This transparent nature works in favor of sending gifts to India from abroad by friends and relatives. But please understand that regular cargo has more privileges than gifts. Gifts are meant to be tokens, not transactions.
Tracking
There are a few things that can go wrong while sending a gift to India. People often complain that they received tampered packages. There are also reported cases of packages lost during transit.
While we are at the mercy of the transit system related to the tampered packages, make sure to choose a transit partner with a proper tracking system. It helps a lot to know where our package is at a specific time.
Insurance
It is highly uncomfortable to lose a package. But it is more painful to pay for it and the shipping charges. Some providers act as if they are not at all responsible for the package condition and their only job is to make sure that is delivered at the correct address.
Securing an insurance package for your shipment can help when there is a loss of shipment or damage to it. Some international companies include insurance from their end through third-party deals. It is always prudent to choose such a partner even if they charge more for their service.
Securely packed
One of the best fail-safe methods we can use to secure our package is to add proper and sturdy packaging. Make sure that people cannot open it with ease and can get away with tampering without anyone noticing the deed.
Using multiple layers of protection and strong sealing can always prove helpful while international transit. It also makes sense to give your package a weatherproof coating as India is known for rains and thunderstorms.
Customs Inspection
The Customs department mainly focuses on the shipment of illegal goods and items that are considered appropriate. To identify such cases, they are allowed to open shipments even if they are sealed securely.
There is a theory that Customs officials normally get doubtful when there is too much packing on items or there is considerable sealing to make sure that people do not understand about the item included.
While the general idea is to check any suspicious package, packages that cost more than 100 - 200 USD are mostly combed by the officials.
Type of items
While it is completely understandable to be very loveable to your friend or relative in India, perishables like food, fruits, fruit extracts, etc are not allowed as gifts. They are often rejected, seized, or destroyed for various reasons if they do not comply with the standards.
Other harmful items like pistols, gold, and silver, military equipment, toy guns that resemble actual firearms, radioactive materials, valid currencies, coins, etc are also not allowed as gifts through transit channels to India.
