Need To Ship My Collection Overseas

Hello,
I recently inherited my grandfather's collection, I will be living overseas for the foreseeable future (probably permanently) and will need to ship the collection to myself here in Japan.

The collection is fairly large (could fill two or three large microwave sized boxes) but thankfully it does not weigh very much.

I was hoping to reach out to someone who had experience shipping a large portion of the their collection. If anyone would be willing to share which service they used (UPS, USPS or Fedex are options from my hometown). Any tips on how to pack everything would be greatly appreciated.

The big questions are:

Can items be slipped into Ziplock bags, or will the plastic in a ziplock bag harm the items in the collection? Would certain types of clear trash bag be acceptable for protecting the collection while it is in transit?

Does anyone have any other tips for choosing a carrier? I know this will be an expensive shipment but any advice on minimizing the cost would be greatly appreciated.

I hope I haven't placed this in the wrong section.

Thank you in advance!

Jason

I do not have any great advice about shipping, but I'm certain others here will. Luckily you should be able to find a great deal of information about pricing on the Web.

I pack albums and books in large Ziplocks or multiple garbage bags completely sealed. I then space them from the edges of the box with bubble wrap. Make sure to label them with something accurate but discreet, such as "Postal Stationary". Find a shipping place that will actually insure stamps as some don't. Then cross your fingers and wait.

You might want to consider taking the higher value stamps along with you on the plane and shipping the less valuable ones.

As far as plastic bags and such, I don't think that will damage them, as long as it is temporary.

Are you using an APO address or is a a regular address in Japan?

This is a difficult one because the cost may not offset the value but being emotionally connected may make it worth it.

My subjective experience, having moved from the US to England for what was a permanent move--I decided to leave my collection safely stored because I was fearful of the possibility of loss or damage. not matter what shipper you use, there is no guarantee it will not get stolen or damaged or the like.
on the other hand, I plan on moving to New Zealand next year and I will take my large collection (not as big as yours but still) with me. I've decided to just bring it with me on the plane, as sort of my own courier. You could do the same and bring them with you to Japan over several trips. For example, you could buy a large hard shell suitcase or even a footlocker.

or as 68W suggests, just split them

good luck