This may/may not be the place for this Post, but some things have come up lately that have affected the guys that send me parts on a regular basis. This will be good info for those of you that will soon be sending myself, or other board members that are stationed/living overseas anything in the Mail. Maybe this can become a "sticky", maybe not. Some have had trouble/drama shipping to me, others have not. I think I know what the problems are, and here is how to avoid them.
What is the "APO" (or "FPO"?) APO= Army Post Office FPO= Fleet Post Office. Both of these official postal sorting facilities are located in New York. (Actually Bayonne New Jersey). Back "in the day", we used to get our mails labeled" Private Shitbag, 3/7 Cav, Box 123 APO New York".
Now they have consolodated ALL Armed Forces Military mail sorting into the new APO AE (Army Post Office/ Army EUROPE).So APO AE will be the most used postal address.
Mailing to an APO is, like it says, like sending what you have from where you are, to NEW YORK. New York is still in the US! It never ceases to amaze me the amounts of "vendors" on eBay for instance, that refuse shipping to an APO/FPO. They lose tens of thousands of dollars in business each year.Their loss! USPS: I need here to address the (many) shortcomings when it comes to the "average" Postal Worker in the US. The new American slang term "going Postal" means something very deep! They are overworked, generally under appreciated and VERY frustrated folks, that rely on doing the very minimum required of them. That means, when you sally up to the Counter, and want to send us guys overseas a package, either they know what to do, and will give you the best info and tips or even several options how to send it the fastest, safest, and most economical way. Or...you will get a blank stare, and shrugged shoulders, and quoted a price so high, that you could have hopped on a Jet, flown 1st class, and HAND CARRIED the parts to me for! (Not kidding here!) I heave heard, and experienced all the horror scenarios! believe me!
If I, or a guy like me over here, or a guy serving on a Ship in the Med, asks you to send us a part, be exremely careful NOT to let the words "Its going to GERMANY", or "It's going to ITALY, or IRAQ" slip out of your mouth! Do so, and it will result in the Postal worker launching into a caniption fit, or violent spasms or convulsions, and start foaming at the mouth!
Simply wrap the parts well. (Army Postal folks are also a very, very frustrated bunch as well!) 90% of them have been forced into that job, because they did something really stupid, or very illegal, and so that they can't cause any more damage to national security, or harm to theirselves or their comrades back in the unit, they are often shuffled off to the Mail room.
After wrapping the part(s) well, put them in a sturdy box.Fill out the shipping label in clear, easy to read block letters. Write the servicemembers address EXACTLY as it has been provided to you! To deter from that address one single letter, will cause my Daytona mirrors not to be sent to yours truly, but will cause them to land in Forward Operating Base ANACONDA in the middle of Insurgent infested, dirty, nasty Iraq! (And we can't have that now can we?) A little APO trivia: There is a small village in India called "APO". And yes, many, many packages have been sent & misrouted there over the years there! Much to the delight of the Indian Villagers there!
Next, take the box with Parts (or whatever) to your Local Post Office. Ask the box to be weighed, and ask the clerk to give you quotes on: PAL, (Priority Air Lift) SAM (Space Available mail) or Priority. Often, if the box weighs less than say, 30, or 40 some-odd pounds, the difference will be nominal. Ask for all three rates.Insurance is (if I remember correctly) like 1$ per 500$ of coverage. (I could be wrong there, just going on memory.) With luck, your Postal clerk will smile, weigh it, give you the three quotes, you will decide the best one, you pay, the box goes, I get it, all is well.
But ...(and there's always a but...)there can be problems. Today (and this is the motivation for such a long winded Post) I was told, by a TD.com member that sent me a TIII Turbo, that he was charged an incredible 44$ (!!!) for a Turbo, to an APO. Let me put this into perspective; When I am home, I send to myself, on average, 6-12 large Boxes of parts and clothes. All weighing between 12-30 POUNDS each. I have sent boxes measuring 33 inches x 33 inches, weighing over 50 pounds...and they have cost around 35-45$. And that was being sent PRIORITY!So Mailing to an APO can be quite cheap. 300% cheaper than sending to my German civilian address, so take the time to do it right, and ask questions! TOO often, the Postal folks will simply charge you the max rate! Just because you didnt ask for a different/cheaper rate! 44$ for a Turbo is simply over the top/crazy expensive! Sent PAL/SAM, that Turbo should have cost MAYBE 15$. Not one cent more!
Don't let this scare you off from mailing to an APO! LOTS of guys have sent me stuff over ther years, even from Canada (Which has the Worlds 3rd most expensive mail system and rates) and they have done it quickly, safely, and economically.Keep those parts a comin'!
TurboDodge.com 
