Being stationed overseas and ordering products from CONUS can sometimes take a really, really long time. One of the best options that me and my family chose while stationed in Germany was signing up for Amazon Prime Germany (Amazon Deutschland – amazon.de). We found that many of the same products from Amazon United States were on Amazon DE and we could get them delivered to the front door within 24 to 48 hours. Amazon Japan also a lot of the same products for those stationed in that area.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that those living in military housing can take advantage of this since UPS and DHL delivery trucks cannot normally get onto post to deliver individual orders. You could ask a co-worker, neighbor, or friend to have something shipped to their house and then simply utilize the option on the Amazon site to send that item to them.

Of course there are other nice things off post at the local shops and malls and that really saved us some time and money on taxes if it was a high-priced item.

I also want to note that some groceries and household items were a lot cheaper off-post versus on-post too. Meats and the basics like eggs, milk, and bread were considerably cheaper and lasted a lot longer. Nothing against the commissary’s and the wonderful service they provide but some things just don’t last long when shipped overseas and nobody wants to throw food away a day or two after purchasing it.

Check out the sites and get out and explore your local neighborhood shops. You will certainly find something new to enjoy.