When you’re no longer rooted in one place, and friends and family are scattered from Stockholm to San Francisco, buying and sending Christmas gifts to Europe can be a daunting task.

As senior director of global services, I’ve spent over 14 years helping customers all over the world send gifts to France, England, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, and countless other countries. Along the way, I’ve learned what it takes to ensure international gift giving success. Here are three tips I recommend.

1. Select the right gift
Will your Swiss colleagues appreciate Belgian chocolate? Will your mother-in-law in London appreciate a gorgeous bouquet of flowers? Will your new Marseille friends enjoy a bottle of Prosecco?

Overall, be sure to consider the tastes and location of your recipient. If you’re sending a gift to Spain, where high quality fruit is inexpensive, consider sending a gift of gourmet delicacies like cheese, olives and crackers. However, fine chocolates, artisan cookies, famous wines, exotic fruits, and elegant bouquets all make appropriate, appreciated, and memorable holiday gifts across Europe. Just keep in mind there are also restrictions. For example, Scandinavian countries won’t import alcohol.

At GiftsforEurope, we’ve simplified this task for our customers by having them first select the country they want to send a gift to. Then they select their gift preference. Make sure your international online vendor uses this organizational strategy and you’ll be on the right track to selecting the right gift.

2. Avoid import duties or taxes
Every country has different rules when it comes to sending gifts to other countries. Plus, customs and taxes are complex when it comes to international shipping. For instance when you send a gift to Norway, your recipient may need to pay import taxes. To avoid turning your thoughtful gift into an annoying bill, consider the following.

Larger gift companies are set up to ensure that your recipient will not pay any taxes when they receive their gift. At GiftsforEurope we can deliver seamlessly to all of the European Union without risk of any taxes or duties as we ship from Belgium at the very heart of Europe. No delays with customs inspections or unexpected fees for the recipient.

3. Get it there on time
Who wants their beautiful Christmas gift to fall into the black hole of international delivery? Be a smart shipper. European delivery companies almost never leave a package at the door if no one is available to sign for the package. For this reason, if the recipient will be at work on the desired day of delivery, consider shipping to the place of work rather than home.

Our International Gift Guide provides more important information to consider for on-time delivery, and goes into greater detail on all the tips I have mentioned.

Lastly, if friends, family, or colleagues located anywhere in the world are eager to send you a gift of chocolate, GiftsforEurope is a great resource for one-stop, duty- and hassle-free shopping for Europe.

And, if you can’t make it home for the holidays and wish to send a taste of Europe to the United States, visit GiftsofCourse for some excellent ideas.

Here’s to a happy and successful holiday season.

Sasha Charney

Photo credit: GiftsforEurope

When Sasha Charney isn’t busy training for a half marathon, she’s helping people all over the world send the right gift at the right time to the right place. Sasha is the Senior Director of Global Services at GiftsforEurope.com. She lives in Portland, Oregon.