Q: My husband and I are heading to several European countries this fall. If we find pieces - large or small - on our travels, what's the best way to get them back to the United States?

A: The good news, according to Ron Krannich, who, with his wife Caryl, wrote the Impact Guide series of books on shopping, is that [shipping problems are] easily avoidable. Here, a few options, roughly in ascending order of price and hassle:

• Use Your Baggage Allowance
  Usually Each person is allowed two pieces of checked luggage. If you bring home your purchases as part of your allotment, you can do it for free.

  So, if you suspect you'll be doing some shopping, take an extra suitcase and load it up with a few rolls of packing tape and bubble wrap.

  If the objects you buy need to be boxed instead of carried in a suitcase, you can have them packed for shipping at the store where you purchase them, then check the box through as luggage.

  "If you're buying things at multiple locations, ask the concierge at your hotel for a local boxing company," Krannich, who also hosts the website, www.iShopAroundTheWorld.com, suggests. "They can consolidate your packages, typically for a $20 to $25 charge."

   

• Bring It Home As an Extra Piece of Baggage
  If you're over your allotment, you can pay to have your purchases flown home as luggage. Avoid having to buy an extra bag abroad by bringing along a collapsible suitcase (such as a duffel bag) inside one of your other bags.

  To guarantee that the extra items are on your flight, pay for them as accompanied luggage. Typically, the charge will be computed per piece, and, depending on the airline and your route, can range from $50 to $125.

  Note: If you're boxing your items, make sure to check with the airline for acceptable dimensions, so you're not turned away at check-in.

   

• Forward It As Freight
  Companies that arrange shipments by sea and air are called freight forwarders. Ask for price quotes for both air and sea freight.

  While shipping by sea is typically cheaper for heavier items, air can sometimes cost less for lighter purchases.

  And don't let what looks like a low-ball sea-freight quote deceive you. These days [2006] it costs about $6 per cubic foot to ship something by sea, but there are also charges for packing, filling out paperwork, transporting the item to the dock, and, if necessary delivering it to your address.

  "By the time you're finished," Krannich notes, "your $200 item may cost an additional $600 to $800 to make it to your door."

  Time is another consideration. Items shipped by sea could be out of your hands for four to six weeks, and things like textiles can get moldy. You may decide it's worth a premium to pay more for air shipping and receive your package within a week.

   

• Try a Traditional Shipper
  These are the companies you know: DHL, UPS, Federal Express. They will charge the highest prices, but do offer convenience - you can find offices in most major cities, and they drop goods off at your door.

   

• Buy Insurance
  Insurance runs approximately 3 percent of the value of the shipment, which means the cost of insuring a $1,000 item will be roughly $30.

  Murphy's Law alone dictates that it's worth it. "The rule of thumb is, If you don't insure it, it will arrive broken," Krannich says. "If you do insure it, it will get there with no problem. My wife and I have occasionally taken a chance on a sea shipment and not paid for insurance. So far, it's always come through okay, but we worried about it for the whole five weeks it was in transit."
   

  Adapted from Jean Chatzky's personal finance column,Travel & Leisure, p. 34, October 2006.
  

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  Check out the Krannichs' numerous travel-shopping tips on their website, iShopAroundTheWorld.com.