can i post film overseas???

[quepasa]

this has probably been asked a thousand times but, i´m overseas for a long time and want to post some of my shed loads of film home. is it safe? i know i could always get them developed here, but i did that before in a developing (not photo developing, ´3rd world` )country, and was not happy with the quality of the pictures, besides, it would make a dent in the budget, there´s that many. would it be possible by snail mail or sea?
thanks

[Franglais]

this has probably been asked a thousand times but, i´m overseas for a long time and want to post some of my shed loads of film home. is it safe? i know i could always get them developed here, but i did that before in a developing (not photo developing, ´3rd world` )country, and was not happy with the quality of the pictures, besides, it would make a dent in the budget, there´s that many. would it be possible by snail mail or sea?
thanks

Remember the scare about anthrax spores sent by mail back in 2001? Since then I heard that mail could be "sterilised" by a flash of X-rays - which would also destroy any images on undeveloped film. I wouldn't take the chance. Don't put it in your luggage to go in the hold, either - this is supposed to be systematically X-rayed.

I always carry my film with me in the cabin.

Charles

[another view]

Sure you can. Probably best to use an overnight (or 2-3 day) service for a couple of reasons. First off, you don't know how it's going to be handled. Parcel post, etc may sit for awhile somewhere and heat can damage film. This time of year around here it's obviously not a problem, but you wouldn't leave film in the trunk of your car on a summer day, would you? ;) Second, it's traceable. FedEx and UPS have websites where you can track your package and know exactly where it is. Also, it seems like the less time it's in transit, the less chance of loss or damage. This is my own theory, however...

I believe National Geographic photographers still send their film from anywhere in the world back to their headquarters by FedEx. Make sure that whoever does it doesn't x-ray packages the way airlines screen baggage.

[Peter_AUS]

Another suggestion would be to ask the service you are using, like FedEx, what they can do to help minimise the possibilty of exposure of the film. If they do it for National Geographic photographers, then there must be a system in place to flag items that need to be handled carefully.