History of the Polish community in the United States
Polonia comes from a Latin word that simply means Poland. This concept refers to all people who were born outside Poland, but feel bonds with their homeland through ancestors, history or common customs. Currently, the United States is the place of residence for over nine million Polish citizens. It all started from colonial times. Then, in 1608, the first settlers from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth appeared in Jamestown. They engaged in glass production and construction.
Two Poles became famous in the fight for independence. They were Kazimierz Pułaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko. Thomas Jefferson called the latter "the purest son of liberty." It is therefore not surprising that there are cities in the USA that are dedicated to these surnames. For example, Oprah Winfrey was born in such a place called KOSCIUSKO.
Can I ship to the USA?
During communism, there was a common saying about an American uncle sending gifts to his relatives. This resulted from the division of Europe by the Iron Curtain. For our compatriots, the USA was the rich West, which had no shortage of goods such as original jeans or the first cans of Coca-Cola.
Nowadays, a lot has changed and products available in America are also available in Poland. However, nothing stops you from sending a well- packed parcel to relatives in the USA.
What can't we send to another continent?
- Cigarettes, weapons, alcohol or drugs - for obvious reasons, these types of products will be returned and we may be accused of smuggling,
- Medicines, not only prescription ones, but also those bought in drugstores,
- Perfume that may break and spill during transport
- Animal products such as antlers or skins,
- Food items that may spoil before reaching their destination,
- Jewelry and other valuable things.
Which shipping packaging should I choose?
- 1. Taking into account the number of kilometers our parcel must travel, it is important that the packaging is well protected and sufficiently hard.
- 2.The package should also have the appropriate size and dimensions. When choosing a courier company, we can learn the dimensions of individual parcels and their price. Of course, the cost is higher than in domestic shipments and is around PLN 200.
- 3. It is worth placing this type of parcel in a cardboard box, we can also secure it using foil wraps or bubble envelopes.
- 4. In the case of goods that are particularly sensitive to impacts, they should be marked with one of the "Caution, glass!" stickers.
- 5. Avoid creating empty space in the box. We can fill the free space with paper shreds or sponges.
Do we have to pay customs duty when shipping?
It all depends on the shipping value. Those below one thousand euros and intended for private use do not require paying customs duties.
Of course, this does not release us from the obligation to go through the customs procedure, during which officials will carefully check what exactly we are sending in our parcel.
What is the procedure for sending a parcel?
- 1. After securing and preparing the package, we can generate a label from the courier company.
- 2. It is also important to complete the formalities, which include the precise identification of the goods we are sending and the customs declaration.
- 3. Customs declaration, i.e. the obligation to declare CN22 and CN23, has been in force since January 2021 and their failure may result in the return of our packaging with the parcel to Poland .
- 4. After meeting all formal requirements, we can return the parcel to the courier.
Then all we can do is wait for it to be delivered. Delivery time depends on the destination (the USA is a huge country after all) and the location of distribution centers.
A well-packed package is a guarantee of success.