When our wind generator stopped spinning in Fiji, we wanted to have parts sent to us by the manufacturer. Then several friends told us they were having trouble getting gear sent from overseas; the problems ran from having packages stopped in customs to shipments that never even showed up. So instead of having our purchases mailed directly to us at our marina, we asked a local chandlery that receives regular shipments from overseas whether we could have our order shipped to them. The chandlery agreed. They told us what information had to be on the shipping label—our official customs arrival number, for example—and recommended we have the package shipped by DHL, the carrier they use on a regular basis. When our package arrived, it quickly cleared through customs and was delivered right to the chandlery. If you can arrange to have a local business receive parcels from a marine business or manufacturer overseas, you may also be able to avoid a lot of the red tape you’d otherwise have to deal with.
