Some People Ask: Why not just do it yourself?
When we tried to find out why so few service members got care packages, we found out that the single biggest driving force behind it were the huge hurdles to mailing a care package. Here's what you have to do:
- Pick the Contents: You need to get the actual contents of the package, and make sure they're something that is actually useful to your service member. (This varies by service.)
- Check Military Regulations: Then you have to make sure the package and its contents doesn't violate any of the military, state, or DOD guidelines (which vary by service and unit). Not only that, but you must ensure the things you buy are actually regulation. Not all shirts, toiletries, bobby pins or hats are regulation, and sending the wrong kind means they're useless for the service member. Possession of some items are illegal and could get them in trouble with their superior officers.
- Stand in line and fill out forms at the Post Office: Even if you can do all that, you have to drive to the post office, stand in line, and fill out shipping and customs forms (and have to choose between PS Form 2976, PS Form 2976-A or PS Form 2976-B) listing each item in the package line by line, estimating relative weights and values of each item. Different sized boxes require different forms.
- Pay for Shipping: Then, the shipping costs. Just a 5-lb care package at the post office often costs more than $20. The "military discount" flat rate box is $18. Check out how much it would cost you here.
How do we fix it?
We ship everything priority mail. No waiting 3 months for a boat to travel around the world to your loved one. We get it there via air, and get it there as fast as possible.
- We Save you Money: We buy in bulk to get low prices every day.
- We Take Care of the Regulations: We stay on top of all the regulations, so you can be confident you're not getting your service member in hot water by sending the wrong gifts. We make sure that every package is DOD-compliant. Any uniform items are regulation. Any toiletries are allowable (ships, for example, have very strict requirements here). And we make sure that the care packages are 100% useful for your loved one.
- Shipping is Cheap and Painless: We partner with USPS to get low rates on shipping, and then pass on the savings to you. We don't charge you those rates from the post office, because we think $23 shipping is ridiculous too, and it shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to send your hero a care package.