Dealing with Deployment: Tips on sending care packages to deployed loved ones at an APO/FPO

[Tungsten23]

when you said "cards" on the list of non-sendables. Did you mean regular playing cards? (Just the kind at Wal-Mart) Our School is about to do this, we are doing hopefully alot of these care packages.

And when you say "no chocolate", I do wana say M & M's were were created for soldiers, Hard, Outter coating prevent melted chocolate from spreading.

Very nice Video, hope our efforts over here have a positive impact over there!

[AmiraJericho]

@Tungsten23 The cards I mentioned fall under the "obscene articles" I mentioned. I didn't mean you can't send regular playing cards. You just can't send "nudie" playing cards. lol You're right, M&Ms are okay. Anything chocolate that is without a hard shell is probably not a good idea to send, however. Thanks for the comment!

[AmiraJericho]

@cherryxxangel89 Hi, thanks for the question! You don't need to separate food items from non-food items in your care packages.Boxed foods, or foods that have a low risk of leaking are best to send over.

[HopefulOTaKu]

thankyou thankyou thankyou! I have been trying to find out how to do this for like an hour XD I couldnt find any site that was helpful ;;o.o

You use the form 2976-A right? Do you just go to the post office and ask for one?

[AmiraJericho]

@HopefulOTaKu You're very welcome! Glad I could help! Yes, that's the customs form you need. Just ask for it at the post office. It's quite large compared to the normal customs form, so make sure they give you the right one. Good luck in your mailings! And Happy New Year! =]

~Amira

[jonbori87]

Hi! Im sending a brown package over about 20 pounds. Would you kno the Approximate price of shipping?

[AmiraJericho]

@jonbori87 Hi! I'm afraid I don't know the prices for regular parcel mail. It would depend on the final destination. I would *highly* recommend flat-rate shipping if you're sending something that heavy. Shipping overseas can be really pricey. Flat-rate boxes are a much better value than regular brown parcel boxes, and if you're sending to a military service member, the large boxes are discounted 2 dollars. If you *have* to send in the brown box, I'd like to know the final price, so let me know!

[jonbori87]

@AmiraJericho thank you very much for your response. I will let you know the final price. I just have quite a few things to send. I will let you know! Thanks again :)

[jonbori87]

@AmiraJericho Hi Amira! I sent the brown package out. wasnt to bad. the only bad part was fillin out the new customs paper work... lol any ways i payed around 35 bux. Shipped to Kandajar. thank you a bunch

[AmiraJericho]

@jonbori87 Awesome! That's not so bad. The customs forms take some getting used to, for sure! Thank you so much for letting us know! =]

[sarias320]

great video, thank you so much for posting!

[AmiraJericho]

@sarias320 Of course, dear! Glad you liked it! =)

[SummerChica89]

are you allowed to send mix music cd's that you have burned yourself? or is that considered "unauthorized material"?

[AmiraJericho]

@SummerChica89 Oh, yeah, mixed CDs are totally fine. I sent one about a month ago and my boyfriend loved it. The Army has no way of knowing whether or not you own the albums for each song on your burned CD, and they're not going to exert any effort to find out, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure you tape the CD case shut and cushion it so it doesn't come out and get scratched. They can be a little rough with the boxes on the way over.

Thanks for watching!

~Amira

[dbutterscottish]

I will admit, I never list tobacco, and I just send it with a bunch of other stuff.

[AmiraJericho]

@dbutterscottish Yeah, never list tobacco. It's like prison currency or something. =]

[larlar210]

Actually with the new forms, you can cram as much onto the line as you want. I know they want you to do it line by line but the guy at the PO said they don't care as long as it's all listed with quantity.

I asked the guy at the PO to tape my box up the other day and he got snarky with me and made me buy my own tape

[AmiraJericho]

They'll only tape your box for you if you use priority flat rate boxes. They won't tape up a plain box you bring in yourself. If you used a flat-rate box, he should have done it for you. He's supposed to. It's included in the price of the flat-rate box.

But you're right about the new customs forms. They usually don't care as long as you get whatever's in the box listed. It's just hard to see because the forms are sectioned off. The new forms are line-by-line, so it's harder to list every word.

[larlar210]

@AmiraJericho

It was a priority flat rate box, with the "America supports you" logo.

[AmiraJericho]

@larlar210 I'm sorry that happened to you, then. That sucks! They *always* taped up the boxes for me with the blue tape that says "Priority" on it and I've been to 4 different Post Offices; they've never given me a problem. I guess your Post Office is different, or the guy was just being difficult. Definitely tape up your box before you go to the Post Office, then. =/ Thanks for letting us know about potential problems with that, though!

[Military21Wife]

Yeah i whould not list everything tho on the list and i whould not put the actulle price bc people steal stuff out of the box if they see how much and what is all in there from the list. My husband told me that bc alot of his buddys got stuff stolen that way so they told there wifes from now on to lie about how much it cost and not put eveything on the list they got.

[AmiraJericho]

@Military21Wife Exactly, it's better *not* to list everything and your husband get his package than to be honest and have things stolen. It's a shame the system is like that, but these packages are handled by so many people, it's hard to stop theft. People just read whatever's in the package and decide whether or not they want what's in the box! Ugh!

I never list the estimated value of whatever's in the boxes I send. I just leave it off entirely. They don't seem to care. =]

[Military21Wife]

thanks for the video today i went to get all the things u listed on the video = ) this helped so much

[AmiraJericho]

You're certainly welcome, dear. Glad I could help!