Balikbayan Boxes Rule. No One Seem To Know/bother :)

[Thomas]

I checked the Rules for balikbayan boxes to see what's allowed to put in them. (I thought of perhaps put some Help-to-self-help equipment in a shipment, but hardly it's worth the transport cost if it will be custom fee too (depending of fee size) so it was lucky I checked  :)

 

But when I checked that I found an other interesting rule too, which no one seem to bother about, not even the custom  :)   (=p3)   Or have anyone noticed they have stoped multiple boxes anytime?

 

2. WHAT ARE ALLOWED IN “BALIKBAYAN BOXES”?

Non-commercial goods or goods not in commercial quantity strictly for personal use only, such as: wearing apparel, clothing, foodstuffs/grocery items/canned goods; the value of which must not exceed US$500.00.

 

3. HOW OFTEN CAN FILIPINOS RESIDING OR WORKING ABROAD SEND A “BALIKBAYAN BOX” TO THEIR FAMILIES AND RELATIVES IN THE PHILIPPINES?

One consignor/sender is allowed to send one (1) box during a six (6) -month period.

http://customs.gov.ph/faqs/balikbayan-boxes/#7.2

[FlyAway]

Wonder if the 1 box shipping in 6 months is a misprint? :hystery:  I could easily see it as being 6 boxes in 1 month for many.

[Americano]

I sent 12 boxes at one time with no problem.  The man who picked up my boxes said he had a customer who had sent about 60 boxes during that year. And, I have heard many others say how many boxes they sent before they moved to the Philippines so the rule is not being enforced.

[Thomas]

I sent 12 boxes at one time with no problem. The man who picked up my boxes said he had a customer who had sent about 60 boxes during that year.

Yes. That's why I got suprised, when I happened to see that 1 box rule  :)

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I must have missed that rule. But there are already so many rules they don't follow, what is one more ha ha :tiphat:

[JJReyes]

LBC Honolulu ships one container of Balikbayan boxes a week. More during the time period before Christmas. According to the pick-up driver, Philippine Customs won't open the container at the port of arrival unless there is a reason to be suspicious. It's very labor intensive. The arrival rate might be 10 to 20 containers a week. Sometimes, according to the driver, Customs will send agents to the LBC warehouse for spot inspection of some boxes as the LBC staff unloads the container. 

 

If there is a tip-off, government officials show up at the docks to be photographed by the media as Balikbayan boxes containing contraband are opened. 

Edited September 14, 2013 by JJReyes

[Thomas]

Philippine Customs won't open the container at the port of arrival unless there is a reason to be suspicious. It's very labor intensive.

Yes. But it isn't much work to check the destination adresses lists to see there is a bunch going to same adress at the same time  :)

(But I don't understand why they have that rule even if they had followed it. E g it can be a lot to send as REAL Balikbayan purpouse (=to poor Pinoys) when someone move INTERNAL in e g USA and get a lot of stuff over, not needed in the new home.)

 

(Two days ago I told my gf how many boxes I have (half size of the bigest BB). 5 surely wanted to bring some time. 4 boxes with business info material, which I will try to reduce much, but extra hard if I will start one of the cheapest to start business ideas, because there will the copy reducing factor be knowledge so I better bring as much such as possible  :)   Plus I have over 50 additional boxes, which I have moved to an appartment to empty my house for selling. So I have a lot to try to get rid of before moving  :)   The sad thing is most of the 50 boxes would be useful for poor Pinoys e g to start own small business, if it hadn't been to big transport costs so it isn't worth it. That around 60 boxes are AFTER I have send 8 car loads, 12 pickup loads and 1 big lorry load to selling, gifts and garbage allready. And my Filipina gf find having 5 boxes is much  :lol:

[Jollygoodfellow]

E g it can be a lot to send as REAL Balikbayan purpouse (=to poor Pinoys) when someone move INTERNAL in e g USA and get a lot of stuff over, not needed in the new home.)  

 

You still dont get it? a balikbayan box is really only meant for Filipinos returning home. Its not meant for every Tom; Dick and  Fred to use but it still is used by them.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

Yeah, that is what I thought too. But I did not even have adress it to my girlfriend. I was the sender and reciever for all 11 boxes. No packing list, no inspections, no customs. I love it. :tiphat:

[Thomas]

 

E g it can be a lot to send as REAL Balikbayan purpouse (=to poor Pinoys) when someone move INTERNAL in e g USA and get a lot of stuff over, not needed in the new home.)  

 

You still dont get it? a balikbayan box is really only meant for Filipinos returning home. Its not meant for every Tom; Dick and  Fred to use but it still is used by them.

Are you sure YOU got it?  :)

I did talk about kind of OPPOSITE to what many have done, who use the boxes to move OWN stuff to RP,

I talked about sending things TO POOR PINOYS...

 

The law talk about sending things TO FILIPIN FAMILIES...

Yes, the law talk about Pinoys sending to their families, but I suppouse the RP government find it OK if a future son-in-law is the sender of the stuff to them  :)

 

(At least most of the stuff, which I will need for OWN use after the move, I can manage to move as LAGGUAGE when I do the move flight and future visits of my Swedish family. In the beginning I will have "to much" to do anyway  :)   (e g decide where to settle and start studying the local language there) to have time to use most of my hobby stuff, so such have no problem to wait until some future flight.)

Edited September 15, 2013 by Thomas