When to Forward Your Balikbayan Box to the Philippines By Air and By Sea?

If it is your first time forwarding a balikbayan box to the Philippines, chances are, you’re having a hard time deciding whether to ship it by air or by sea. How are the two different, exactly? And more importantly, why should you choose one over the other? There are various factors to consider when choosing a forwarding service, and keeping them in mind should make you feel secured when sending your package to your love ones.


balikbayan box to philippines
(Image Source: Rappler)


Transit Time


When it comes to speed of delivery, air freight fares better than its sea counterpart. Air shipments usually take days, even hours only compared to weeks or months of sea freights. Depending on the location, transit time on air freights may take as fast as 8 hours to 7 days while sending your package via shipping vessel may take 12 to 45 days. However, with the addition of new ocean routes in the past years, it has also become possible for some ocean shipments to arrive in just a week.

If the arrival time of your package to the Philippines is that important, air freight is definitely your choice of forwarding service. Otherwise, just make it a practice to send your balikbayan box a couple of extra days of your expected arrival to err on the safe side.



Cost


How do you compute for the cost of the two forwarding services? In ocean freight, costs are charged per container rates, with a standard container size ranging from 20ft to 40ft. However, the computation is different if your package is less than a container load, which is determined by cubic meter. Meanwhile, shipping costs in air freight are computed based on the combination of the package’s size and weight, better known as chargeable shipment weight. Usually, air freight expense is 60% higher than ocean shipment.

This being the case, if you find it more practical to spend on stuff to add on your balikbayan box rather than allot more on the forwarding service itself, then, ocean freight is the one you need. Just keep in mind not to send excessive loads more than the container capacity to avoid excess cost.



Security


Lost items during transit is not uncommon when sending balikbayan box to the Philippines. Although mishandling and theft is possible in both forwarding services, air freight offers a more secured shipment compared to ocean freight. In fact, some shipping companies have their people hand carry your package from the sendoff point to the arrival destination. Furthermore, delays are also minimized in air shipments so you’ll have peace of mind knowing your package will arrive on time.

Knowing that your package will arrive safely and on time to its destination is important, thus, you should consider air freight if security is your primary concern.



Choosing the right forwarding service for your balikbayan box may seem confusing, but with the factors above, you should be able to decide whether air freight or ocean freight suits your needs. Now send that package to your love ones in the Philippines and welcome 2018 with a box of love.



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