TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums British Virgin Islands Shipping Options to Tortola

We need to ship a number of boxes of new stuff for our boat (new linens, blankets, towels, galley supplies etc). The most practical method I've been able to find so far is shipping to St. Thomas via USPS for general delivery (pick up at post office). Then either ferry over to Tortola OR take our boat to Red Hook and load up there. Thoughts, recommendations, suggestions are most welcome. Thanks.

We have tried most of them: USPS to USVI (St. John might be easier), Tropical, Aeropost and carrying them. Small, heavy things (think brake shoes) that fit in the USPS one-price boxes are cheaper; however baggage charges on ferries eat up any savings. Aeropost to Tortola is easiest. Customs duty is applied to everything, including freight charges. However, it is not applied to extra airline baggage charges. Home Depot and Lowe's have export divisions which deliver to Tropical or Aeropost; no US sales tax.

Samsonite makes a lightweight duffle that fits the maximum airline baggage specs; it will fit two small boxes from Home Depot. That is ideal for small or breakable items. Linens can go in sucker bags. We do this: get a business class ticket that includes two 70 lb. checked bags. Use the linens around the side to cushion items in the middle. All in all, this is the cheapest, fastest and most reliable way to get things down.

I would take the boat to the USVI. If you ship the items directly to the USVI or by ferry you will owe customs duty.

The Cruz Bay dinghy dock at the ferry wharf is the closest to a post office, nearby in Cruz Bay. Pelican Post accepts packages and is in the old Connections location a bit further from the dinghy dock.

Cheers, RickG

Actually, I would suggest buying all of the goods you mentioned on Tortola or in the USVI. Should all be available and no shipping problems.

Thank you RatsmansWife, George and Rick. Since my OP, I found a mail service office located next to the American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook. I think they will accept and hold my shipments for pick up. We are also planning on shopping for other equipment while on St. Thomas. It will end up being thousands of dollars worth of 'stuff' that can all be unpacked and stowed. Can I avoid deal with BVI customs duty if I unpack and put into use all the new stuff before reentering BVI?

Agreed, Frankie. We are only purchasing in the US what was not readily available on St. Thomas. Thanks.

I believe in buying on Tortola vs. bringing in. We bought our washing machine and fridge on island, but shipped in our other appliances because they were not available locally.

When it comes to linens, the choice locally is cheap at IDS, or expensive at House. It's hard to find all cotton locally. For bed linen and pillows we go mid-range: Pottery Barn, Company Store, Kohl's or IKEA.

Costco has good options for towels, especially if you have renters. My favorite towels are linen I found on sale in Paris, as well as some German towels bought in Switzerland. On a boat you may prefer the quick dry type.

Most of my kitchen linens come from Pottery Barn, which reminds me I need to restock. Pomegranate is a good source for table linen. For throw cushions, you can't beat Sunbrella. I make most of my own. Yes, I am a textile junkie.

We pay duty. It's not worth trying to avoid it.

Great recommendations, RW! House, Pottery Barn and the others are not local in the VIs, right?
Many thanks.

House is a terrific home store on the left as you go toward the Moorings (across from Steakation). They have lots of kitchen stuff, including salad dressings. They have furniture and bed linen, candles, gifts, etc. They will special order for you. Lovely people to deal with. Another good option is Arawak in Road Reef. No Pottery Barn or IKEA in the VIs. There are Ikeas in Puerto Rico, which are a division of their Spanish company. I will confess to shopping at IKEA and Costco and chartering a plane back to the BVI.

There are other stores in the BVI, but local tastes may not be the same as yours. There is precious little Sunbrella available on island, so better to buy from Seattle Fabrics or somewhere and carry it down.

Ratman has long since resigned himself to my hobbies of cooking, baking, tablescaping and home decor. We donate the old stuff to the Red Cross shop.

I have used Island Bargains to ship from Florida to Tortola. I shipped a refrigerator, washer, dryer, and a large planer. They handled everything including customs and the cost was very reasonable.

FYI, Doyle’s Sails above TMM in Road Reef Marina have many, many sample books of Sunbrella. Erin is very easy to deal with and once ordered they ship and clear them for you and if needed have them made up.