An acquaintance of mine recently went to the post office to send some gifts he bought while in India. He spent well over what I payed for a month of rent, but figured he had a lot of heavy things to send. I, on the other hand, had a few books and a Shala rug. I probably could have fit it in my carry-on, but I didn't feel like carrying it through three different airports.
There's a post office on 10th Main (just after Anu's on the left hand side, house #325). Like most shops in Gokalum, it opens around 10:00 am. This office only sends letters, so if you need to send a box you'll have to go to the Main Post Office in Mysore. Any rickshaw driver will be able to get you there and back.
There's no need to pre-package or go around looking for boxes. Once you arrive at the Main Post Office, go to the main entrance and there will be a desk and someone who will package all of your items on the spot. Make sure you bring (or have memorized) your "from" address, which will be the hotel/apartment you're staying at in Mysore. The cost of packaging will be added on to your final bill inside the actual post office (60 Rps).
You'll be directed to one of the stations where you'll fill out 3 custom forms and the package will be weighed. I had a small box under 10 pounds, so I wasn't too worried about the cost. I read some old blogs online that said shipping a box to the United States from India was relatively cheap. I was expecting to pay no more than 1000 Rps for ground post and delivery in 2-3 months. This is where I was wrong and luckily had brought my stash of rupees I saved for my car ride back to Bangalore airport. I paid over 3,000 Rps...and they had already packaged and taken the box back to the mail room before I even paid. These are prices you can expect to pay in the United States for international shipping. My advice, try to stuff it in your suitcase. Or, if you bought a lot of items, it may be more fiscally savvy to purchase an extra duffel bag in Mysore and just check it in at the airport.
Last time I checked, Lufthansa economy flights from the United Stated to India are allowed 2 checked bags weighing up to 23 Kg each. If you exceed the number of free baggage allowed, you'll end up spending about the same for extra baggage fees, but will have your items with you.
Here's a good website to check the rate of shipping at the post office:
http://www.indiapost.gov.in/SP_Rate_Calculator.aspx
Here's another good website for Lufthansa and baggage restrictions:
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/hu/info_and_services/baggage?nodeid=3331125&l=en&cid=1000263
There's a post office on 10th Main (just after Anu's on the left hand side, house #325). Like most shops in Gokalum, it opens around 10:00 am. This office only sends letters, so if you need to send a box you'll have to go to the Main Post Office in Mysore. Any rickshaw driver will be able to get you there and back.
There's no need to pre-package or go around looking for boxes. Once you arrive at the Main Post Office, go to the main entrance and there will be a desk and someone who will package all of your items on the spot. Make sure you bring (or have memorized) your "from" address, which will be the hotel/apartment you're staying at in Mysore. The cost of packaging will be added on to your final bill inside the actual post office (60 Rps).
You'll be directed to one of the stations where you'll fill out 3 custom forms and the package will be weighed. I had a small box under 10 pounds, so I wasn't too worried about the cost. I read some old blogs online that said shipping a box to the United States from India was relatively cheap. I was expecting to pay no more than 1000 Rps for ground post and delivery in 2-3 months. This is where I was wrong and luckily had brought my stash of rupees I saved for my car ride back to Bangalore airport. I paid over 3,000 Rps...and they had already packaged and taken the box back to the mail room before I even paid. These are prices you can expect to pay in the United States for international shipping. My advice, try to stuff it in your suitcase. Or, if you bought a lot of items, it may be more fiscally savvy to purchase an extra duffel bag in Mysore and just check it in at the airport.
Last time I checked, Lufthansa economy flights from the United Stated to India are allowed 2 checked bags weighing up to 23 Kg each. If you exceed the number of free baggage allowed, you'll end up spending about the same for extra baggage fees, but will have your items with you.
Here's a good website to check the rate of shipping at the post office:
http://www.indiapost.gov.in/SP_Rate_Calculator.aspx
Here's another good website for Lufthansa and baggage restrictions:
http://www.lufthansa.com/online/portal/lh/hu/info_and_services/baggage?nodeid=3331125&l=en&cid=1000263
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