This is mostly from an email exchange Rachel and I had with one of the new recruits coming to my school next year:
What type of items should I ship? Food? Toiletries? Dvd's? Sheets? It would be great to get a list like for summer camp.
Don’t worry about whether you can find most things. I think the only things Rachel hasn’t found are certain ingredients for baking and certain medicines she prefers to the local alternatives. If you’re okay with switching your diet to a more local diet, you can avoid buying the more expensive imported foods. But if you’re going to want your breakfast cereal (or insert other comfort food here) every day, shelling out $8 a box will just be an expense you have to live with unless you want to devote shipping allowance to a whole crate of that. The same sort of goes for toiletries, but it’s easier to find the same brands of toiletries here as in the US without as much increase in price.
Generally, first choose things with sentimental value that you want to have with you instead of in storage. That includes wall art, framed photos, etc. to make your house a home. You might bring certain bedding if you’re particular about sheets or pillows or mattress toppers, but you can buy pretty much anything here. There aren’t libraries, so DVDs might be a good choice, and DVDs purchased here can’t be viewed on DVD players from the US, so don't bring one, but plan to buy a universal-region one here instead. You’ll be able to access any online subscription services (like Netflix, Amazon Streaming, etc.) via VPN with no trouble. If you have kids, bring their favorite toys. You can find most familiar toys here, but they’ll all be full-price. There’s basically no such thing as bargain shopping here.
I eat dairy free and gluten free. Will it be difficult to find special flours?
Not difficult to find necessarily, but probably relatively expensive. You’re probably used to that issue in the US, too, but it’s even more of a price difference here. And many items are not consistently available even if you do find a store that carries them, so buy all you can whenever you see it on the shelf.
What type of items can you ship? What type of items are not allowed?
Pretty much everything that isn’t explosive or corrosive. They said no batteries. Don’t try to bring in pork or alcohol or multiple copies of religious material that they might think you’re using to proselytize. Some people said not to bring even a nativity scene (if you’re Christian), but we know plenty of people who had no trouble with that. You can buy every other kind of Christmas decoration here but those.
How do you ship? UPS? Or airline?
We shipped through a logistics company called Experts Logistics Services. http://www.expertslogistic.com Our HR person will send you a list of other companies people have used. This company's rate was relatively low when if you shipped by boat, but we shipped by air, and it was more expensive than we expected. They calculate the price based on some combination of weight and volume. I’d say ship by air, whatever company you choose. We've been told horror stories of shipping containers being washed off boats by big waves, or plastic items melting in the heat while the container sits in customs for possibly weeks. You’ll make up the cost of shipping by air pretty soon if you live somewhat frugally for a while here, and the peace of mind alone is probably worth the price difference.
Rachel had a few things to add, too:
I do have a few things to add...
Items to ship- If you use chili powder, bring a few with you as that is a spice blend and I haven't found it here. And what is labeled chili powder here is actually dried chilies ground into a powder, not the same. We found that out the hard way. :) But you can find most everything. If there is a specific item you're wondering about, I can see if it's here. But the store near us is good about getting items requested, at least so I've been told by people who have requested things. I haven't done it myself. You can find deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, in brands that you'll recognize (Herbal Essence, Tresseme, Colgate, Crest, etc), along with others. Be careful with sheets as the bed sizes aren't always the same to the ones at home. I know of some people who brought sheets with them in the size they were told the bed would be and they don't fit. But you'll be provided sheets, and like Steve said, if you don't like the ones in your apt/villa, there are plenty of options to buy different ones.
Gluten Free/Dairy Free- There are a number of dairy free milks here such as soy and sometimes I see Almond milk. And of course, there's plenty of coconut milk. I watch a girl after school who is allergic to dairy and she's doing just fine here.
Shipping company- we shipped by air, not boat. The shipment came about 3-4 weeks after we got here. Our neighbors shipped mostly by boat and they didn't get their shipment until close to Christmas. Air shipment costs more but is quicker, by boat is cheaper but takes much longer.
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