Mailing to APOs

[bpjon]

Just got back from the Post Office, sent a bow off to parts unknown.  I was a bit taken aback by the price.  I know it's not cheap to ship overseas, but the PO website gave me a lot of options that the actual PO didn't.  Anyone have any advice on how to ship more reasonably, or am I just behind the times?  FYI, the package was 60"x9"x9", comfortably under the 105" total for big price increases, and weighe 5 lbs 10 oz.

[7 Lakes]

I don't know the answer.  I was trying to get a bow to the Netherlands last month and the PO around the corner refused to ship it at all (over 36").  UPS & Fed ex wanted $235 to ship an empty shoe box. Much more for a 68" longbow.  

I went back to my old (very small town) PO and they shipped it for $17 with $100 of insurance free.  

Go figure.

[Friends call me Pac]

I don't remember for sure about shipping to an APO but sending from an APO was the same as if I was mailing from downtown Anywhere USA.

An APO is a mailing address for military overseas and shouldn't cost much more if any more to ship to an APO.

[bartcanoe]

Are you shipping to an APO address or simply an overseas address?

Shipping to an APO shouldn't cost anymore than shipping within the US.

[bpjon]

It was to an APO address, and I thought it would be the same or similar to mailing to any domestic address.  It has been in the past, at least it was in my hometown PO which had all of about three people working there.

[Blake Dustin Adams]

An APO is considered a domestic address. I've got one here in Germany.

I just had a 68" tube sent to me from Minnesota to my APO here in Germany and it cost about $20.  Unless the info is wrong it should be like shipping a package to NY or CA, there is one other location in the US that I have heard of packages going to before the overseas transfer but I cannot recall where.  I know coming here to Europe it goes to NY first.

I would double check and make sure all the adress info is correct, then I would talk to somebody at the PO that knew what was going on.  One thing NEVER add the country to an APO.  APO is like the city and the AE or other two letter abreviation is like the state.  If anything extra is added it goes to the country and then the APO from what they told us when we got here.

Hope at least some of that can help

[Bryan Bondurant]

APO is Army Post Office. There were some discounts to encourage people to send packages to soldiers. I'm not sure about oversized packages like bows but sending via APO is no big deal.

A typical address should read like this

Name
Unit
APO AP Zip Code

In this case AP is Asia Pacific.

 http://www.usps.com/supportingourtroops/addressingtips.htm

[R. Fletcher]

APO AP (Armed Forces Pacific) should be shipping charges to San Fransico and APO AE (Armed Forces Europe)to New York.

Shipping via USPS has just gotten plain rediculous.  I sent a package priority the other day, probably eight pound package about 28" long by 10" tall by 10" wide and with insurance cost $26.00.  Unfortunately the nearest UPS or Fedex is about 40 miles away.