Balikbayan Boxes: How long to arrive from US post CV19?

A friend recently received four boxes shipped from Florida.  The time for delivery of the boxes from drop off in Florida to delivery at the home in Luzon, was about 12 weeks.

TeeJay4103 wrote:

A friend recently received four boxes shipped from Florida.  The time for delivery of the boxes from drop off in Florida to delivery at the home in Luzon, was about 12 weeks.

That is normal time, sometimes longer over Christmas.  Sent boxes last year beginning of October out of New Jersey, arrived mid January in Ilocos Sur.

Any suggestions as to myus.com alternatives?

I ship balikbayan boxes all the time, and recently its taken on average to go from cleveland ohio to mindanao in about 4 months.  2 months in manila area.

Sent 3 boxes July 15, 16, and 24 and all three just arrived in Carcar Cebu today 9/5/2020

Sorry they shipped from Phoenix AZ

moonunit0103 wrote:

Hi,

Wanted to find out how long to expect a Balikbayan Box to arrive from the East Coast US to Leyte, Post CV19.

Have been very frustrated at the snail's pace using myus.com.  I paid for my order to ship out 11 days ago, but it still has not shipped.

Any better alternatives?

Only thing I can think of is paying for expedited shipping, but you're gonna have to sell a kidney for that.

kanesec wrote:

I ship balikbayan boxes all the time, and recently its taken on average to go from cleveland ohio to mindanao in about 4 months.  2 months in manila area.

I also recently sent a box from the Cleveland area a few months ago (Covid time). It arrived after 2 months in Meycauayan after pick up from my house. It was never under 2 months, even before Covid. It also depends when the shipping container gets filled and sealed for shipment. For December arrival in the Philippines, we would be sending the box(es) no later than end of September. It takes longer time if we send after that, high demand times I think.

moonunit0103 wrote:

Any suggestions as to myus.com alternatives?

Alternative that is within your control:
Ship earlier
This is what I did. So far it is working for me.

I'm in Ohio and use Global Cargo Movers, delivery to Laguna has stayed consistent over 4 years to  about 2.5 months/10-12 weeks, door to door.

Hey, Moon Unit: I shipped a Balikbayan box from Florida on 2/23 via LBC (through a local affiliate) and it arrived in Cagayan de Oro on 5/18. I shipped 7 boxes using UMACC (www.umacc.com) on 4/2 and they arrived on 7/6. In each case, there was a delay of a couple of weeks in Manila to go through customs. I preferred UMACC because I could track the shipments on their website. LBC's tracking feature wasn't working (for me) at the time.

For things that I order (e.g. Amazon.com), I have them shipped to my US Global Mail address (usglobalmail.com) and they'll forward it, consolidated with any mail and other packages I've received, via UPS or Fedex for a small fortune. But it arrives within a couple of weeks.

rcvining wrote:

For things that I order (e.g. Amazon.com), I have them shipped to my US Global Mail address (usglobalmail.com) and they'll forward it, consolidated with any mail and other packages I've received, via UPS or Fedex for a small fortune. But it arrives within a couple of weeks.

That's exactly what I do. I mention in a previous post I ordered about $200 of stuff from Hanes.Com and their shipper turned down the shipment because it was the Philippines.

So I re-ordered and had them ship to my account at usglobalmail. The last shipment  only took 3 or 4 days to arrive in Manila, then a wait getting through customs. (that was about a year ago) .With the repackaging I think I paid around $100.

Nice thing about FedEx tracking, I watched my package go from pickup in Houston TX to Memphis TN to Alaska to China then Philippines.

I have a FEDEX order that was supposed to have arrived September 15, still not here. I keep getting notifications that the package is scheduled to arrive the day before by 6pm.

helllo we can put only book on Balikbayan Boxes? because i have 500 book and 100 video game would like put them for not paying tax. i hear custom never open Balikbayan Boxes? sender and receiver can be same name?

argentile wrote:

helllo we can put only book on Balikbayan Boxes? because i have 500 book and 100 video game would like put them for not paying tax. i hear custom never open Balikbayan Boxes? sender and receiver can be same name?

Of all the Balikbayan Boxes we sent, close to 40 over the years, when filling out the form we checked off nothing to declare.

No problem with customs, no inspection or verification what is in the boxes  we sent. The sender was my wife and the receiver was her son.

In one of the Tombs of the Lost Raiders movies they show a warehouse full of creates as far as they eye can see. The warehouse for Balikbayan looks the same.

Hello, Could you please suggest a reliable Balikbayan box shipper in the USA? I am having very little luck in receiving any callbacks, Thanks in advance,

Steelegray wrote:

Hello, Could you please suggest a reliable Balikbayan box shipper in the USA? I am having very little luck in receiving any callbacks, Thanks in advance,

If you live in a community where there is a large Filipino population you are in luck. I lived in Las Vegas where 110,000 Filipino's reside so we had three liable companies to to choose from.

Forex, Star Kargo & LBC. I would rate them all about the same, satisfactory. Price varies from time to time, sometime they would advertise specials in Filipino newspapers available in Filipino stores.

The boxes were for sale in our favorite Filipino store (Sea Food Market). They cost $5 each, when you arrange for pickup the courier will give you free boxes to replace the ones you are sending.

Also there is turnover among the couriers, so if you get no answer, move on to the next one. The price varied between $65 to $80, for pickup at your door and delivery to the address you're sending the boxes. The box does not have to be from the shipping company you are using. We used Forex boxes and sometimes shipped with Star Kargo and visa versa. If they have an office in your city you can pick up the shipping boxes.

We often tipped the pickup courier $5 a box,  that's a good time to ask for extra boxes, we had a houseful of boxes.

If you go outside my suggest shippers, better do a detailed investigation of their reputation, as I heard many horror stories of unresponsive shippers.

Thank you so much for the information,  I was surprised by the quick response and delighted to see such an informative reply. I hope you have a wonderful 4th. Sterling

It depends on where your shipment starts from and where it is being shipped to. When we lived in Auburn, Wa, about 25 miles from Seattle it was a quick and easy process. My wife would go to Seafood
City and buy a box, bring it home, and fill it up. Then she would call to schedule a pick-up date. The van would show up she would sign the paperwork (nothing to declare.) Then it would be loaded to a ship leaving the port of Seattle and 30-45 days later it would be delivered to her sister in Angeles City.

The process for sending the same type of shipment from San Antonio, Texas takes considerably longer. About 60-90 days. Because 1. the Philipino population in San Antonio, Texas is considerably smaller and 2. The boxes in San Antonio get picked up and then wait around for about 30-45 days before they get enough boxes to take them to get loaded on a ship in Los Angeles or San Francisco, CA. That process takes 90-120 days. If you live in the midwest I would say you could expect 120-150 days (4-5 months) before your boxes get delivered.

The larger the Philipino population in the area where you are shipping your Balikayan Boxes from and the closer you live to a major port the shorter the expected delivery time in the Philippines.

carlisom78 wrote:

It depends on where your shipment starts from and where it is being shipped to. When we lived in Auburn, Wa, about 25 miles from Seattle it was a quick and easy process. My wife would go to Seafoodcity and buy a box, bring it home, and fill it up.

Yup Seafood City, not Seafood Village. My wife used more packing tape that was used on King Tut.

We've been using LBC for years and never had a problem. We've shipped 60 boxes over the past year and the boxes are arriving in 3 months and cost is $100 a box from south Georgia for each 18x24x24 box.

Since last year, a new shipper started servicing Ohio charging $60 a box. We have to bring our boxes at the Chinese grocery's parking lot when the semi arrives on scheduled days. Yes, we wrap them King Tut style with duct tape. Before then we pay $105. By my count, the box arrive Quezon City in 45 days.

I use Global Cargo Movers, From pick up in Ohio to Delivery in Calamba, Laguna is 2.5 months//75 days.
Global ships from Chicago and cost has been $65-$79 a box.
In 5 years I've never had a problem.

thanks guy but i saw is limited 3 per year box, so how you sent 60? and only filipino can do it i see, i did copy past rules:

The new rules for sending a balikbayan box back home

In the past, balikbayan boxes were tax-free. And because they were also the cheapest way to ship to the Philippines, they were at times abused to avoid taxes.

In August 2017, the government introduced a new rules on balikbayan boxes, aiming to clamp down on smuggling and to make sure that the senders and recipients qualify for the tax-free status.

The new rules require Filipinos to fill out a form itemising everything in the box and to provide receipts for all valuable things (like watches or electronics). Plus, the sender has to provide a photocopy of their documents. Those new regulations also tightened up on who could send and receive the boxes.

However, a stipulation that boxes full of personal items could be randomly opened for inspection caused protests from Filipinos around the world. The government backed off from this idea and only inspect boxes if something suspicious shows up on X-ray.

These days, anyone can send a Balikbayan box to their loved ones in the Philippines. But you have to follow certain rules to ensure that it's actually tax free.
Who can send a tax-free balikbayan box?

Those new regulations also tightened up on who could send and receive the boxes.

    Qualified Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)
    Filipinos living abroad with dual citizenship
    Filipinos with temporary visa (such as students or temporary workers)

I do believe they are enforcing that law you mentioned, otherwise we would have been denied.

argentile wrote:

thanks guy but i saw is limited 3 per year box, so how you sent 60? and only filipino can do it i see, i did copy past rules:

The new rules for sending a balikbayan box back home

In the past, balikbayan boxes were tax-free. And because they were also the cheapest way to ship to the Philippines, they were at times abused to avoid taxes.

In August 2017, the government introduced a new rules on balikbayan boxes, aiming to clamp down on smuggling and to make sure that the senders and recipients qualify for the tax-free status.

The new rules require Filipinos to fill out a form itemising everything in the box and to provide receipts for all valuable things (like watches or electronics). Plus, the sender has to provide a photocopy of their documents. Those new regulations also tightened up on who could send and receive the boxes.

However, a stipulation that boxes full of personal items could be randomly opened for inspection caused protests from Filipinos around the world. The government backed off from this idea and only inspect boxes if something suspicious shows up on X-ray.

These days, anyone can send a Balikbayan box to their loved ones in the Philippines. But you have to follow certain rules to ensure that it's actually tax free.
Who can send a tax-free balikbayan box?

Those new regulations also tightened up on who could send and receive the boxes.

    Qualified Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW)
    Filipinos living abroad with dual citizenship
    Filipinos with temporary visa (such as students or temporary workers)

Good post. I agree the 3 box rule from every thing I have read but obviously no one is counting.

There is also additional criteria aside from the 3 you mentioned above. Filipino citizen with permanent residency in another country, possibly more but they all have value limitations
The first Balakbayan box we sent 2 years ago was through a purely Filipino store in Oz. Not an asian store. The paperwork was easy, 1 A4 sheet with all the usual contact details and 5 lines to detail what we were sending,,,,,,, no costs/value/quantity, nothing to declare etc. 7/8 weeks delivered.

18 months or more ago we sent 2 more boxes through a different company ( Asian local store while I was in OZ before the now, permanent move ) and while efficient and easy to deal with the paperwork was a nightmare. 4 pages for each box, 2 pages devoted to contents (item), quantity, and most distressing the values in detail....... Understated, one box tallied PHP 28K and the other 26K, nothing to declare and all that.
Turns out no problems, boxes delivered by week 8. Nothing touched.

We now have a guy/agent ( the first guy we sent a box with who is Filipino)  ( Ilocano like the better half) we send everything to his family shop, he packs it, does the paperwork, yes one page with a description, no values etc. this is current and was picked up yesterday for shipping, a week ago he also sent a larger box through LBC on airfreight as it was cheaper than sea freight for some reason, LBC site indicates the same from my delving.

Will be interesting to see his personal charges for his time and help but a pleasure to deal with and intend to go there again.
While not the US I think the bottom line is what's in the box for customs and BIR to scrutinise no matter country.

Hey only my experiences as always.

Just an add, the 3 box rule is per annum.

Cheers, Steve.

people say they don't open box but i know why. because they use x tray so they can see what inside and computer laptop not allowed and i know is different color on x tray than food.

We have sent 8 boxes this year from Chicago, 2 batches of 4 boxes about a month apart.

Each shipment took about 2-1/2 months or so.

Seafood City (Atlas Shipping Company) direct from store to our front porch in Bacong.

They ship about the 15th of every month, or so it seems.

Cost was around $80 per box.

So far no real issues, although 1 box did get wet and start to come apart just a little. Thank God we tape them up good.

I have sent almost 1000 books and a bunch of DVD's and never hit a snag.