How long does it usually take to get there?

On the customs form what value do you put on there?

I've only done it once and I remember it took much longer than within the states. But it is well worth it!

It can take anywhere from two weeks to going lost before arriving...in my experience. Also in my experience is that APO recipients consistently mark their books received without reminders.

I have also. It does take longer for the books to arrive but they do get marked quickly.

I have, just fill out the customs form and it's off. I never hear for about 5 weeks though.

Like above it has taken from 2 to 6 weeks to have the book arrive at an APO destination. I've never had one go 'really' lost. Pat

Charles, I mark it as a gift, indicate it is a used book and normally value it at $2.00.

For some reason books coming from APOs seem to travel much faster...I just got one 5 days after it was mailed!

thanks for all the help. just came back from the p o. all's well.

I've only had the opportunity once, but I would never turn one down!

Are the customs forms usually in the line-waiting area, or do you have to get one from the postal clerk?  Are they available to print online?

at one time there were two customs forms. There was a long form and a short form. I have not kept up with the procedures for international shipping so I don't know what is accurate now. I went to the p o to be sure I got the right form. It only takes a couple of minutes to fill out the form. If you know which form to use or can ask on the phone then I am sure you could find the form you need on line. But you may have some hassle with the process of attaching the form to your package.  At my p o the clerk has the forms and you ask him for one. There is some stuff on the form that he fills out as well as me. The form is supposed to go on the front of the package so when you put the address label on the package try to put it on so that there is a big blank space available for the customs form to fit.

I have friends in other countries so use customs forms quite often. For internantional packets---non-military---the short form is adequate. I keep a stock of them at home so I don;t hold up the queue in the PO.

Like Marya, I keep a short stack of customs forms on hand, so that when I get an APO request I can fill the form out before going to the post office. The post office is happy to give you some upon request.

Charles, do you affix the customs form to the book before bringing it to the PO?  Or does it get put on at the PO, since the clerk needs to fill something out on it?

Maybe it is the "long" vs "short" form that had has me confused, too.  In all the years that I've been a member, have only had one APO request and that was at least 7-8 years ago.  It was a big hassle because I asked for a Customs form on one trip to the PO, filled it out and brought the book in during another visit, only to be told it was the wrong customs form.  Had to get out of line, fill out another one, wait in line again. What made matters worse was the rudeness of the Postal Clerk.  He rolled his eyes and made me feel like a fool for having the wrong form.  All this made me a bit gun-shy about sending APO books but haven't had any other requests so it's been a non-issue so far.  If there's only one form which I can request ahead of time so I can fill it out at home, that would help immensely.

One source of confusion about customs forms is that the regulations about them is not established by the USA. The regs are established by the receiving country. It is their customs we are dealing with. not anything to do with the USA. For this reason I find it easier to ask at the p o to be sure of what to do. I live in a small town and a trip to the p o is pretty much a non event for me. Many times there is nobody there ahead of me and I am frequently the only customer. APO addresses are many times going to the same addresses so whatever works once will usually work every time so people get used to using the same form each time. For other places other forms may be necessary. At one time the weight of the package had an effect on the need for a customs form. I have seen very light packages that could be sent with no customs form at all.

The form goes onto the front of the package. It is not supposed to wrap around the side of the package or go on the back. I have seen two types of forms. One sticks on the package with adhesive on the back. and one which has multiple copies goes into a clear plastic envelope and the envelope sticks onto the package. I always put the address label on one edge of the front and leave plenty of room for the customs form to fit on the front.

the apo request I got in Sept. just arrived last night. one month and 5 days total time.

I've been a member here for eight years and mailed hundreds of books and received my very first request to mail to an APO address last week!  The requestor's RC was very helpful, telling me exactly which customs form to use.  I bought PBS printage postage so I received my credit when I marked the package as mailed.  It will be interesting to watch the tracking information.

The form goes onto the front of the package. It is not supposed to wrap around the side of the package or go on the back.

The postal clerk who assisted me placed the customs form on the back of the book package I mailed.

As Volunteer Val mentioned, the postal clerk puts the customs form on because it MUST be handed to a postal employee, it cannot be mailed in a big blue box or from home. The customs form must have the post office stamp on it, so while you can fill out the form at home, if you have some on hand, the postal worker must attach the form.

If you use a premium mail service the customs form will be printed for you and the software will also print a post office stamp in the correct place on the form. So in certain situations you can put the package in a p o receptacle. I have done this in the past.

the postal clerk puts the customs form on because it MUST be handed to a postal employee

So in certain situations you can put the package in a p o receptacle.

The RC I received included this statement:  "You will also need to hand your package to a postal employee at the PO to mail it, for national security reasons."

What Charles said.  I've done the same.

Mail to APO & FPO all the time (well maybe once or twice a year). Never refuse a request that I can fulfill.
I do it at the PO using the forms they have on site. 

It's well worth the time for our gals and guys outside of CONUS.
(Continental United States)