Saturday, May 5, 2018

How To Find The Best Balikbayan Box Forwarder

By Eric Patterson


Should you be reading this article right now, there is a good chance that you are probably married to a Filipina or even a Filipino, and are all too familiar with the concept of balikbayan. Balikbayan means to go back to ones country and in simpler terms means to repatriate, and usually a Filipino or Filipina will send a balikbayan box to relatives at home in the Philippines. And if you are about to send one back to the Philippines, then you want to find the best forwarder around.

The box will contain basically anything possible under the sun, but most of the time it will contain general dry goods. Most of the items usually place in it will have some sort of intrinsic value to the receiver and so a lot of thought is always put into what is placed inside. Apart from the expected canned goods, toys and even toiletries usually sent over, some do place laptops and other high ticket items inside.

Should you want to begin the search for the best possible forwarder for your box to the Philippines, then do prepare a checklist. This checklist is something much better to use than committing things to memory when dealing with important pieces of information. Always do what good managers do and use a checklist when coming to choosing between alternatives.

The first step on your checklist is to get as much information on your prospective forwarder. Do ask around your neighbor and colleagues who may have also used a forwarding service recently or are consistently using one for tips and recommendations. If there are more than one service provider in the area, it is best that you ask for multiple opinions and recommendations.

Once you have a list of alternate providers, compare each one by price also if possible. On average the base price per box will be around sixty dollars a piece and upwards, for a general standard sized box. Extra large boxes can be a bit more expensive starting at seventy five dollars and up depending on the location. As a rule, many providers do give box sizes of small, medium, large, and extra large.

Do also compare services across providers also. Ask or see if they can provide pickup services, and some do this for free and some do this for a fee. Most providers however, prefer that you just drop off your box at their designated drop off points.

It is also wise to inquire how far their services extend throughout the Philippine archipelago, and if they will have service centers in all three of the major islands of Luzon, VIsayas, and Mindanao. It is better to have a provider that has a presence on each of these islands rather than just one of them for expediency and reliability.

In all, this article has shown what you need to look for in a good provider for your forwarding needs. It is always recommended to get as much information as you can prior to making a final choice or decision, especially if it will involve any cost to your wallet. Make sure you leave no stone unturned in your search for helpful information.




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