Well…the pictures tell some of the story. All of these photos were taken in the Philippines after a 100 day transit from the US.
Balikbayan can be loosely translated as ‘returning citizen.’ The idea is, after you’ve served your contract as an OFW (Overseas Foreign Worker), you’ll want to ship your stuff home. There is a small army of balikbayan box purveyors around the world. Lyn shipped all her stuff home from Dubai using GP Express. I used Makati Express from the US East Coast. LBC also has a decent US presence.
All of the boxes I’ve packed (nine) have come through fine. I haven’t inspected / handled every item in every box since arrival, but I dove through them all at least once. No discernable damage.
I used Makati Express because Carlos, the owner / chef of Tagpuan Restaurant (the local Filipino eatery) is an agent for Makati. Before I found Carlos, I used Makati through their agent in Philadelphia. Carlos was a much closer location, however. I suspect there is a balikbayan agent within an hour drive of your location too.
There are two keys to success.
1) Pack the box slightly over-full. You know the “Contents may settle during shipment” warnings on cereal boxes…that same law applies here. Your items will nest together making a smaller volume during the voyage over. If the volume gets too small, and sails on the bottom layer of your container, your box WILL be crushed. (However, don’t stress the box by packing so much that it splits.) All of my boxes were packed at 105% of volume. The sides bulged slightly as did the top when I addressed them. On arrival, I’d say they are 98% filled. One shows minor deformation.
2) Tape. Use high-quality packing tape — the kind with polymer threads embedded in the tape itself. See close-up photo of the tape. Run a FULL BAND of this tape at the top and bottom edges of the box (see photos…) and make a skinny X down the top and bottom seams of the box. I run a double strap of tape across the middle of the top and bottom as well. Lastly, tape the top and bottom edges. I use solid plastic tape here, as the threaded kind tends to split down the middle. (That’s why you make a skinny X on the top and bottom seams.)
I think if you do those two things, then pack the box sensibly, all will be well.
By sensibly I mean heavy items at the bottom, lighter on top. Use strong, flat objects along the sides and floor of the box to prevent punctures. Put heavy square objects in the corners (toolboxes, file boxes, books). Keep the spines and flat sides of books against the walls. I bagged all my books and pointed the open corners towards the inside. I hate damaged corners! (Use heavyweight 10 x 13 inch bags. You can fit one large book or four paperbacks per bag.)
There are restrictions on what you can send. These laws can change at any time. Read the list and follow it. This link should get you close. Follow the letter and spirit of the law and all will be well.
In general, load the heaviest and biggest objects into the box first, then fill all of the space, bracing everything against everything else. I used tightly rolled clothes here and there to mate one item to another or to protect something from something else. Nothing should be loose inside the box and there should be no possible movement.
It’s an engineering exercise!
For me, packing the boxes was fun. I hope you enjoy it, too. Pray over everything while you’re packing. It’s a good time with the Lord.