My previous review was back in 2014 so I'm updating it with my recent box with them.
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POBox.ph |
Even though
The Bureau of Customs has increased the de minimis for imported goods to 10000 php, there is still a lot of demand for forwarders. If you are planning on buying from different online stores, forwarders consolidate all your parcels for you and deliver them straight to your doorstep instead of waiting on the items individually and going back and forth the post office to pick up your package (and paying 100php for the storage fee),
The forwarder I use the most is POBox PH. Almost all of my transactions with them went smoothly (except during the time there was a truck ban in Metro Manila that resulted in cargo ships getting stranded in the port, which isn't POBox's fault). Since the first time I used their services last 2013, they have revamped their website and they are now offering air shipping which I haven't tried yet (at $6.50 per lb, with a 3 lbs minimum package weight and a clearing fee consisting of the 10% of declared value of the items; please note certain items like electronics also has additional charges).
If you don't have a credit card or if you want to shop on online shops that don't allow using credit cards with a billing address outside the U.S., you can also request POBox to shop on your behalf (they charge a 5% service charge for your total purchase price). You have to fill up a request form first, then they'll give you a quote and wait for your payment before they purchase the items. I asked for a price quote before and it took them more than 1 working day to respond so it might not be best to request for sale items because the sale might be over before they even process this.
Anyway, I shopped on some websites for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2016 and had some last minute Amazon purchases on late November. I requested them to bill me for the box sometime December because I wanted to have my box shipped before they go on a break (not entirely sure, but I think they go on a break on Christmas-New Year).
They billed me on the second week of January but they told me that they loaded my box on the cargo ship last December. According to the tracking number they gave, here is the timeline of the shipment
December 24 - loaded items into the cargo ship
December 29 - received/loaded at the port Long Beach - CA
January 2 - ship sailed from port
January 31 - unloaded to warehouse here in the Cainta Rizal - PH
February 1 - loaded to truck
February 2 - out for delivery / delivered at my home
On average it takes about 5-6 weeks after it has been loaded to the truck before it gets delivered. It's not that long to be honest, as even air shipped items takes an average of two weeks (might even take 3 if the parcel gets held at the post office). You'll save a lot on shipping by just having to wait a little bit more for your items.
They have insurance available, but the insurance only covers lost boxes (individual items that are lost are not covered by the insurance).
One more reason why I keep using their service is their response rate. Every time I have a question, I just send them an email and they respond promptly and satisfactorily. I hope this level of service will remain consistent.
Comments
Trust us, don’t even bother trying to use their service to spare yourselves from the stress.