I’m doing a CandySwap with Hiro-san of FlutterScape this month. Here’s what I’ve found so far:
- Shipping from the U.S. to Japan is expensive, but apparently not as expensive as shipping the other way. Hiro-san was shocked when I told him the price I would be paying, which I thought was exorbitant at first, but I think he’ll be paying more. ごめんなさい、ひろさん!
- Looking at the USPS Priority Mail International price sheet, it appears that the biggest ‘bang for my buck’ will be the Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box, which lets me ship approximately 4 pounds of whatever to Japan for around $13. Considering the next sized-box is almost $42. I think I’ll be keeping the weight down to 4 pounds, thankyaverahmuch.
- Oh, did I mention that the USPS will send you Priority Mail boxes for free? I have a package of five (the smallest quantity possible) coming to my door in a week or so. As much as I dislike the USPS for losing or damaging items, I still love the free boxes.
- Today I was in Walgreens looking for unusual candy. Walgreens has a good selection of stuff that Wal-Mart, Target, and Kroger don’t have. I picked up a big bag of different things that I think are only made in America, like Lemon Heads, Hot Tamales, and several types of candy corn. (Brachs now has Caramel Apple and Chocolate Caramel candy corn in addition to the standard stuff, which I am told is not sold in Japan, or at least not popular there yet–please correct me if I’m wrong.
- As I was leaving, I got the revelation that this stuff is really heavy. The movie theater-style boxes and the candy themselves was going to put me way over the 4-pound limit. I hadn’t been conscious at how heavy bags of candy corn really are, and these were small bags! I ended up returning everything except the small bag of Harvest Mix candy corn. I’m going to have to get creative here.
- Speaking of creativity, I think the cheapest route here will be candy in small plastic bags or Fun Size candy. We still have a ton of Fun Size Milky Ways, Milk Duds, Butterfingers, and Heath bars left over from Halloween candy (not enough kids showed up to take it all), and I am told that the only candy bar that’s commonly available over there is the Snickers bar. So hopefully he will enjoy these–I certainly don’t need them around! ^o^
- The great thing about doing a CandySwap now is that the weather is relatively cool in both the U.S. and Japan. So, provided that the airplane doesn’t fly too close to the sun, the chocolate should arrive in non-melted form. Thankfully, most of it will ‘revive’ in the freezer for a bit, except the Milk Duds: if those melt, Hiro-san will have to take a spoon to the caramel and chocolate. It’d still taste good, though.
- I am thinking of small and light items that they can’t get in Japan. DVD-R discs by themselves are light; I might send a few of my favorite shows. If you have any other ideas, please let me know.
