Originally posted by Fl_Gulfer I tryed First Class so maybe your correct. Sorry
heck, nothing to be sorry about...just mentioning your experience will help someone else understand what to expect if they need to ship something. Here is a link you can bookmark which lists the service classes and insurance options for whatever country you are shipping to:
Index of Countries and Localities
It's kinda weird when expecting to be able to ship insured then suddenly you can't w/o spending at least 30-40% more on a difference service class (Priority or Express). Worst part is I can insure parcels sent 1st class with my 3rd party coverage but not directly through the USPS. Every international parcel does have a quasi-tracking number in the customs ID number, the issue I a suppose is not all postal services actually scan 1st class parcels on the receiving end, hence no insurance as there isn't any official way to trace the parcel, not consistently at least. So I suppose it's more about fraud than anything else.
If it helps to know, there are now some international Priority Mail flat rate options which can be insured and again the customs number is the same as "tracking" for insurance carriers as well as for PayPal because once scanned into the system, then you can always prove shipment and hopefully delivery.
I don't mind shipping internationally because I use software to manage it, Endicia. And even at the $16/mo I pay, the discounts I get along with the ability to automate and use custom labels is well worth the fee. FYI, if you sell on eBay Stamps.com now offers their service for FREE (of course ya gotta buy postage) but their software is not awful, I just preferred Endicia 8yrs ago when I went with them.