The BALIK- BAYAN BOX

I'm back as promised to tell you about Balikbayan boxes.


WHAT IS A BALIKBAYAN BOX?

It is a door-to-door shipping service offered by a carrier company licensed to ship items back to the Philippines.  These boxes are transported to the nearest seaport and loaded into cargo ships.  They take between 3-4 months to arrive to their destination.  It is always good to plan accordingly when sending something for Christmas, for example, in a balikbayan box as the weather also plays an important role in the process.

International shipping can be very expensive.  Shipping items to the Philippines using Balikbayan boxes is a cheap and inexpensive way to send anything to the Philippines.  I'm speaking for myself so if I say "anything" it means toiletries that I buy in bulk (i.e..toothpaste, bath soap, shampoo, toothbrush, etc., etc..), towels, clothes, purses, small appliances.  Nothing illegal or contraband :).  Think of things that family and friends back home would love to receive.  Most of the time I even throw in canned goods like spam, etc., chocolates (that's the first thing they ask).

These boxes will be delivered directly to the addressee without having to deal with Customs.  That is another reason why I'd rather ship some of our belongings in this mode rather than renting or buying a container then have to deal with the red tape that is so prevalent in the Philippines' Customs bureaucracy.  I just don't like the idea of having to shell out extra money to be able to claim my shipment once it gets to Philippine port.  That and the headache that comes with transacting with the customs guys do not appeal to me at all.

The Balikbayan boxes are heavy duty boxes and measures 25x24x17 with the carrier company name imprinted in them.

WHERE TO GET THESE BOXES:

Find out whether your favorite Asian store carries them.  Normally, Filipino and Asian stores are the drop off sites for these boxes and they are collected maybe once or twice a month by the carrier company.  Where I live, a box costs $5.00.  Once I filled it up, I either take it to the drop off site (where I bought the box) or if I ship more than two, the carrier company will come to my house and pick the boxes up.  It has no weight limit - that's the beauty of it so there are no surprises.  Depending on the region where you want it shipped, the cost varies.  It is cheaper to ship it to Manila and surrounding areas, a little more if you ship it up north in the Luzon Region.  I ship mine to Leyte which is in the Visayas Region and it costs me $90.00 per filled box.  The shipping cost to the Mindanao Region is higher than the Visayas Region.  The drop off site should be able to tell you how much it will cost you as prices vary depending where you live.  I imagine the West and East Coasts should be cheaper than the one from the Midwest.

PACKING AND SEALING TIPS:

When I pack liquid things like shampoo, for example, I seal the lid with tape and put the bottle inside a ziploc bag and individually wrap them in whether shirt, or towel before putting them all inside the box.  I pack everything in as tight as I can, leaving no space for the stuff to shift or move around while in transit.  I've shipped breakables as well and so far I haven't gotten one broken yet.  I just make sure that everything is wrapped/padded well. I go crazy with tape as well.  If you noticed my filled box is taped all around the whole box for two reasons: one, it is my way of waterproofing my box; and two, I want to be sure (because I packed the box to the brim) that it will never burst while in transit.  Have you seen a box burst because it is full of stuff?  Not a pretty sight, right?  So like I said I go crazy with packing tape.  Noticed my humongous roll of tape in the picture?  You can get those at U-Haul stores or at a shipping store.

SHIPPING THE BOXES:

When you drop your boxes off at the drop site, you are required to fill out a form for each boxes you are shipping.  In it there is a declaration part where you will need to list what is in the box.  You will also need to declare the dollar value of the stuff you are shipping. The agent should be able to assist you with this step.  Once you made your payment, your boxes should be on their way to the Philippines.

Hope you find this article helpful.  Thank you for following.  God bless.