Over Baggage Fear and LBC Express to the Rescue

Saturday, a day before our flight we have to wake up early to clean the apartment by throwing all the garbage and washing the bedding. I also threw my old shoes and slippers as I can't bring them anymore even I like too. My bag is already full, I have two luggage, one backpack, one body bag, one computer bag and camera bag to my husband's irritation because they are too many to carry and I might be in over baggage.

It took me time to get out of our apartment because of too many bags I have to carry. My husband didn't help me until we get out our apartment building, my husband repetitively asked me how can I carry my things when we travel as he will not help me if I am expecting a help from him.

Left no choice I tried to contact Edelyn while we are in the bus going to Incheon if they are open during Saturday, unfortunately they are not.  With her help,  I am able to connect with their new employee (ate Marlene) and I think with their boss permission they are able to open their  office. I was relived and thankful to them, although at first I am thinking of leaving the bag to Edelyn or to someone in Korea that wanted it, it is better than leaving the things in the hostel. My husband agreed with my idea as it will save me paying for the box fee.

To cut the story short, after reaching our hostel we immediately went back to the airport where the hostel employee pick us up after we arrived from Icheon.  We took the subway to Hyehwa, my husband carrying the small bag and me a plastic bag with towel, toiletries bag and my personal documents. The trip took so long and it was quite tiring for me to hold the bag so it accidentally slip to my embarrassment because my things was thrown in the floor train. Ha-ha

My husband was already annoyed with me because instead of resting he is traveling with me to Hyehwa, and when we reached Hyehwa he was more agitated because there are lot of people and traffic on the cross street. When we finally reached the LBC office I was happy to see Edelyn and ate Marlene, they are very friendly and helpful. I am little embarrassed for disturbing them on their rest day, and a sign of being grateful I would like to give them chocolates but they declined. I don't know how to pay their kindness, so I just say my sincere thank you again. Nothing new, because it is already my habit giving token to someone, I originally would like to give them souvenirs but I already sent them home so I was left no choice.  Thanks again sis Edelyn and Ate Marlene!

Well, the box should be shipped on Friday but due to unseen problems it was moved the next week, and today it should be a week already since it was shipped if the shipping was made last week.

LBC Korea branch is located at: 1F, 102-1 Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul Korea. Jumbo Box size – 73 x 52 x 73 Hotline/Contact #: 1661-5899

Leaving Korea Soon, Waiting for my LBC Box to be Picked Up

I am quite busy these past few days packing, boxing and throwing things that we cannot used any more like old bags, clothes that are worn out and cannot be worn. We are leaving Korea soon, our flight was already scheduled on Sunday (March 2) to Hungary but we have to leave our apartment before our flight to avoid transportation problem, as it is 2 1/2 hours away from Incheon Airport and our flight is in the morning.

Cleaning also made me busy I have to clean around the apartment because the new teacher will arrive as soon as we left, so the apartment needs to be clean as a courtesy to the new tenant. I have already scheduled my third LBC jumbo box to be picked up by Monday, but I was told that they have to pick it up on Thursday, their scheduled pick-up date in Gyeonggi-do area.

As I am scheduled to go to the Turkish Embassy today, my husband and I left the box in the hallway outside the elevator just in case the tekbe ajossi came and I am not around. We trust to leave it outside because the kids at the Hagwon below are on vacation, and the students renting a room in our floor already left so the chance of kids playing with the box is less. By calling, I stressed out that it needs to pick-up this week because we are leaving on Sunday and nobody will take care of it when we left. I just can't leave the box sitting in the hallway, we already informed the landlord about leaving the box today in the hallway (my husband co-teacher call him as he is the one in contact), the landlord says we can leave the box but we have to be aware that he is not responsible if the box was lost or damage.

I left early in the morning to Seoul as the Turkish embassy opens at 9:30 AM, before I left my husband and I took the box in the hallway.

I went in and went out, I directly went to the subway to the bus station when I left Turkish embassy. It was perfect timing that the bus is leaving when I arrived at the bus station or else I have to wait for another bus, on the way I received a text message from tekbe ajossi that my box will be delivered between 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm, I was wondering what box is it because I didn't order anything from gmarket and I am not expecting for tekbe aside from someone who will collect my box.

I have arrived home before 12:30 pm and I was a little bit disappointed seeing my box in the hallway, few minutes after I arrived home someone knocks at the door. It was the tekbe ajossi who delivered boxes two days ago. The boxes are from the new teacher who is moving soon when we left.

Waiting for tekbe ajossi is killing me, I am paranoid, hearing movements around the apartment or seeing delivery truck in the street thinking it is the tekbe  ajosssi's truck. Ha-ha, I am going crazy, being worried that my box will be left alone when we left Korea in a few days. It was already two o'clock in the afternoon and didn't hear any single knock on our door, tekbe ajossi is usually at my door steps early in the morning to collect my box, so getting worried I call at their office confirming if my box will be pick-up. Edelyn confirmed it is going to be pick-up today, but my husband kept teasing me that my box will not be collected. After a few hours and it is already 4 o'clock and there's no sign of someone  collect my box, I sleep my disappointment and when I wake up it is already late in the afternoon and office hours is finished and my box was not pick-up. I knew, because I can't count any more how many times I check in the hallway if my box is still there.  Ha-ha

We have to start the laundry soon so the clothes will be dry tomorrow and we can packed our bags, while waiting for my turn in the shower I started to blog my disappointment about my box not being collected on the day they told me when I received a call from an unknown number that my box will be pick-up after one hour. I am so happy hearing the good news so I immediately told my husband about it. After one hour I received a call that they are already in our hallway to pick-up my box so I went outside and see someone and greeted good evening. You know I am awarded as the most polite during my kinder years. Ha-ha, I am really so happy thinking I am stress free and nothing else to think about. Anyway, I was told that I can still use the second box the next time I want to send something home, but I informed the guy (which is probably Edelyn's boss because she call him Sir when I update her that my box was collected) that we are leaving Korea soon and I can't use it any more because we are not returning. Remembering what Edelyn had told me,  I've asked if I should pay now or tomorrow. I was told it was fine to pay now so I did.

I was very happy that my box was finally pick-up so when I return inside our apartment, I jump for joy and giggle to my husband like a child with a new toy! My husband call me crazy! Ha-ha sorry I am just really happy, and when I am happy I create a mess or I can't think straight nor speak normal I mean I just blurted out anything in my mind without thinking!  Ha-ha

LBC Korea branch is located at: 1F, 102-1 Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul Korea. Jumbo Box size – 73 x 52 x 73 Hotline/Contact #: 1661-5899

My Second LBC Jumbo Box is Ready for Pickup

Within the success of sending my first LBC jumbo box to the Philippines (read here Sending Balikbayan Box LBC Korea to Philippines) and within 5 weeks left before we leave Korea I am in hiatus mode to send my remaining stuff and "pasalubong" to my family and relatives. I have informed LBC last Wednesday that my box is ready for pickup but because I am going to Seoul on Thursday and probably Friday too, I have told them to pick it up on Monday. But when I came home from Seoul yesterday, I have no appointment on Friday so I immediately informed Edelyn that my box can be pick-up today (Friday).

Tekbe ajossi came early morning today (Friday) bringing the new jumbo box I have ordered, yeah right I have thought I only need 2 jumbo box to send my things home but it turns out I need more. The second box was just for pasalubong and my personal things, I still have things left to be sent home.  My second box was not pick-up today as the tekbe ajossi's truck is already full of boxes, was informed he will pick up my box tomorrow. No problem for me, I am around the house the whole weekend. :)

LBC Korea branch is located at: 1F, 102-1 Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul Korea. Jumbo Box size – 73 x 52 x 73

Well, as expected my box was not collected the next day because it was weekend. The tekbe ajossi returned on Monday to get my box.

Sending a Balikbayan Box from Korea to the Philippines with LBC Korea

With less than five months left before we leave Korea, we had already started packing the things we no longer used. Instead of waiting until the last minute, I decided to slowly send some of our belongings back home to the Philippines.

A few days ago, I mailed one box through EMS, but I still had three more boxes waiting to be sent.

I had already sorted everything into different boxes. The first box contained souvenirs and travel magazines, the second was mostly clothes, while the third was a mixture of everything else—books, shampoo, lotions, and other personal items.

Trying LBC Korea for My Balikbayan Boxes

The other day, I decided to try LBC Korea instead of using EMS again. I called their hotline and ordered two large boxes for my belongings.

I decided to give LBC a try because of my previous experience with EMS. The last few boxes I had sent through EMS had been opened, and unfortunately, some items were missing. Even the box I had mailed just a few days earlier was still in transit at that time.

Because of that experience, I thought it might be worth trying another courier service. Since we were already preparing to leave Korea, I wanted a more convenient way to send our things home to the Philippines.

I decided that I would write about my LBC Korea balikbayan box experience once everything arrived. I was especially curious about how long the shipment would take and whether everything would arrive safely.

Thankfully, my experience turned out well. My boxes were shipped to the Philippines, and when my family received them, all of my items arrived complete. That was a huge relief!

LBC Balikbayan Box vs. EMS

One thing that caught my attention about LBC Korea was the way they charged for the shipment.

With EMS, shipping costs are generally based on the weight of the package. With LBC's balikbayan box service, the price was based on the size of the box and the destination, rather than simply charging by the kilogram.

At the time I sent my boxes, I was quoted ₩120,000 for one large/jumbo box going to Manila and Luzon, while shipments to Visayas and Mindanao cost ₩140,000, regardless of how heavy the box was.

For someone sending a lot of belongings home, this seemed like a more practical option because I could fill the box without worrying about every additional kilogram.

Sending Our Things Home Before Leaving Korea

Moving from one country to another is not easy, especially after living somewhere for several years. You accumulate clothes, books, souvenirs, personal items, and so many little things that you don't realize how much you have until it's time to pack everything.

With only a few months left in Korea, sending our belongings home little by little made the move feel more manageable.

It was also a little emotional going through those boxes. Some contained things I had collected during our years in Korea—souvenirs, magazines, clothes, and other memories from the life we had built there.

At that point, sending balikbayan boxes wasn't just about getting our belongings from Korea to the Philippines. It was also a reminder that our six-year chapter in Korea was slowly coming to an end.

LBC Korea Branch

At the time of my original post, the LBC Korea branch I used was located at:

1F, 102-1 Hyehwa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea

The hotline number I called was 1661-5899.

Note: These branch details, telephone numbers, and shipping rates are from the time of my original experience and may have changed.