Balikbayan Boxes & Remittances From Canada

[JJReyes]

My wife and I had lunch today with a Canadian couple, who were the first to start the business of shipping balikbayan boxes and sending remittances to the Philippines from Canada. Their website is http://www.manila-express.ca. Several notes from our conversation:

1. Freight forwarders are not authorized to collect custom duties for the Philippine government. Any agent asking for advance payment is suspect. If there are custom duties, the shipper will be informed before the cargo is released at the port of entry.

2. The charges for odd size packages such as a large flat screen television are calculated based on volume (total cubic feet). Some clerks are reluctant to admit they don't know how, so they estimate a much higher amount. This is to prevent their boss from scolding them for undercharging. If you have odd size packages, calculate the total cubic feet. Inform the clerk and he/she will look at a chart to determine the amount.

3. Always include the word "Used" to make it difficult to determine value.

4. Send a few boxes at a time. If you send 25 or more balikbayan boxes at the same time, Philippine customs immediately suspects a commercial shipment. They will open and search the boxes.

[i am bob]

This company looks interesting. I will have to contact them to get prices for their shipping of BBs as well as talk to them about how their money transfer is set up. It may be more economical -depending on rates - if I can use them rather than the bank or other money transfer companies to get my monthly cash while I'm there. I can't find out on their website as they have some issues with it.

[Thomas]

2. The charges for odd size packages such as a large flat screen television are calculated based on volume (total cubic feet). Some clerks are reluctant to admit they don't know how, so they estimate a much higher amount. This is to prevent their boss from scolding them for undercharging. If you have odd size packages, calculate the total cubic feet. Inform the clerk and he/she will look at a chart to determine the amount.

Do you mean there is a law saying the transport companies aren't allowed to chatge extra for odd sized packages??

If I would have such transport company, then I would want to charge extra for them sending shapes, which would mess up my suiting system :) because of making extra work and can make a part of the container have to go empty.

[i am bob]

2. The charges for odd size packages such as a large flat screen television are calculated based on volume (total cubic feet). Some clerks are reluctant to admit they don't know how, so they estimate a much higher amount. This is to prevent their boss from scolding them for undercharging. If you have odd size packages, calculate the total cubic feet. Inform the clerk and he/she will look at a chart to determine the amount.

Do you mean there is a law saying the transport companies aren't allowed to chatge extra for odd sized packages??

If I would have such transport company, then I would want to charge extra for them sending shapes, which would mess up my suiting system :) because of making extra work and can make a part of the container have to go empty.

Thomas, I think you misunderstood what JJR was saying. The standard size boxes come with a standard charge from the transport company, If something doesn't fit, a special size box is made and the charge for that is based on the number of cubic feet the box is. The shippers will have a chart to use for the price they are suppose to charge you.

[Thomas]

2. The charges for odd size packages such as a large flat screen television are calculated based on volume (total cubic feet). Some clerks are reluctant to admit they don't know how, so they estimate a much higher amount. This is to prevent their boss from scolding them for undercharging. If you have odd size packages, calculate the total cubic feet. Inform the clerk and he/she will look at a chart to determine the amount.

Do you mean there is a law saying the transport companies aren't allowed to chatge extra for odd sized packages??

If I would have such transport company, then I would want to charge extra for them sending shapes, which would mess up my suiting system :) because of making extra work and can make a part of the container have to go empty.

Thomas, I think you misunderstood what JJR was saying. The standard size boxes come with a standard charge from the transport company, If something doesn't fit, a special size box is made and the charge for that is based on the number of cubic feet the box is. The shippers will have a chart to use for the price they are suppose to charge you.

No, I didn't missunderstood.

Who says it has to be as the sentence I made red? Isn't it a free market? :) An irregular shape can "destroy" a much biger space than the volume it has itself.

[JJReyes]

The shippers will have a chart to use for the price they are suppose to charge you.

Additional clarification. It is the policy of Manila Express, the company owned by my friend, to charge for odd size packages using a cubic feet formula. Other companies can charge whatever they want. How many times have you asked in the Philippines, "How much?" They do a full body scan from what kind of shoes you wear to the thickness of the wallet protruding from your back pocket before quoting a price.

[Thomas]

The shippers will have a chart to use for the price they are suppose to charge you.

Additional clarification. It is the policy of Manila Express, the company owned by my friend, to charge for odd size packages using a cubic feet formula. Other companies can charge whatever they want. How many times have you asked in the Philippines, "How much?" They do a full body scan from what kind of shoes you wear to the thickness of the wallet protruding from your back pocket before quoting a price.

ok :)

(Yes, it can be convinient for a biger company to have some simplification concerning odd shaped boxes,

but if it had an irregular shape as e g a bicycle, then I would want to charge for the HIGHEST length x hight x wide numbers, if I had the company, because it mess up that space normaly anyway.)

[JJReyes]

(Yes, it can be convinient for a biger company to have some simplification concerning odd shaped boxes, but if it had an irregular shape as e g a bicycle, then I would want to charge for the HIGHEST length x hight x wide numbers, if I had the company, because it mess up that space normaly anyway.)

You are correct in that the boxes as standard sizes to fill the containers. The price and method of computation for odd size boxes is different.