Sending Gifts to Ivory Coast and Other Overseas Sites

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  Sending packages overseas can be a real dilemma.  I told you about my son in this post. He is going to serve a two year mission for our church in Cote d’Ivoire, or in other words, the Ivory Coast.

That’s the place, in red. It is far, far away from home.

I began to wonder what the best way is going to be for our family to send him gifts and packages for birthdays and Christmas or just to help give him a pick-me-up when he is feeling discouraged and in other words, how to send him a care package!

​Issues Sending Gifts to the Ivory Coast:

When sending gifts to the Ivory Coast, or anywhere overseas, here are some of the issues we have to worry about:

• First, it takes a really long time for international packages to reach their destination. You have to plan well in advance of holidays and birthdays to allow time to ship your gifts to get them there in time.  If you want to send a​ gift to cheer someone up, they will be way over it by the time the gift arrives!
• Next, when the package finally does arrive, you never know what condition the items you’ve sent will be in.  Once, when my older son was living in South America, I sent him some homemade candy that he loves.  It took it so long to get there that he didn’t recognize it and was afraid to eat it! Sometimes, things will arrive broken and unusable. That is a waste of money! Or, if it is just left in a post box, it could be stolen. That would be horrible.
• Also, in some countries, the post office may be quite a distance from the place your loved one is living.  They have to find a way to go and pick up packages.  I don’t know what form of transportation my son will have in the Ivory Coast.  He may be on foot and have to pay for public transportation, or on a bike. It would be very difficult for him to pick up a package.
• Another problem with sending things overseas is the hassle of filling out customs forms.  They have two sizes and you need to know which one to use. And, they require a lot of small writing and listing everything in the package. I always feel like I will leave something off the list accidently and then I will be arrested or something for that package of cookies I forgot to mention.
• Finally, cost is a huge issue.  Obviously sending mail overseas is pricey and depending on the restrictions of the country that you are sending to, it can be even more than you have bargained for.  Then, when the package arrives, sometimes there are huge tariffs charged.  When one of my sons was in Brazil, he needed a new pair of shoes very badly.  I mailed him a pair, but when he got to the post office in that country, they decided to charge him a very high tariff before he could pick up the package.  My son had no choice but to send the shoes back home because he couldn’t pay the tariff.  At least they were waiting for him when he got home a couple of months later in hand-me-down shoes without laces.   
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      Character building?  Yes.  But, we are hoping to avoid that scenario this time. So, when I heard about Gift Baskets Overseas, I was so happy to learn that they address all of these issues.
  
  

Great Gift Delivery Option to the Ivory Coast:
     Gift Baskets Overseas is a U.S. based company that specializes in sending beautiful gift baskets to people in 200 countries!  I was so surprised and delighted to find out that they service the Ivory Coast! They are able to deliver the gift baskets, using their relationships with local businesses, right to the door of the recipient!  They will do this for large corporations as well as for individuals. You can read more about them here, and here.

    Now, let’s work backwards up our list of concerns and see how Gift Baskets Overseas solves the problems of mailing things to the Ivory Coast or almost any other far away location!
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Cost:
    As I investigated Gift Baskets Overseas, I found that the price of sending their products is comparable to what I would end up paying by shipping myself through regular mail.  GBO has a price comparison chart with other companies on their site that you can check out here.

   Here is what you do.  You place your order and pay online.  GBO prides themselves on their online security.  There are shipping and handling charges, but they are the same flat rate for each individual country.  It doesn’t matter what size basket you choose. For example, to ship to the Ivory Coast, the charge is $25.  To ship to Botswana, it is $19. Here is a list of the charges for each country. There is also a card that you can fill out with a personal message to go with the basket!

Avoiding the Hassle:


    First, when shipping with GBO, You don’t have to go out and shop around for quality gifts because there are a ton of choices for every need on their site.  For example, what if I want to send my son some healthy snacks to make sure he is eating alright?  Look at this choice:

​It has smoked salmon, nuts, pumpkin seeds, crackers and a protein bar! I think he would be really happy to receive it.    You don’t have to fill out any customs forms. You don’t have to find the right sized box to fit your gift.  You don’t have to tape it all up. Gift Baskets Overseas has you covered when it comes to all of that.

Delivery:
    This actually solves 2 of the listed problems, the length of time it takes to send a package and how and where the package will be delivered. To me, this is one of the best parts of GBO.  The recipient can receive their gift within 3 business days! Not only that, it is delivered right to their door! He won’t need to find a way to get to the post office and to carry the package home. There will be no worry that he will be charged a tariff either.

Product Quality:
    Gift Baskets Overseas prides themselves on using the finest quality products and ingredients in their baskets.  Since the delivery is so quick and GBO deals with local vendors, you know that everything will be fresh. It won’t have been knocked around in the freight hold of an airplane or ship.  GBO  allows you to create custom baskets according to your specifications. They also have a 100% satisfaction guarantee!  ​

Here is a big plus! A Coupon!
    If you decide to order from GBO, right now, through September 20, there is a coupon you can use that will save you $6 on your order! Also, if you are a teacher, student or federal employee, you can contact the company for a 10% discount on your order. Sweet! And, if none of that works for you, click this link for a 5% discount! 
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     Because I was writing this post as an affiliate with Gift Baskets Overseas, they were nice enough to send me a generous coupon so that I could try them out and see how I liked their service and products.  I decided to use my coupon to send a gift to my granddaughter for her birthday.  I found something that I knew she would love.

I sent her this Plush Pusheen! We have a weakness for them in our family.

    Here is my granddaughter’s reaction!

Look at her sweet smile!

     It makes me so happy to know that I will have a great option like Gift Baskets Overseas for sending my son some encouragement while he is far away in the Ivory Coast! I wish I had heard about them when my other sons were in South America and my daughter was in France! Gift Baskets Overseas is a great option for anyone with loved ones living far away.

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