The cheapest way to send things between Italy and the USA depends on three questions: how much you are sending, how fast it needs to arrive, and whether it counts as a gift, a purchase or a household move. A shoebox of presents, a few suitcases and a container of furniture each have a different cheapest answer.
Customs has become the bigger variable since 2025, in both directions. Treat this guide as a map of the options, checked in October 2026, and get current quotes before you pack anything valuable.
Small parcels: the post
From the US: United States Postal Service (USPS)
For parcels from the US to Italy, USPS is usually the cheapest option. Priority Mail International, including the flat-rate boxes, is the standard choice, and Priority Mail Express International is faster at a higher price. USPS has an international price calculator on its website. On arrival, Italian customs may charge VAT and a handling fee before the parcel is delivered, so a gift sender should fill in the customs form carefully.
From Italy: Poste Italiane
Poste Italiane offers Postapriority Internazionale for small items and the Poste Delivery International range for parcels. Since the US ended its duty exemption for low-value parcels on 29 August 2025, every shipment of goods to the US, gifts included, must have its US duties paid before it arrives. Poste Italiane handles this through its Servizio Gestione Dazi, available at post offices since 23 February 2026: you pay the duty when you send the parcel, plus a handling fee (€1.22 including VAT at the time of writing).
In our town the post office queue in early December is mostly parcels for abroad, boxes of taralli, coffee and panettone heading to relatives overseas. Going mid-morning on a weekday, with the customs details already written out, makes the wait noticeably shorter.
Faster parcels: couriers
UPS
UPS Worldwide Express and Worldwide Saver are faster and easier to track than the post, and UPS prepares the customs paperwork. For small parcels they usually cost considerably more. Price depends on size, weight and speed.
DHL
DHL Express Worldwide is the main international service. Like UPS it is quick and reliable, and priced for speed rather than economy. Both couriers collect from home in most of Puglia, which matters if your nearest post office is a drive away.
A few suitcases: luggage shipping
If you are moving with a handful of cases rather than a houseful, compare two options: paying the airline for extra checked bags, and a luggage-shipping company that collects the cases at your door and delivers them door to door. For three or four bags the airline is often cheaper and the bags arrive with you. Beyond that, door-to-door shipping starts to make sense. Get quotes for the same dates and weights.
A household move: freight and removals
For household goods and furniture, the choice is between a full container (FCL, 20 or 40 feet) and shared container space (groupage, or LCL), where you pay for the cubic metres you use. A small move in shared space can cost a fraction of a full container, but takes longer because the container waits until it is full.
When you compare international movers, ask each one for a written, itemised quote for the same inventory, and check what is included at each end: packing, export clearance, ocean freight, Italian customs clearance, delivery and unpacking. Access is a real cost in Puglia. Many historic centres are inside limited traffic zones with narrow lanes, so ask whether delivery needs a smaller shuttle van or a furniture lift, and whether that is in the price. Membership of an international removals association such as FIDI (with its FAIM quality standard) is a useful sign of a mover’s standing.
Comparison and marketplace sites that show quotes from several carriers at once can help with price. Read what each quote includes, because the cheapest headline price often leaves out customs, insurance or delivery to the door.
Customs, duties and VAT in Italy
Goods sent into Italy from outside the EU are generally subject to import VAT and sometimes duty. Gifts between private individuals are exempt up to a value of €45. From 1 July 2026, the EU also charges a flat €3 customs duty per item category on low-value parcels (up to €150) bought online from outside the EU. Italy has legislated a separate €2 contribution on such parcels, which at the time of writing has been postponed to 1 December 2026.
If you are moving your household to Italy, belongings you have owned and used for at least six months can usually be imported free of duty and VAT under the EU transfer-of-residence relief, provided you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 months. The goods normally have to arrive within 12 months of your move. Your mover or customs agent will handle the paperwork, but keep receipts or photos that show how long you have had the larger items.
The short answer
For a small gift from the US, USPS. For a small gift from Italy, Poste Italiane with the duty paid at the counter. For speed, a courier. For a few suitcases, compare the airline with door-to-door luggage shipping. For a household, shared container space with a mover who quotes every step. In each case, get two or three quotes for the same shipment before you decide.
