Faster than the balikbayan box walang antay-antay pa
Every Filipino family knows the rhythm: someone in the US fills a corrugated box for two months, hands it to LBC, Atlas, or Forex Cargo, and the family at home waits 8–12 weeks for sea cargo. The balikbayan box is an institution — and for items you've already collected, it still makes sense. But when you need something now, when a kid's birthday is next month, when lola ran out of Kirkland multivitamins, the math is different.
Selectido turns the shopping side into an on-demand experience: book a kababayan in the US for a live video call, build your padala in real time, ship via courier to Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Cebu, Davao, Baguio, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro, or a barangay anywhere a Philippine carrier delivers. Three months naging three days.
OFW balikbayan exemption — supported para sa kababayang nasa abroad
$10,000 / year duty-free RA 10863 · CMTA
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), dual citizens, and Filipinos abroad qualify for the balikbayan box exemption — up to $10,000 USD/year of duty-free personal-use imports under RA 10863 (Customs Modernization & Tariff Act).
Selectido packages can be marked under this regime if you provide DOLE / POEA documentation. Useful when you're sending a high-value pasalubong haul (electronics, supplements, baby essentials, school supplies) and don't want duty stacking on the doorstep.
Even non-OFW shipments benefit from a relatively friendly threshold: items under approximately PHP 10,000 (~USD 180) per shipment generally clear without duty under the standard de minimis rule. Above that, ad valorem duty + 12% VAT applies. Selectido never under-declares — we mark accurately and pick splits when it makes economic sense.
Top pasalubong — what families ask for paborito ng pamilya
Shipping & carrier choices paano ipadala
Selectido shows side-by-side quotes in your Orders tab before you authorize the international leg. Match the carrier to the urgency.
Re: Personal-use de minimis & balikbayan exemption
Standard de minimis is PHP 10,000 (~USD 180) per shipment — clears without duty. Above that, ad valorem duty + 12% VAT applies based on tariff classification.
Balikbayan box exemption — $10K/YR duty-free for verified OFWs, dual citizens, and Filipinos abroad under RA 10863. Requires DOLE / POEA documentation; Selectido can mark shipments under this regime when documentation is on file.
Couriers (DHL, FedEx, UPS) handle brokerage and bill duties at delivery. USPS shipments handed to PHLPost may require pickup with payment at the local post office. Selectido shows the duty estimate before you confirm.
Customs
RP 2026
English & Tagalog parehong wika, parehong session
The video call is in English. The chat is in kahit ano.
Both English and Tagalog are official Philippine languages — Filipino shoppers are typically fluently bilingual, so the live video call runs in English by default. The in-call chat panel translates messages live in both directions, so you can type in Tagalog (or Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon) and the specialist sees the English translation instantly.
App, billing, and support are in English. (Full Tagalog UI is on the roadmap.)
Book a session, send a padala for free
Book any $75+ live shopping session in a calendar month and the $14.99 forwarding service fee is waived for that month — you only pay actual carrier shipping. Pasalubong shipping libre.
Frequently asked questions mga karaniwang tanong
OFWs and Filipinos abroad qualify for $10,000 USD/year of duty-free personal-use imports under RA 10863 (CMTA). Selectido shipments can be marked for this regime if you provide DOLE/POEA documentation. More on the workflow.
Depende sa carrier at timbang. USPS Priority Mail (mas mura, 10-18 araw) hanggang DHL Express (mas mahal, 4-6 araw). Quoted bago ka mag-confirm — palagi mong nakikita ang halaga bago ka magbayad.
Yes. After the call, our hub team splits items into separate parcels per recipient — one shipment to your titas in Manila, another to a cousin in Cebu, etc. Per-parcel shipping fee applies.
Yes — one of our most popular categories. Similac, Enfamil, Kirkland Signature in bulk are commonly shipped. See our full baby formula guide.
Para sa items na binibili sa US, oo — kasi ang LBC at Forex Cargo ay shipping lang, hindi shopping. Kailangan mong bumili ng items mismo. Ang Selectido kasama na ang shopping at video shopping experience. Plus, mas mabilis: 4–6 araw vs 6–12 linggo.