Balikbayan box

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A Balikbayan Box.

A balikbayan box (literally returnee's box) is a cardboard box containing novelty items brought by or sent by a Filipino who is returning to the Philippines from a foreign country.^[1] These boxes contain non-perishable food items, canned goods, other food items, toiletries, household and kitchen stuffs, time saving devices, computer parts, electronics, toys, designer clothing, personal items, and hard-to-find items in the Philippines.^[2]

In preparation for sending or bringing to the Philippines after an extended stay from a foreign country, a balikbayan box is sized specifically to conform to airline luggage restrictions, as most Filipino stores carry them. Box variations are available with a cloth cover and side handles for portability. They are secured with tape and/or rope, thus it is not an ordinary moving box that is lightly secure. After being properly secured, freight forwarders help send these boxes provided by overseas Filipinos to their relatives in the Philippines. Later, the package(s) are delivered to the recipient's family from the overseas Filipino sender who sent them. Sometimes taking pictures of the recipients with the balikbayan box is done by freight forwarding companies as a request of the sender to confirm receipt.

Part of the attraction of the balikbayan box method of sending items home is economy... if the items were sent individually or in smaller boxes through postal services, the cost could be 500% or more. The tradeoff, however, is a long transit time, typically 5-6 weeks, and lack of a definite delivery date. Since this service relies on freight channels, timing is variable based on the time of year and transit choices made by the shipper.

A balikbayan box cover securely covers the balikbayan box. Made with polyester and zippered top for opening, the balikbayan box cover follows the standard airline luggage restrictions.