APO Shipping

Having a US Postal address is very helpful.  We don't have to pay international shipping costs to buy stuff we want.  Amazon Prime is even better - one flat annual fee and lots of stuff comes to us with no additional shipping cost.

From time to time though we come across stuff that does not ship to APO addresses.  It is an odd assortment of things, so I thought I would share -

Companies will not ship the following (I should note for accuracy sake - the stuff can be shipped and mom has been great about being our private shipper)

Scrapbooking Supplies (albums, papers, stickers)
Printer Paper
Graph Paper
Pencils (but we can and did get a pencil sharpener)
Hair Color
Shampoo for people (but yes to shampoo for dogs)
Cliff Bars
Some Electronics
Car Battery (yes to tires)
Bitter Apple Spray that keeps dogs from chewing stuff (like their own paws)
Noise Canceling Headphones
Customized Converse Sneakers (but regular ones yes)
Mitt for Carwashing (but yes to soap to wash the car)
Car Emergency Kit - the ones with that orange triangle


Even with these and other "no" products we are extremely fortunate to be able to order many of the things we use on a regular basis.   Between Amazon and our PX American consumer goods are plentiful and it's not like we really need any of it, but it does make life more comfortable and for that we are grateful.

No Last Minute Christmas

Three weeks ago signs went up in our post office here on SHAPE.  On it were several dates, dates in November!  It listed drop dead shipping deadlines for posting packages to the United States.   So if one wanted to get one's packages to the United States by Christmas, these were the shipping deadlines.  My initial reaction (keep in mind I am an advanced planner) was "yikes!"

I usually am ready for Christmas by Thanksgiving.  This year with moving and keeping up with the kids I'm not sure I'm going to make that deadline.

Many gifts have been purchased, many have been thought about. But I am not ready.  All the local Christmas markets, held in town squares across Europe don't even open until next weekend.  Maybe I'll be shopping for next year's gifts - really advanced planning.

The postage deadline doesn't just mean sending gifts out, it also means I've got to get things ordered in hopes that they arrive here in time.  Allen and Kyra keep revising and re-prioritizing their lists so I've got to make an educated guess as to where they will have landed by Christmas time.

I'm also working on Christmas cards.  Family photo - check.  Cards in hand - check.  Chasing down everyone's new addresses - in process.  We weren't the only ones moving this year.

After I get all the packages and cards taken care of I then need to turn to the task of keeping family traditions up in a new place.  Belgians don't have a long standing tradition of Christmas trees, so finding a tree might take some work.  Hopefully the commissary or PX will help me out.  I'll let you know.