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Advice of things to ship before my permanent move ??

Discussion in 'Expat Section' started by divephil, Oct 31, 2012.

  1. divephil

    divephil DI Junior Member

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    Hi guys, I would like to make a list of items hard or expensive to get there.
    Tools, food (stock up) or whatever who will fit in a balikbayan box and be useful for house living
    All your comments will be appreciated.

    Thanks
    Mario
     
  2. simple mind

    simple mind DI Forum Patron

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    As for tools, I have not regretted to have brought all my good solid tools here especially the special ones, you will have to spend a lot of time and money to get them here, also if you have a very good vice and/or heavy clamps bring them as well, I would not bother to bring standard welding equipment but a MIG or TIG with some materials will be handy to have around, you can get gas tanks for them here...
     
  3. Dave & Imp

    Dave & Imp DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Things I brought or wished I had shipped

    I have been here a year. I sent a lot of things before I left, more than I needed to send. There are many things here available but it is a pain in the butt to find them in the stores. The quality of the products here are far lower than what you get in the US. A store with various sewing materials in the window sell billiard balls as an example of how confusing it is to find something here. There are many expat here that will help you.

    I would suggest you consider you bring the following:

    Vitamins, Prescription drugs, - they sell most here, by the individual tablets, making even aspirins very expensive compare to the US products - ship a hundred tablet bottle. I went to Costco, and purchased all the vitamins, aspirins, Suphedrine ( not available here due to the drug issues) that I thought I would need until their expiration dates.

    Spices - Again Costco - such as the Grill Mates Montreal Chicken, Grill Mates Montreal Steak (although the beef here is better for making shoes than eating) and any other specialty products us may use for cooking. A large container of Salsa is good too. (I believe a small jar of Tostitos Chuncky Salsa is about $4 USD here - so Costco's large plastic container is a good value.) Any other specialty spices you like.

    If you are single, ship yourself some Hersey Chocolate bars (again costs is about 40 cents each. They come in very good for bartering here, and cost about $1.25 USD here each.)

    The razor blade here for much lower quantity than the US so consider sending yourself some of them.

    The Batteries are the same low quality and do not last long here, so mega size container of the size batteries you use is nice to have.

    I had a friend ask me to ship a barbeque, so I did the same for myself. I went to Walmart, purchased an $88 USD barbeque, and shipped it for about $50 after repacking in the box. Many other things were packed in the box also in the void. A similar barbeque here was $400 at the hardware store. So if you barbeque you may think about that. You can buy the gas container here, but buy a cover as it is is always humid and will rust out soon if not cared for.

    The previous post regarding tools is good. If you demand anything to be of quality then ship it. Prices are lower here on labor, but most imported products are similar or more expensive here. Electronics are more expensive here, but sometimes customs is a problem shippping TVs. I am sure if you ask you will get an opinion on that issue here.

    If you are in Southern California, Victory Cargo shipped my things without hassle. The can be reached at 1-877-458-8842 they are located in Anaheim. Victory held some of my stuff until I got here in Manila then shipped it on to Dumaguete for no storage charge.

    Good luck on your move, took about 6 weeks to get my stuff shipped to my door. So you should plan ahead which is sound like you are doing.
     
  4. Dave & Imp

    Dave & Imp DI Forum Patron Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    A simple way to find out what people need here, if you have the time, is to ask if anyone needs something shipped to then. You will then find out what is in short supply, and build up some new friends here quickly. I did that it worked well. Even had some things, motorcycle parts, which I repacked and ship over here for a guy who turned into a friend.

    If you are a large person, then you may want to ship yourself some large size clothes. The are very hard to find here. I have bought some Large 4 X here and it is small on me... in the US I buy Large. The people are smaller here. Good tennis shoes are hard to find here, and the prices at the US outlets will beat any prices here for good quality shoes.
     
  5. Knowdafish

    Knowdafish DI Forum Luminary

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    True. I wear a 2X shirt which is very hard to come by here. Even a 4X Barong isn't really a 4X here! Shoes and sandals are another problem if your feet are extra wide or larger than a size 12. Bring/ship all your goods tools, but the made-in-China-mediocre-stuff is all over here for the most part. One exception is a good hole saw set, especially if you want to install door locks. Another exception is a double-flaring tool. Single flaring tools are available here, but I've yet to see a double flaring tool kit, and no separate dies are available either. Don't bring any power tools unless they are cordless or you plan on always using a converter as electricity here is 220v (on a good day :D)

    Spices/spice mixes that you can't live without I'd ship too, as well as a tortilla maker, and Masa Harina for making corn tortillas if you like Mexican food. Extra large cups come in handy, the ones you get for free when you buy a 32 ounce or 44 ounce drink. I've yet to see a cup for sale of that size here. Sheets and towels are of much better quality in the U.S., and are much cheaper there too. Even Walmart makes the linen department at the fancy stores here look sick.

    A good water scale remover isn't easy to come by either. The water here has a fair amount of minerals in it. You will see the results of not removing those minerals in your travels here.

    Yes, do bring any prescriptions meds and any vitamins. A lot of prescription meds are available here, but not all. Vitamins are a lot cheaper in the U.S. Stock up at Costco.

    I'm sure others will chime in with their "must haves" that aren't available here.
     
  6. PatO

    PatO DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer Veteran Marines

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    If you use condoms, bring U.S. brands, for a couple different reasons.
     
  7. expatron

    expatron DI Forum Patron

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    or a few extra inches.....
     
  8. swampstar

    swampstar DI Member

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    Do I miss anything I failed to bring? That's really funny. I miss everything! There isn't a day that passes that I don't think of items I had that I could use here. Of course some things would be redundant and of course many items would fail in this salty weather and of course it would have been a hassle but keep in mind whatever you purchase here is generally more expensive and poorly made.
     
  9. roadking

    roadking DI Member Veteran Air Force

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    Wouldnt pack any chocolate / confectinary iteims , you might open your box to find a sticky mess !....
     
  10. Knowdafish

    Knowdafish DI Forum Luminary

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    True, either you'll find it or the cockroaches will! Quality chocolate in the U.S. has a lower melting point than the stuff here. They use more hydrogenated oils to keep the melting point higher to avoid the "sticky mess" with chocolate made for the Philippines. It doesn't have the same taste. That is why the locals here want the imported stuff.
     
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