Unites States Postal Service 

Pros: Inexpensive and very convenient. 

Cons: The U.S. Postal Service only carries your letter or package half way to its destination before the Philippine Postal Service takes over.  The Philippine Postal Service is not nearly as reliable as its American counterpart.  Mail is frequently lost or opened before reaching the recipient.  It’s not unusual for the Philippine delivery person to require the recipient to open a letter or package for inspection, requiring a fee be paid (around 20 Pesos).  Money, cashiers checks, money orders, etc., are frequently stolen from letters.  

Delivery Time:

2 to 6 weeks for Air Mail Parcel Post

1 to 2 weeks for Global Priority Mail 

Cost: Around $15 for Air Mail Parcel Post; around $20 for Global Priority Mail. 

Ideal for: Unhurried love letters, postcards, photographs.  Lightweight items of little or no monetary value that do not demand urgent delivery. 

Federal Express (“FedEx”) (http://www.fedex.com/us/) 

Pros: Very quick delivery.  FedEx has a large facility in Subic and its own delivery team in the Philippines, which means your package never leaves FedEx’s custody until it reaches its recipient.  Your package can be tracked via computer. 

Cons: Expensive and inconvenient (you have to use FedEx labels and/or packaging and get it to a FedEx pick-up point). 

Delivery Time:

2-3 days by Overnight Express (to Manila) 

Cost: About $50 for a one-pound package from a major American city to Manila.  You can call 1-800-Go-FedEx for more information. 

Ideal for: Important documents such as immigration forms that require immediate delivery.  DHL offers a similar value.

DHL (http://www.dhl-usa.com) 

Pros:  Very quick delivery, and DHL maintains control of the package until it reaches its recipient.  Your package can be tracked via computer. DHL will normally pick up your shipment as part of its service, though you’ll need a laser printer to print out the required shipping paperwork (accessed online).   

Cons:  Expensive. 

Delivery Time: 3 days standard delivery (to Manila).   

Cost: About $50 for a one-pound package from a major American city to Manila. You can call DHL Customer Service (1-800-CALL-DHL) for an exact rate quote. 

Ideal for: Important documents such as immigration forms that require immediate delivery.  Federal Express offers a similar value. 

UPS (http://www.ups.com) 

Pros: Quick service at fair rates.  Relatively good rates for larger packages, too.   

Cons: Not as expensive as DHL or FedEx, but much more expensive that the U.S. Postal Service.   

Delivery Time: 3-4 days using UPS WorldWide Express (to Manila). 

Cost: About $35 for a one-pound package from a major American city to Manila via “UPS WorldWide Express”.  You can determine the rate for your particular need at: http://www.ups.com/using/services/intl/xpd-guide.html .  

Ideal for: The budget conscious fella who needs faster service than the post office can offer, though not necessarily the lightning speed of DHL or FedEx. 

Balikbayan Box (various companies) [ A “Balikbayan” is a Filipino who no longer resides in the Philippines, but vacations there from time to time.  A “Balikbayan Box” is a large box of goods that a Filipino expatriate - or a Filipina expatriate and her husband – sends to relatives in the Philippines.  It’s essentially a large care package, and usually contains goods like clothes, canned foods, candy, dishes, tools, toys, or anything else the family may have expressed an interest in.]  

Pros: Weight is irrelevant.  The shipping rate is fixed and very inexpensive.  The only limitation is how much stuff you can cram into the box the shipper provides you. 

Cons: Sloooooow.  A Balikbayan box usually makes its way to the Philippines as freight aboard a cargo ship, and it can take a month or even two months to reach its destination.  Some shippers require you to buy your box from them for around $10.  Because the box is freight, it’s not exactly treated with kid gloves, so don’t put anything fragile in it! 

Delivery Time:  30-60 days. 

Cost: Depends on the shipper, but most Balikbayan boxes are shipped for around $100. That’s a flat rate.  It doesn’t matter how much the box weighs.  That rate may or may not include free pickup.  If you don’t know of a Balikbayan box shipper in your area, check with Filipinos in your community, or look for postings are your local Asian food stores.   

Ideal for:  Sending care-packages to your loved ones in the Philippines, especially during the holidays.