One of the best ways to send stuff to the Philippines is by using a balikbayan box. You can fit a lot of stuff in them and they’re very economical. The only downside to balikbayan boxes would be the time it takes for them to get to the destination. Since the boxes have to travel by ship, it could take months before they arrive. For most people, myself included, the wait isn’t that big of a deal.
When I went to the States last year, I accumulated a lot of stuff that I would eventually bring back with me. Stuff like clothes, gadgets, shoes, souvenirs and an Xbox 360 with quite a few games. The only logical way to get them here was by using balikbayan boxes. When you pack balikbayan boxes, you have to really make sure that nothing is able to move, and if there is something that will move, then put lots of bubble wrap or something to protect it. These things are gonna be on a boat for months, then handled by people, I wouldn’t want anything to be damaged, especially since it took a long time to get here.
My Grandma sent the boxes sometime in January, and they arrived about a week ago. So that’s about 3 months or so. She wasn’t able to give us the tracking number, so we didn’t know when the boxes would arrive. We got 3 boxes, 1 of which was just full of my clothes. We had a box that had a lot of candy, I don’t think it’ll last long, haha.
The boxes actually came at a good time because they had board games which come in real handy during brownouts. I mentioned earlier that we also got an Xbox 360 and some games, well, these aren’t too fun when the brownouts happen, but it’s great when there aren’t any brownouts. We actually have another Xbox, so we could link them and a few of us could play against each other. The Xbox we already had also has a Kinect sensor which we barely used before because we only had 1 or 2 games for it, which were boring. I got a couple more games for it, one of which is one of those dancing games, which my cousins seem to enjoy.
One thing I did learn for the next time is to be organized. We actually forgot to put some stuff into the boxes and when they arrived, we wondered why they weren’t there. It would’ve made it way smoother and less aggravating if we had organized everything ahead of time so by the time we had to put everything in the boxes, it might have taken less than an hour, two tops. I also wish we sent the boxes earlier so they would arrive earlier. Oh well, you live and you learn.
Aaron Martin, also called "AJ," is the son of Bob & Feyma Martin. Aaron is a graduate at Ateneo de Davao University High School in Davao City, Philippines. Aaron was born in the USA, but has lived in the Philippines since age 3.
Thank you AJ, very relevant for us because right now we are thinking ahead and how we will relocate. We have thought about a container, but there are some items we’d prefer to go by box, and some we will carry. Did you get a hard time with customs?
When I relocated within the Middle East a few years ago, my boxes were emptied by customs, and everything was transferred to plastic garbage bags. I had treasured photos that were smashed and the pictures torn by the broken glass. My favourite photo of my (passed away) mother was destroyed. It broke my heart. All of my fragile articles were to some extent ruined. My boxes stayed in that particular country’s customs yard for over a month, and afterwards it felt like rape (no disrepect to anyone who has experienced that awful crime), it was all trashed.
Is the Balikbayan system secure and safe, or would you recommend say a courier service for treasured items?
Thanks in advance.
I have shipped around 36 boxes from Michigan to Dipolog City. Never had a problem and all made it just fine. One trick is on heavy boxes I would line the bottom and all 4 sides with thin plywood to support the weight. Oh and use plenty of duct tape on the outside to hold it all together. One box was so heavy it took two of us to lift it in the van. Got here ok. They are a very good way to ship house hold items and tool. can food and much more.
who do you use iun michigan to ship and can you provide contact info…i live in indiana and so far no answer from abc website to repeated requests for information
I ship boxes to my brothers family quite often. I double up the cardboard instead of using plywood, cardboard is free, lol…I completely wrap the top and bottom both ways with shipping tape. I also tape the sides part way and all corners.
I have shipped things that are not supposed to be shipped, idk at the time, medicines and such. There has never been a problem with my boxes arriving. My boxes generally take two months to arrive. I pack those things solid, usually pay $65-$75 per box, idk how they even lift them they are so heavy. They are picked up at my door and delivered to my brothers living room. There have been a few things that have gotten broke, none of it worrisome though. Any liquids I suggest taping closed and then wrapping in a grocery bag to prevent leakage.
Wow, sorry about what happened.
No problems with the boxes. They arrived just as they were packed. We used LBC to ship them. They put tape around the box, which helps tell if customs opened them up. Overall, no complaints. Hope this helps 🙂
how much to send 2 boxes like in pic Bob ?
Price varies. $75 – $100
On the West coast, we lived in NV, they’d have specials. If we got a special rate, it wasn’t hard, we paid $45 a box. If no special we paid $55 a box.
We never had a problem with the shipping/customs, etc.
Rusty
i paid $75
For us, it cost about $80-90, not sure about the exact number. I think it also varies depending on location and courier.
Who do you ship them with?
We shipped via LBC
LBC in the US?
Yes.
UMAC seattle
I have a friend that ships boxes two or three times a year to Bolinao, Pangasinan. He lines his boxes with extra cardboard and plastic sheeting. The interesting thing he does is to use rice (both in small plastic bags and loose) to pad and stuff the materials he is shipping. It gives the folks on the other end quite a bit of edible rice… they just have to collect it out of the boxes.
We used paper to line the boxes, didn’t use extra cardboard. We did use a towel for the Xbox just in case. I never thought of rice though, lol. It sounds weird, but if it works… 🙂
Bob, how much more is it to take a box like that with you on an air trip to the Phils? Maybe, phils airline for example.
you have a total of 50lbs you can have in a check in box on PAL. that is true of most carriers, if your box is over 50lbs, then your looking at $150 and more for each box over that weight. Each person is allowed 2 check in bags or boxes that are 5o lbs and under. so if you know your going to the philippines in advance, then 2 months for before you go ship a box or two over and they will be there when you get there. You can pack them full no weight issues. saves time, money and having to drag them around the airport. I have dont it many times.
Wow, thanks Brent!
BB Boxes. Arrive. No Problem. Customs No Problem. Then Huge Problem. Why? Bohol Earthquake. BB boxes smashed. Oh My.
Others Lose Houses. Worse. So Us. No Problem.
AJ,
You mentioned living and learning at the end of your article. That is a life time deal. I’ve said that. I’m 72, so many times and keep saying it.
Maybe someday I’ll become as wise as Paul. No. That won’t happen.
Lol, I’m sure by the time I get old, I’ll still have a lot of things to learn too 🙂
Your not stuck to using only the provided boxes, I send over bicycles and am able to stuff longer items (kayak paddles, fishing poles ect) and get a whole lot of stuff in I can’t in shorter boxes,,,,
Really? I didn’t know that. There was actually some stuff that I would have liked to send, but they wouldn’t fit in the boxes, so I just left them.
My experience with the Balikbayan Box is that I couldn’t get anyone to tell me what they wanted. And then there was a question of customs and understanding the list of what can and can’t be sent. I did it once with food items from a third party source. The bottom line is that, in my opinion, cash is the best thing to send most of the time. My friends don’t want more stuff. Just to know that their daily needs are met.
Yeah, I can see how money would be better to send, in addition to what you said, it’s faster too. For some people though, boxes really are better. Me and my brothers all wear size 12-13 shoes, not really easy to find here, and if we do, they don’t have much in terms of options.
https://youtu.be/WSMw7trHUcU
Balikbayan box means happy to filipino
Lol, Mikey makes some awesome videos. Thanks for sharing 🙂
My wife sends a box every six months. Mainly she send things like canned goods, soap, toothpaste, second hand clothing like shirts, and jeans(one time the jeans were stolen by customs), new clothing like bras, and underwear, small toys for the kids. Just a heads up for people who want to send expensive items. There was news not very long ago about the customs officials opening the boxes and stealing things like cell phones, lap tops, and other things of the sort.
I’m curious if you sent the boxes through a courier like LBC? We sent them through LBC and didn’t have problems. Maybe it has something to do with that.
Sucks that stuff got stolen though, really sorry about that 🙁
Yes it was LBC we used when the items were stolen. She used to send boxes more frequently but just that one negative experience we had made us a bit cautious. Another service we used I think was called Phil cargo and never had a problem. One piece of advice I forgot to add is to make a packing list and text it to the person you’re sending it to.