Shipping clothing -- what do I declare on customs form for USPS?

Someone mentioned that USPS no longer does ground mail. Were your boxes airmail?

Someone mentioned that USPS no longer does ground mail. Were your boxes airmail?

Yes, USPS stopped offering ground mail several years ago (they stopped sometime between 2004 and 2008, because I used ground mail in 2004, but was unable to use it in 2008). I believe it was due to there not being enough people using the service to warrant offering it.

I shipped 4 boxes USPS Airmail from the US to the UK in August 2008. Two of the boxes contained clothes and papers/books and the other two contained a road bicycle. I paid about $400 in total - approximately $100 per box - for 5-10 day delivery.

I looked into shipping the bicycle with FedEx and they wanted to charge me $1,000!

So instead I paid $200 and shipped it with USPS Airmail .

I had more than one extra suitcase of items (snow coats, boots, heavy sweaters) I wanted to send over to England.  My box was 18" x 18" x 25" and weighed 45lbs.  The total cost was $170. The cost of one more extra baggage (on BA) was $170 per bag and I would have needed 2 cases at these dimensions.  Not to mention I would have had to purchase one extra suitcase.  UPS quoted me at over $500 and FedEx just said that it would be cheaper to send USPS without even giving me a price.

Thanks everyone.  So it sounds like I don't need to even mess with crate shipping if I don't have that many belongings?