Frequently Asked Questions

Questions

1. What is an LCL - Less Than Container Load?
2. Do you guarantee transit time on my shipment?
3. Can I arrange a charity shipment with you?
4. Are there any restrictions to the kinds of goods I will send to the Philippines?
5. Can I track my package Online?
6. How long does it take for my boxes to arrive to my relatives?
7. How do you ship your BALIKBAYAN BOXES?
8. What are your transit times?
9. How do I ship with your Company?
10. Why are your prices cheaper even though you are using major carriers?
11. What is Customs Clearance?
12. What is Commercial Invoice?
13. Do you clear shipments through Customs?
14. Who pays for Customs duties and taxes?
15. What if my package gets damaged during shipping?
16. Are there any restricted items that I can not ship?
17. What is Volumetric Weight?
18. Do you have any warranty?
19. How to print a packing list?

If you have other questions, don't hesitate to email us. We will respond to your message as soon as possible.

Answers

1. What is an LCL - Less Than Container Load?
   This term is commonly used to describe a sea freight service that is designed for shipping boxed, crated or palletized cargo that cannot fill an entire 20 or 40 foot sea container. If you are shipping household goods or personal effects not for sale.

Back to Top

2. Do you guarantee transit time on my shipment?
   ETT - Estimated Transit Time, i.e. a time slot between ETD - Estimated Time of Departure and ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival in quotes is not precise and should be verified upon a booking request. Transit time in booking confirmations on shipment by sea cannot be guaranteed as well. Although ocean freight cannot guarantee transit time, normally shipments depart and arrive as scheduled.

Back to Top

3. Can I arrange a charity shipment with you?
   Yes. You can ship a donation, but before doing so, wisely consider the following situation on your shipment:
   • Your recipient does not pay destination charges even though you had already transferred to him money to pay for the release.
   • You may be involved in a bureaucratic correspondence with destination county officials in order to get an approval on entry for your goods to the destination country.
   • Notice, you cannot avoid carrier's storage etc fees on your shipment due to delay with this entry. If you failed, then be prepared to pay all charges and fees associated with the return of your goods back to you or charges on destruction of your cargo. Often, as soon as a carrier had recognized that your ship a donation, having bad experience on charity shipments, they may inform you that your shipment must be shipped on DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) basis with all destination charges prepaid.
     In this event:
     
     • Commercial invoice must be presented to the carrier's destinations agent before your shipment is tendered at the origin in order to estimate total destination charges. Notice, it takes a time and may not be free of charge.
     • Actual destination charges may differ from the original estimate. Then typically it requires to be prepaid based on the estimated cost plus 15-30%.
     • If actual destination charges will exceed the initial estimation, then the difference is on consignee account. If not paid then funds paid initially go to destruction of the cargo. As a conclusion: We believe that God blesses your kindness. However, an unconsidered international charity shipment may result to problems for all parties involved in the shipment. Please make your donations prudently.

Back to Top

4. Are there any restrictions to the kinds of goods I will send to the Philippines?
   Yes. You are not allowed to send dangerous goods and banned items as indicated in the list below. Explosives Gases Flammable Liquids Flammable Solids or Substances Flammable solids Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases Oxidizing substances (agents) by yielding oxygen increase the risk and intensity of fire Organic peroxides - most will burn rapidly and are sensitive to impact or friction Toxic substances Infectious substances Radioactive Substances Corrosives

Back to Top

5. Can I track my package Online?
   Yes you may by clicking here. We developed our very highly advanced package tracking program that alerts you via SMS, Voice Mail, and E-mail everytime the barcodes get scanned when it arrives in every hub or warehouse that we own or is an accredited distribution facility. This is the standard of package tracking for even the biggest freight forwarder uses. In addition we have enhanced it that when you inquire online and type your tracking no. for the box, our system can provide you with the exact location of it whether inside the container loaded in the sea vessel or in the truck enroute to the destination. The information provided to you is by way of triangulating Satellites to exactly pinpoint where your boxes are. This is one advantage that we are proud of to be ahead in the industry of balikbayan boxes.

Back to Top

6. How long does it take for my boxes to arrive to my relatives?
   Generally, it takes around 20 to 25 days to deliver your box to the address you have provided. In certain circumstances, due to unforeseen events like roads impassable or Might incurr additional days to deliver though seldom happens we pro actively find a way to have your boxes delivered before the 30 day period time frame.

Back to Top

7. How do you ship your BALIKBAYAN BOXES?
   We ship all of our balikbayan boxes by air and sea working together with our partners JG International, APL and OOCL. We ship large quantities of packages worldwide with these companies that ensures us very competitive rates which we pass on to you.

Back to Top

8. What are your transit times?
   By sea  our transit times are usually between 25 to 30 business days and 35 to 40 at the most to Visayas and Mindanao Region.
   By air our transit times are usually between 7 to 10 days from Airlines date of departure.  There could be delays due to Airlines, Customs Clearence and Public holidays in the destination country which are out of our control. Our main objective is to deliver your parcels as soon as possible.

Back to Top

9. How do I ship with your Company?
   It is very easy to prepare a shipment with our company.
   1. First you get a fast online quote of your shipping costs through our website.
   2. Then you call or email us for pick up shcedule.
   3. Then you fill in your shipper and receiver information online or at the present of our representative who will pick up your packages.
   4. Then pay for your shipping cost with cash, check or credit card.
   5. Upon payment, you will be provided with an invoice and barcode for tracking.

Back to Top

10. Why are your prices cheaper even though you are using major carriers?
    Our main advantage is the volume of our shipments. Due to this high volume we can negotiate deep discounts with our carriers which gives us the ability to offer lower prices.

Back to Top

11. What is Customs Clearance?
    Each package leaving United states needs to pass through the Customs at the destination country. This is where they are checked by the government officials to make sure that the packages do not contain illegal substances and also assessed duties and taxes according to the value of the contents of the packages.

Back to Top

12. What is Commercial Invoice?
    Commercial Invoice is a document that shows the quantity, description and value of the items inside your packages.
    Each shipment must have 3 copies of Commercial Invoice. When you prepare your shipment online, you will enter the contents, description and value of your package contents. Upon completion, you will be able to print your Commercial Invoice which you will put in an envelope and tape it on your package.

Back to Top

13. Do you clear packages through Customs?
    We clear all the packages through customs. When filling out the package contents on our personally or thru our website, please make sure that you declare all the package contents and their values. Wrong or false information may result in delays and penalties.

Back to Top

14. Who pays for Customs duties and taxes?
    Duties and Taxes are paid together our per balikbayan box price.  This is only applicable for personal effects and used household goods.  All commercial items are for quotation.

Back to Top

15. What if my package gets damaged during shipping?
    We take the utmost care of your packages during shipping, but it is possible that they might be damaged during shipping. It is very important to use sturdy packing materials like our double walled cardboard boxes and protective fillers to insure the safety of the package contents. Each shipment carries a $200.00 insurance free of charge and if you need more insurance, you can purchase it online thru our website (Max $10,000.00). If your package gets damaged during shipping, you can file a claim directly to Monark Worldwide and we will conduct an investigation and forward claims if necessary to our accredited insurance company and reimburse you. All claims must be approved and reimbursed to us by the insurance company before we can reimburse you.  The final decision on the claims rests with the insurance company. Your insurance amount can not be more than the value declared on your Commercial Invoice.

Back to Top

16. Are there any restricted items that I can not ship?
    The following items are not acceptable for carriage to any international destinations unless otherwise indicated. (Additional restrictions may apply depending on destination. Various regulatory clearances in addition to customs clearance may be required for certain commodities, thereby extending the transit time. Please call Monark Worldwide at 1-866-721-8838 and speak to an International Rep to find out if your item is restricted by Customs or contact the Customs at the recipients country. if you ship an item that is restricted or requires a special permit or license which unable us to clear it through customs, the shipment will have to be returned back to USA and you will be responsible for the return shipping charges.)
    1. APO/FPO addresses.
    2. C.O.D. shipments.
    3. Goods packed insufficiently and/or not standard forms of packaging.
    4. Goods which require in any way particularly careful treatment (because they are e.g. particularly fragile or can only be transported upright or only lying on a certain side)
    5. Human corpses, human organs or body parts, human and animal embryos, or cremated or disinterred human remains.
    6. Explosives
    7. Firearms, weaponry and their parts.
    8. Perishable foodstuffs and foods and beverages requiring refrigeration or other environmental control. Foods can not be shipped with GLS Express service at all.
    9. Live animals (including insects).
    10. Plants and plant material, including cut flowers.
    11. Lottery tickets and gambling devices where prohibited by local, state, provincial or national law.
    12. Money (coins, cash, currency, paper money and negotiable instruments equivalent to cash such as endorsed stocks, bonds and cash letters).
    13. Collectable coins and stamps.
    14. Phone cards and pre-paid cards, e.g. for mobile phones.
    15. Particularly valuable goods (e.g. money, precious metals and stones, jewelry and genuine pearls, objects of art, antiques).
    16. Valuable documents (e.g. securities, acceptance bills, savings books).
    17. Pornography.
    18. Shipments being processed under:
    1. Duty drawback claims unless advance arrangements are made.
    2. Temporary Import Bonds
    3. U.S. State Department licenses.
    4. Carnets.
    5. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration export permit.
    6. Shipments destined to or being withdrawn from a Foreign Trade Zone.
    7. Letters of Credit
    8. Certificate of Registration shipments (CF4455).
    9. Shipments moving into or out of Foreign Trade Zones or bonded warehouses.
    10. Fish and Wildlife/CITES export permits.
    19. Hazardous waste, including, but not limited to, used hypodermic needles or syringes or other medical waste.
    20. Shipments that may cause damage to, or delay of, equipment, personnel or other shipments.
    21. Shipments that require us to obtain any special license or permit for transportation, importation or exportation.
    22. Shipments whose carriage, importation or exportation is prohibited by any law, statute or regulation.
    23. Shipments with a declared value for customs in excess of that permitted for a specific destination. (See the Declared Value for Carriage and Limits of Liability section.)
    24. Dangerous goods except as permitted under the Dangerous Goods section of these terms and conditions.
    25. Dead animals (including insects) or animals that have been mounted.
    26. Packages that are wet, leaking or emit an odor of any kind.
    We are not liable for delay of, loss of or damage to a shipment of any prohibited item.

Back to Top

17. What is Dimensional Weight?
    Volumetric Weight is a standard formula used in the air and sea-freight industry and considers package density when calculating shipping charges.
    The calculation for volumetric weight considers the amount of space a package will take up on an aircraft or container in relation to the actual weight of the package.
    When calculating the airfreight costs, if the dimensional weight is more than the actual weight, the cost is based on the dimensional weight.
    Here's how to calculate volumteric weight of a package which is 10" Wide, 12" High and 20" Long.
    1. Multiply the Length x Width x Height - 10 x 12 x 20 = 2400
    2. Divide this result (the "cubic size") by 166 - 2400/166 = 14.45
    3. The result is the v olumetric weight (in pounds)
       

    For Sea-freight, odd sizes other than our standard and large boxes are computed by volumetric weight.

    Back to Top

18. Do you have any warranty?
    We strive to give our customers the best service for delivery of their packages. In case of damage to your packages during shipping we will reimburse you up to $200.00 per shipment upon inspection of the packages and approval of your damage claim.  Please declare all items in your boxes.  All undeclared items cannot be processed for reimbursement.

Back to Top

19. How to print a packing list?
    Log on to monarkworldwide.com and click the link online packing list.  Submit it to our representative who will be picking up your boxes.  By doing this we cut down the time it takes to pick up boxes in your address.  Please make sure all items inside your boxes are declared for Insurance and Customs purposes.

Back to Top