Beijing - Post Report Question and Answers
What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
I order some specific items like certain spices online to the embassy DPO, but you can get most things here. Baby formula is hard to come by though. Bring that. - Nov 2021
none. - Nov 2020
English language books are hard to find here, but you can buy/sell used books easily on WeChat groups for secondhand goods. Pre-COVID, the DPO was a reliable option for Amazon bulk grocery orders. - Aug 2020
You can find most things here. - Jul 2020
If you can ship items you love, baking goods, mexican food, specialty ingredients, do it, but you can really find ANYTHING. - May 2020
We did not ship anything, but if you have space and weight allowance ship anything you can. You will save money later. - Nov 2019
There is nothing you cannot get here. - Oct 2017
Cheese, packaged American meals, craft beer, wine. - Dec 2015
Lots of detergent, wine, common staples that don't go bad - Cereal, flour, sugar, chocolate chips, condiments, oil(for cooking), lotion, shampoo, conditioner, SHOES (they aren't well made here), travel coffee mugs and water bottles (i.e. nalgene). - Apr 2015
Electronics are expensive in China. But your computers will be tampered with by some unknown visitors so beware. I would bring an old computer and trash it at the end of the tour. Bicycles can be fun and useful. There are bike lanes in many parts of city but during rush hours, cars use them too. - Aug 2014
Honestly, there isn't much. You really can find most things on the economy. If there are particular types of shampoos/body lotions you use, you might stock up on those. - Jul 2014
Dark chocolate - Jun 2013
A tall kitchen wastebasket -- they can't be found locally. A digital scale that goes up to 50 pounds: the embassy post office doesn't sell postage so everything must be done online; the scale would allow us to do the weighing and calculating work at home. - Aug 2011
Drain cleaner. I haven't found it here yet. Otherwise, I did pretty well - I made a big Costco run before I left and bought a bunch of stuff I knew I couldn't easily find here or was prohibitively expensive (camping food and supplies, glow sticks, everything electronic I could possibly want for the next 2 years, good quality paper towels and toilet paper, spices). One thing I have had a heck of a time finding is an electric frying pan to make pancakes, so if you like pancakes, bring one of those. For the most part, it isn't that you can't find it here, it's that when you do, you won't want to pay $4 for a roll of paper towels even though they're good and work and the local ones are terrible and don't. Bring any supply of medication with you (prescription and non-prescription) that you will need for the length of your assignment. There are problems with counterfeit drugs and you may have trouble finding what you want (especially Pepto-Bismol). - Jan 2011
Chocolate chips. Razors and shaving cream. Cleaning supplies. Cereal. Dog food. Wrapping paper. All are incredibly expensive. - Apr 2010
Clothes, shoes, medicines and toiletries. - Jan 2010
