Probably one of the most distasteful things I can do in life is going to the Post Office and wait in line for 30 minutes or more. I'll do anything to avoid it. Unfortunately to ship international you have to go there in person. As has been said insurance can be a problem. many classes of mail have really low limits depending where it is going. Of course customs is another issue because many countries derive a big chunk of money from Customs Duties. The U.S is really good in this area. Shipping Fedex or UPS International is really expensive and guarantees Customs Duty. Probably EMS is the fastest and safest way and is pricey. I don't envy anyone who does a lot of International Shipping.