much does it cost to ship a package to Jamaica? When you want to send a package overseas and don’t want to pay the high cost for airmail or don’t have enough goods to fill an entire crate or barrel on a boat, you may be able to save costs of shipping packages to Jamaica from the UK. Of course, there is the initial cost of purchasing whatever it is that you are including in the package and then there is the actual cost to ship the package.

In addition to these costs, the main fee will be when the package reaches customs in Jamaica. Provided you have not shipped any prohibited items, the contents should clear, and this cost will be charged to the recipient who picks up the package.

Generally speaking, the two things you need to know about the cost to ship a package to Jamaica include the shipping price and any duties or taxes. Learn from the experts at Carib Shipping today about the different pricing & shipping structures.

Choose an international shipping carrier

International parcel shipping by boat

While shipping by ocean vessel is usually the most cost effective way to send a parcel, if the package you are sending needs to arrive immediately, shipping it across the ocean may not be your best option. This choice can take anywhere from one to eight weeks. The two main Jamaican ports that allow the shipment of packages are Montego Bay and Kingston.

When shipping, a letter or document mailer typically weighs between 230g to 2kg and a parcel is a package that weighs 500g and above. Take your package to a postal shipping company who handles sending packages internationally across the sea. The clerk will weigh and measure your package. The costs involved at this step will include the shipping fee and any insurance you choose to purchase. Once it arrives in Jamaica, the recipient will be required to pay a duty to clear customs.

When shipping to Jamaica, there is typically a standard box rate that covers the warehouse receiving, tallying, and loading the cargo as well as documentation costs and ocean transportation charges. They are often sent as LCL Less than Container Load where a crate shares the space with multiple senders in order to fill the space. The rates are going to vary depending on the cubic space that your cargo occupies inside the shipping container along with local destination charges. Customs clearance and duties or taxes are the obligation of the receiving party.

Label and package properly

Pack your items securely and label correctly

Packing your items correctly can help you reduce costs of shipping to Jamaica a lot. When sending items as a parcel that are packaged and weigh more than 500g, you will need to show a valid government issued ID card, voters’ ID, or drivers’ licence or passport, TRN, full name, address, telephone number and/or email address of both the sender and the addressee.

Don’t seal your package or envelope as it will need to be checked at the counter. Fill out the shipping label to address it to the person or business in Jamaica. The label should list the person or business on the first line. The second line should include the full street address. The third line needs to list the city and province followed by the Parish. The last line should read, “Jamaica” or sometimes “Jamaica, W.I.”. There are no zip codes in Jamaica.

Fill out customs form

Provide proper paperwork

When you are sending a package to Jamaica, you will also need to complete a customs form to make it easier to clear customs once it arrives. Be sure to fill it out completely and itemize every item inside the package.

When your recipient picks up the package, they will need to bring a valid government issued ID, passport, national voters ID or drivers’ license. If someone is sent on someone’s else behalf to pick up the package, they will need an authorization letter from you, signed by you and stamped by a Justice of the Peace, a copy of your and their valid government issued ID. If the parcel is registered, they will need to present the registered slip at the post office when collecting the item.

Cover your valuables with protection from damage

It’s a good idea to also purchase insurance to make sure the contents of your parcels are covered from damage during transit. This insurance rate is based upon how much the items inside the package are claimed to be worth. At the very end, this one of the most important costs of shipping to Jamaica.

Don’t send prohibited items

Send only items that are allowed

There are a few items that are prohibited from being shipped to Jamaica, so be sure that anything you send is allowed and not on the prohibited list. Some of these restricted items include dangerous articles, indecent items, illegal substances, medicine, live animals, and any item that may be harmful or offensive, including:

• explosives
• flammable items
• compressed gases
• corrosive liquids
• oxidizing substances
• poison
• radioactive materials
• pharmaceuticals
• fresh meat
• soiled clothing
• plants or fruit
• hides, skin, wool
• tobacco
• playing cards
• salt
• lottery tickets
• alcohol
• any indecent or obscene print
• any threatening print
• articles infringing trademark or copyright laws
• writing or print impressed across the postage stamps before posting