I sent a package from Canada to the US with a mini photo album and a CD that I burned for a friend. Once I was told to declare the contents at the post office I realized that I was very naive to have thought that this would make it over the border...I declared the detailed contents to be: "mini photo album and CD (filled with purchased music)" Will this make it???? If not how do I get a burnt CD over to my friend where most of the music was from my own collection? Is it illegal to burn a CD from your owned music????

Sorry I only recently got into making CD's - I missed all the media coverage on this topic years ago.

One last question - will they send this back to me or keep it? The photo album was a very personal thing.

TLO

Generally all you have to declare in packages that you send internationally is the physical contents. In this case you would declare "Mini photo album and CD". Normally this is for customs to know what what type of contents is in the package, otherwise they will likely open the package to ensure there is no harmful device, drugs, etc. in it.

I have often received packages from outside the EU that were declared as having "Photographic equipment", where I ordered items such as ink cartridges, compact flash memory, a spindle of DVD+R's from an international online store.

Thanks for the note - I feel reassured that it will (likely) make it. I'll let your readers know either way in the next few weeks!

TLO

When shipping from Canada to the USA, be as vague as possible. It has a "book and CD" inside. That's it. Simple. Our countries are friendly enough that you shouldn't need to worry about that sort of thing, and the MORE information you give, the MORE they can complain about!

I've done this many times just put "CD" thats it

At the border all they worried about is Satellite tv cards and prescription drugs so if you don't have any of them don't worry about it.

He's not even talking about the border, he's talking about the mail. Good gosh, if it were ONE CD and a mini-album, I don't think I'd even list the contents at all, it fits in a small envelope after all.

Doesn't it still go across the border.

Yes, but not subject to the same procedures. The customs procedure for the mail is pretty... well, I don't want to say lenient and give people the wrong idea, but they certainly aren't ripping open packages that are the size of a CD mailer. That's for sure.