be careful to swap Italy versus USA

Unfortunately, after some successful swaps with USA this time, the envelope was blocked by the Italian customs, and after various interactions I got it but I had to pay 17,5 Euro, and the envelope has been opened and then closed by the customs people.
The problem I assume was that this time the sender declared value of 25 dollars on the envelope, whereas in the other cases I received the coins in a plain envelope but using registered mail.
Has anyone some good suggestions to receive coins from USA?
thanks

Verweis : "GiannaReggio"​Unfortunately, after some successful swaps with USA this time, the envelope was blocked by the Italian customs, and after various interactions I got it but I had to pay 17,5 Euro, and the envelope has been opened and then closed by the customs people.
​The problem I assume was that this time the sender declared value of 25 dollars on the envelope, whereas in the other cases I received the coins in a plain envelope but using registered mail.
​Has anyone some good suggestions to receive coins from USA?
​ thanks

​Due to the post costs in Holland, it's cheaper to buy than to swap common (current) coins. Registered mail is expensive and gets the customs attention. A declare value does need to be officialy registered as import and fee's must to be paid. Avoid declared values.
Registered letters only prove that a letter has been sent, but it's no garanty that the letter will achive it's destination. In some countries the letters just disappear.

The best you can do is to send light letters < 80 gram by common mail. It works fine in the Netherlands.

@Dutchgalego is right.

I recently learned that light letters, in regular envelopes is the best way to go. Send a few coins at a time, and split larger swaps into several envelopes.

Example: if I'm sending 12 coins, I'll send 3 letters with 4 coins in each. That way, each envelope is just under one ounce and nobody pays attention. That would cost US$3.45 in postage (1.15 each) which is still cheaper than if I sent all 12 coins in one envelope. And nobody asks for customs forms on a regular letter.

Verweis : "GiannaReggio"​Unfortunately, after some successful swaps with USA this time, the envelope was blocked by the Italian customs, and after various interactions I got it but I had to pay 17,5 Euro, and the envelope has been opened and then closed by the customs people.
​The problem I assume was that this time the sender declared value of 25 dollars on the envelope, whereas in the other cases I received the coins in a plain envelope but using registered mail.
​Has anyone some good suggestions to receive coins from USA?
​ thanks

​From the USA we are required to declare a value and the contents. Declaring a low value sometimes helps, and declaring something like “model train parts” can sometimes prevent theft. But if lost, only the declared value can be repaid, and even then the maximum refund value is approximately $42. But if caught lying about the contents, the letter can be confiscated. To receive payment for a lost letter, we must provide receipts as proof of value. I once sent $500 in value, with actual proof, and received only $42 in payment when lost.
https://en.numista.com/forum/topic75969.html

The only 2 options for tracking are:
1. Customs form only. Minimum cost $14 for a small letter. Trackable.
2. Registered letter. Minimum cost $29 for a small letter. Trackable. Also requires a customs form, so is a waste of money because a customs form is already trackable.

No tracking, Option 3 is regular letter, minimum cost $3. But if the letter is discovered to include items other than paper, it may be confiscated permanently with no refund, or returned to the sender. All items posted internationally other than paper are “required” to have a customs declaration.

I just sent 3 international parcels from the US. The postal clerk recognized me, so he didn't ask for a customs form for each letter, even though two were padded envelopes and one was a regular letter (38, 15 and 8 coins per parcel). I paid $20 total, instead of the $42 if I had customs forms.
I am anxious to see if the three parcels reach their destinations, because in about 100 swaps, I have only had one non-registered letter not reach its destination.
I was told by one of the potential recipients that his country won't accept non-registered parcels or parcels without customs forms, so it will be returned to me and I'll have to send it with tracking.
I appreciate the clerk trying to save me money, but I hope it doesn't cost me more money in the end or prevent my swap partners from receiving their coins.

@JRo69 -

Please let us know what happens with those letters / parcels.

It's good to know what works and what doesn't work..!