is it better to send $ for food or send a compra from U.S.

donrael · Oct 8, 2009

Hi all,
please help me with put an end to this question once and for all...lol

I guess I ask myself this question every so often, so I wanted to check with ya'll...lol which you guys think its best
1-to send U$D to DR so they can buy food
or
2-send a famous compra?

In my mind the cost of sending the food even if its through a service that does it all for you offset any saving whatsoever. But I could be wrong, I mean people do this monthly.
so, is it worth it or should one just send $100 and say let them go shopping for the food.

thanks all

p.s. if this is discussed somewhere please just point me to the link because I could not find anything

Yachtmaster · Oct 8, 2009

donrael said:
should one just send $100 and say let them go shopping for the food.

thanks all

Depends on the type of person on the receiving end. They may use the money to buy food, then again they might use it for other things, hungry kids or not. I learned that one the hard way. Generally not a good idea to just send money unless you have some way to follow up and keep track of where it actually goes......

El Rey de Mangu · Oct 8, 2009

donrael said:
Hi all,
please help me with put an end to this question once and for all...lol

I guess I ask myself this question every so often, so I wanted to check with ya'll...lol which you guys think its best
1-to send U$D to DR so they can buy food
or
2-send a famous compra?

In my mind the cost of sending the food even if its through a service that does it all for you offset any saving whatsoever. But I could be wrong, I mean people do this monthly.
so, is it worth it or should one just send $100 and say let them go shopping for the food.

thanks all

p.s. if this is discussed somewhere please just point me to the link because I could not find anything

I like this topic. I have so many Domincian friends that send boxes of canned goods, pastas, rice, beans, oil, etc.

AT SOME POINT it may have been a good deal, if I could fill up a 50 gallon tanque and pay 150 dollars to send it. I just don't see the value in it anymore with stores like Jumbo and LaSirena. Even if you have relatives who don't own vehicles and don't normally venture farther than the colmado on the corner.

I would have to do an Excel to see the cost comparison, but off-hand:

can of carnation: 40 pesos DR, ?? in US: 1.29?
pound of habicuela ?
20 Pounds of rice?
Gallon oil?
Tuna by can? 35-60 pesos in DR, same in US

If you continued like this for a total "canasta de la casa", I think, once you added in the logistics, time and shipping costs, that you should just send 200 dollars. I have seen a family of 4 live on 50-100 dollars/week (even less). 7000 pesos goes a long way in the off-prime neighborhoods and even farther in the campos.

That said, if you want to send "specialty" items that are not easily found here, than that may be a good idea.

korejdk · Oct 8, 2009

Yachtmaster said:
then again they might use it for other things, hungry kids or not.

sad but so true

Click to expand...

El Rey de Mangu · Oct 8, 2009

Yachtmaster said:
Depends on the type of person on the receiving end. They may use the money to buy food, then again they might use it for other things, hungry kids or not. I learned that one the hard way. Generally not a good idea to just send money unless you have some way to follow up and keep track of where it actually goes......

Very good point as well.

Chirimoya · Oct 8, 2009

When you say sending a compra from the US do you mean physically sending the food and stuff from the US? There is the option of paying for a locally bought compra and delivery via internet - mandale.com.do

Has anyone had any experience of using this?

Hillbilly · Oct 8, 2009

Depends on why you want to do this. If there is some love angle here? If so, forget it. It is a scam...

If this a bit of do-goody...you might refer to the church. and you can always send one of those famous boxes, door to door for about $75. You can fill it with whatever you want. Dominicans in NYC send cooking oil, rice and canned goods. If it weights 100 pounds, so what...$75...door to door..

Good luck

HB

Tom F. · Oct 9, 2009

Sending cash always leaves questions unless it is close family that is trusting. My sister-in-law raises more than $10,000 every November here in NJ/NY and passes out food baskets at Christmas for those less fornutate families from our campo, Jaya de San Francisco de Macoris. She buys wholesale and she, her husband and two children have been doing it for more than 10 years.

Also, buy local if possible. For $100, I wouldn't worry too much which way you get it to them.

Tom F.

cuas · Oct 9, 2009

My brother-in law sends tanks with food. Now his family does not want to spend money to buy spaghetti, sugar, beans, coffee. They want everything sent to them. They do not eat Dominican rice anymore. My sister tells me that they want canned guandules when they can eat fresh Dominican guandules. When he says you can buy it there they say US products taste better. He does not send them meat because it will spoil but I heard he sent them bacalao. He buys the 100 lbs bag of rice and spread it in the tanque.
This is for his half-sister that takes care of his elderly mother. He also send money but his sister's grown-up children go there every day to eat and to share the American food.
Unbelievable.

Imbert369 · Oct 9, 2009

Cuas... I can relate, when i was living in DR I would shop at La Sierina and load up the refridge with all food international not because i didnt like dominican food (i love it) but its nice to have varity. All of a sudden my wifes little couisns and brothers were always at the house or stopping by. Now when they stop by you have to serve refreshments and at a daily basis my food was going quick. I questioned my wife as to the sudden appeal in visits and company and the answear was "Man ur a american everyone know u have everything good no one is going to give them what u give them and no one is going to show them different things" now i guess that refers to food but i was like ian not the Pope I only have so much charity to give. So in the end I stopped shopping for a month and did it the DR way every morning in the Market for just what i needed for the day ( rice, beans,meat, salad about 200 pesos) and at night platano and salami. Well they stopped coming but the question for them is now what happened to my money. Ahhhh life in the DR......I love it

donrael · Oct 9, 2009

Thanks for all the replies,
so just to answer some of the wuestions posted here; this is not for some lovely sankie (jajajajja) that I have there, it would be for family and I don't expect them to use the money irreponsibly either. in terms of how I would be sending it...well I don't know, there are some online services now a days as well as the usual agencias here in the US that you can use to send the tanks.

the reason why I asked the question was because in my mind this thing doesn't make sense, yet people do it all the time, so I figured why not bounce it off the board and see if you guys can make it make sense to me.
the last time i was in DR I took the family out to do food shopping as I often do and I kept a receipt to compare against prices here, I never did a full blown comparison (and by now all those prices have changed) but based on the cost of the items I bought there I concluded that it is not worth the hassle etc. like gringobizadvisors said.

I guess one thing that could make it worth while is if you shop at costco and send large quantities of things like bacalao (cod fish), flour, rice etc. but how much would sending that heavy cost.

Ultimately the way I think is that if something is only minutely different, then go with what requires less work. if on the other hand I am saving overall some 20%+ by sending a tank then we can consider this, but not just to save a few bucks.

Luperon · Oct 9, 2009

Monumental Shipping & Moving

Monumental Shipping & Moving
103 10 Astoria Blvd
East Elmhurst, NY 11369
718-779-2020

I use Monumental as they only charge $100 a tank NYC TO STI, door to door, plus the cost of the tank. They promise a 5 week delivery time, but it always takes ten weeks.

The best way is to buy things when you see them on sale, after you have accumulated enough, send the tank. The boxes are $75 to send, but are much much smaller than a tank. If there is a use for the plastic tanks in the DR to store water or other liquid, use plastic, otherwise use the carton tanks as they are bigger. You can always slip in some household items (i.e. a toaster oven, etc), but you have to tell them its food and used clothing or they will charge much more to send.

The price of rice and oil are not much more in the DR, but things like peanut butter, vitamins/supplements or special foods like canned salmon are much more. Also if you can get some school supplies cheap, put them in the tank, as they are most needed.

When Costco has a sale on things like Aluminum foil, zip lock bags, Dawn soap etc. I stock up, but low weight items like Zip lock bags dont go in the tank, they go in luggage.

A couple 5 liter boxed wines travel well in the tank and wine is expensive in the DR.

Monumental also allows one 50 lb bag of rice to travel with/outside the tank for free.

Many Dominicans, even the more responsible ones, tend to spend the monies you send them on booze.

When in the DR, buy your extended family some cement, blocks and rebar, as well as the labor to install it. Over the course of a few years you would have added a room or two to their house. Much better than the Presidente they would have otherwise bought with your money gifts.

There is no weight limit, I think some of the tanks I have sent weighed more than 500 pounds.

Chip · Oct 9, 2009

cuas said:
My brother-in law sends tanks with food. Now his family does not want to spend money to buy spaghetti, sugar, beans, coffee. They want everything sent to them. They do not eat Dominican rice anymore. My sister tells me that they want canned guandules when they can eat fresh Dominican guandules. When he says you can buy it there they say US products taste better. He does not send them meat because it will spoil but I heard he sent them bacalao. He buys the 100 lbs bag of rice and spread it in the tanque.
This is for his half-sister that takes care of his elderly mother. He also send money but his sister's grown-up children go there every day to eat and to share the American food.
Unbelievable.

Adios, por supuesto!!!

Dominicans are just way too enamored for anything and everything American.

Chip · Oct 9, 2009

donrael said:
Thanks for all the replies,
so just to answer some of the wuestions posted here; this is not for some lovely sankie (jajajajja) that I have there, it would be for family and I don't expect them to use the money irreponsibly either. in terms of how I would be sending it...well I don't know, there are some online services now a days as well as the usual agencias here in the US that you can use to send the tanks.

the reason why I asked the question was because in my mind this thing doesn't make sense, yet people do it all the time, so I figured why not bounce it off the board and see if you guys can make it make sense to me.
the last time i was in DR I took the family out to do food shopping as I often do and I kept a receipt to compare against prices here, I never did a full blown comparison (and by now all those prices have changed) but based on the cost of the items I bought there I concluded that it is not worth the hassle etc. like gringobizadvisors said.

I guess one thing that could make it worth while is if you shop at costco and send large quantities of things like bacalao (cod fish), flour, rice etc. but how much would sending that heavy cost.

Ultimately the way I think is that if something is only minutely different, then go with what requires less work. if on the other hand I am saving overall some 20%+ by sending a tank then we can consider this, but not just to save a few bucks.

If you do all the calcs I'm certain you will find out there is no comparison, for the majority of the food Dominicans eat buying locally will end up being much cheaper buying here in the DR.

Just like in the States, buying in bulk gets you a discount here. For example, you may pay RD24 a lb for rice in a supermecado but can get it for RD18-19 at an almacen if you buy a 125lb sack.

The best way to send money is never with Western Union but through the "envios" you see at most latin/mexican bodegas. I have done this for years and never had one problem and they even deliver the money too.

playacaribe2 · Oct 9, 2009

This seems to be one of those questions...

that has no wrong or right answer. It all boils down to your personal preferences and the circumstances that surround your given situation.

From a pure cost perspective, sending basic foodstuffs like rice, beans, canned goods, cooking oil, etc., after calculating the cost to ship, appear to be break even at best vs just sending $$ (even getting everything in bulk or on sale).

However, there are certain non-food products or brands that are either prohibitively expensive there, or not available at all...even in the larger tiendas/supermercados. As someone who regularly sends boxes, this is where the cost benefit/analysis starts to move to break even or higher.

By way of examples, I priced out a microwave and blender at Plaza Lama. The microwave was RD 3,400 + 16% ITBIS and the blender was 1,500 pesos + 16% ITBIS, and at the current exchange rate at that time equalled $168.00 USD.

Those same appliances, model for model purchased new, on sale in the US were $ 39.00 and $15.00 respectively. With tax, the total was $56.70. So with just those two items added to the caja (27" TV Box) the cost of shipping was reduced to $50 +/- via the savings of sending the money and buying those items there. Or put another way, the $168.00 I would have paid in SD minus the $56.70 I did pay in the US, left me with $111.30 to apply to the shipping of the 27" TV box (which was door to door all taxes included for $150.00).

Factoring in the savings on the other items sent, as well as the joy the children receive in those other special surprises tucked away in the box.... make it an easy decision for me to continue to send the boxes versus sending the money.

This is but one example. Others I have spoken with who regularly send boxes would never send money...and still others who don't want or have the time to deal with the logistics of buying, packing, and shipping will swear that sending money is the best method.

As I said, its about personal preference and your individual circumstances.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

RGVgal · Oct 9, 2009

It's a matter of preference. I find that when we go visit the DR, certain brands don't taste the same as they do in the U.S. For example, cereal never taste the same. I can never find the brand of Organic peanut butter that my son eats and finding some other specialty items for cooking can be difficult also. When I vist my mom she has my aunt ship a box of the stuff my son and I like to eat.

donrael · Oct 10, 2009

playacaribe2 said:
. * * *

By way of examples, I priced out a microwave and blender at Plaza Lama. The microwave was RD 3,400 + 16% ITBIS and the blender was 1,500 pesos + 16% ITBIS, and at the current exchange rate at that time equalled $168.00 USD. **

Those same appliances, model for model purchased new, on sale in the US were $ 39.00 and $15.00 respectively. With tax, the total was $56.70. So with just those two items added to the caja (27" TV Box) the cost of shipping was reduced to $50 +/- via the savings of sending the money and buying those items there. Or put another way, the $168.00 I would have paid in SD minus the $56.70 I did pay in the US, left me with $111.30 to apply to the shipping of the 27" TV box (which was door to door all taxes included for $150.00).
,*
Playacaribe2

luperon said:
I use Monumental as they only charge $100 a tank NYC TO STI, door to door, plus the cost of the tank. They promise a 5 week delivery time, but it always takes ten weeks.*

The best way is to buy things when you see them on sale, after you have accumulated enough, send the tank. The boxes are $75 to send, but are much much smaller than a tank. If there is a use for the plastic tanks in the DR to store water or other liquid, use plastic, otherwise use the carton tanks as they are bigger. You can always slip in some household items (i.e. a toaster oven, etc), but you have to tell them its food and used clothing or they will charge much more to send.

that's exactly my point guys, if it was $165 to buy there, but buying here in the U.S cheap as it was turned out to be around $150 after taxes, shipping etc. Then I personally would then opt to just send the money and nit go through the hassle of sending it from here. Besides it takes weeks before it reaches the final destination. *I m not too worried about the money used for other things either.*

In any case, like of you mentioned above, it's a matter of preference and I think in the end I would opt to have them buy it there and not send it myself...until I m convinced otherwise.*

Thanks for all the input.*
**

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