News Article

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More Internet retailers accommodate APO,FPO mailing addresses

By Derri Scarlett, Stars & Stripes

Online shopping is a merchandising lifeline for many Americans stationed overseas.

Want books? Hello, Amazon.com. Miss those Yankee Candles? Check out yankeecandle.com.

Everything from FisherPrice to Geritol is available via online sales. But shopping along the information superhighway with an APO or FPO address can bring a host of financial and logistical potholes.

Will the products be shipped? How much extra will it cost? Some businesses have always offered military post options, even offering "AE" in their Web site drop box for "state."

Companies like Amazon.com never blinked, even when they were offering free shipping.

Other companies, seduced by the income of Americans overseas, have changed their policies over the years to include service to APOs.

Yankee Candle, a 31-year-old South Deerfield, Mass., company, didn't offer APO service from its Web site when it started. According to Susan Stockman, a Yankee Candle spokeswoman, opening up its mailing options was a business decision.

"If we want to reach people around the world," she said, "then we need to be able to ship candles around the world. We have restructured our e-commerce attempts for a greater presence on the Web, and a bigger market."

For customers wishing to buy from companies that have not followed Yankee Candle's example, forwarding services like ShipitAPO® can help. The company offers a U.S. mailing address that personnel overseas can use.

John Couch, chief technology officer for ShipitAPO®, says he got the idea while living overseas.

"I'm a power shopper on the Internet," Couch said. But a stint in Australia showed him the problems that can arise when trying to shop online from overseas.

"The problem is twofold," he said. "First, some companies have elected to partner exclusively with UPS or FedEx on a contractual basis. They get a good deal. It's easier for the merchants."

"Second, there's no place to put an APO address" on some sites.

Those who contract with ShipitAPO® get a stateside mailing address that will receive packages from all types of carriers and forward them to APO/FPO addresses via the U.S. Postal Service. There is a service charge for this, plus the cost of mailing, but Couch says using a service like his still may be cheaper.

Some companies that advertise shipment to APOs add a stiff charge, Couch said. His service, which touts stateside addresses creating the lowest possible APO cost, may be cheaper, especially for large items.

In fact, he said, one of the most common companies they forward from is Amazon.com. "Electronics, gifts - read the fine print. Amazon will ship books and DVDs to military addresses, but not the bigger, heavier items," he said.

ShipitAPO® (www.ShipitAPO®.com) has been in business for almost a year, and it is shipping hundreds of packages per month, Couch said.

Another possibility for online shoppers overseas is OCONUS.com, which serves as a clearinghouse for companies that ship to APOs. Just click on the type of merchandise you're looking for, and OCONUS offers up a list of sites that will accommodate you.

OCONUS also offers free classified ads - separated by country - and news of interest to the separate services, civilians and spouses.