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I've fielded a request to ship a book to a foreign APO/FPO/DPO address. Its been explained to me that i'll need to fill out a customs for and hand the package to a usps employee - both things which are kinda a pain in the butt.
does anyone have experience with this? are these steps necessary?
(i ask because there is frequent;y a gap between the rules as they're written and the rules as they're enforced. for instance, all packages above 13oz need to be handed to a usps employee in person. i've never follow this and never had a problem.)
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I received many a package via the APO system when I was stationed at overseas military bases.
I never had customs paperwork arrive with the package. Shipping to an APO is like shipping to any other address in the United States. The package is never handled by foreign carriers. It goes from USPS to the military, which either ships it via their own cargo aircraft, or via commercial contract aircraft. Then, the package is handed over to the post office on a base.
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just make sure the recipient understands it will take a long time to get there (4-6 weeks) and there is a high chance of getting lost. For me this is 50%, first package got lost, the second one (replacement at my expense) got there after several weeks.
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A book should be no problem.
The customs form should be no problem either.
Going to an APO/FPO should be no problem. Just make sure the address is correct and printed clearly.
And wrap the package well. Poor packaging and foreign post offices are the biggest reasons for damage or loss.
Even though the destination is in a foreign country, an APO/FPO/DPO is a US address. I've received many and sent a few CARE packages and never had a problem.
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It is easy to buy the postage and print the customs form online. Just use an envelope big enough for both forms. Packages to APO addresses now only require the small simple customs form, not the bug multi-sheet form that they used to require.
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Si. Many times, nary a problem. But this is Japan, where I'd about trust my mailman to deliver a baby.
