APO/FPO Flat Rate Boxes

[Toro]

I've lived OCONUS collectively for over five years now and I just found out about these discounted APO/FPO flat rate boxes. It's (nearly) too late for this Christmas, but the USPS offers Flat Rate boxes for shipping to APO/FPO that are a couple bucks cheaper than normal flat rate large boxes (11.95 vs 13.95). For those stationed overseas who have relatives sending them stuff, let them know about these. Your folks may be able to get the boxes from their local post office, but they can also order them online (in packs of 10 or 25) and there are no shipping costs to order them. The link to USPS is here, but you can get them through a number of other sites (like stamps.com).

[nsplayr]

Great advice...the wifey just discovered these as well and I can confirm that they were cheaper and arrived overseas in a timely manner.

[contraildash]

We used these to ship from CONUS to OCONUS, less than two week transit back in October. Rates are nice, and all that matters is that it fits in the box. You could send a block of lead, and it'd still be $11 or whatever for the large one. Just sent a bunch of stuff back to CONUS, still waiting to see how fast it gets there (with XMas and all).

But...

If you are using these flat rate boxes to ship from an APO to an APO, they send them the slowest method possible. Same flat rate, slower service.

[stract]

ok, so use MPS instead. Same slower service, but FREE...

I mailed something to myself via MPS from Osan to Kadena and it beat me there (1 week). A friend mailed us stuff downrange via MPS and it took 2 weeks. Of course sometimes it can obviously be slower, but for an extra week, FREE beats priority mail.

[Guest goducks]

If you plan on using them, I'd recommend getting them online ahead of time. It's been my experience that many post offices don't seem to stock them at all, or they are frequently out of stock.

2 on the timely shipping. I shipped some flat rate boxes CONUS to OCONUS and they arrived in a week or so. I had some other (non-flat rate) boxes and they took a good month.

[Herk Driver]

Don't need a special flat rate box. The normal flat rate boxes when shipping from CONUS to OCONUS still qualify for the discounted price.

[mudhen69]

Other shipping advice: Sometime back I purchased a heavy duty plastic foot locker from Cabella's. They are made by a company called "Plano" and are much more high quality than the stuff you can find at the BX. Just google "Plano Storage boxes" and youll be all set. I can literally stuff 69 pounds of crap inside and the USPS will ship to US (inculding APO) for about $1 per pound if over 30 pounds. If under 30 pounds you pay as if there was 30 pounds since the it is a large container.

If I go back to the states for more than a week or so I put my what I would carry luggage wise in the foot locker and mail it. Its cheaper than paying excess baggage fees and its you can insure it, unlike airline baggage. Plus you dont have to lug it around with you at the airport with the other 69,000 other people trying to check in to thier flights. Lastly its great for deployments especially if you fly pointy nosed jets since you are limited in what you can take with you. Its been back and forth between the US and UK and Afgahnistan about 10 times and I have never had a problem with it. I dont lock them in case customs wants to look inside. I just use plastic zipties that way the box has an extra layer of closure and if customs wants to open it I am only out a $.01 ziptie and not a $30 lock.