Lagos - Post Report Question and Answers
What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Baking items (high quality flour, vanilla extract/paste/bean, specialty spices), sodas and beers, "easy meals" like boxed mac and cheese and cup of noodles, organic or special diet items, protein powder. - Mar 2024
Cleaning supplies, olive oil, and some ethnic items. - Aug 2020
USDH are given a consumable allowance, we were advised to focus on liquids like cooking oils and cleaners, and that worked out well. You can also send some dry food goods that may be hard to find in Lagos, if you really need milk on a daily basis and don't like the pre-packaged UHT that is only available in Lagos, consider shipping powdered milk. Nigerian flour tends to be mixed with cassava, so if you like baking, shipping flour and other baking mixes would be a good idea too. Good quality rice can be a bit expensive in Lagos, so that could be something to consider shipping, though a lot of Indian brands are available due to the large Indian population. - Jul 2020
We shipped wine and beer, condiments/oils/vinegars, candles, Trader Joes goodies, bulk flour, dish/laundry detergent, and basic pantry items like nuts and grains. I don't think there was really anything I thought I shouldn't have shipped over, except for maybe the copious quantities of bugspray and sunscreen that went essentially unused. - Jun 2019
I think I was grossly misled about what it was like here. I was essentially told to ship half of Trader Joe's with me, but most things are available here, they're just a bit more expensive and/or harder to find. I'm happy with what I shipped: quality peanut butter, jam, canned black beans, good olive oil, good wine, and enough shampoo/conditioner. All other dry goods you can order online. - Mar 2018
Good beer and power tools. - May 2016
Spare tires, potato chips, more dog food/medicine, cleaning supplies. - Nov 2015
More olive oil and cleaning products (which are very expensive here), like detergents. If you have a baby, stock up on diapers and wipes, as local options are imported, costly, and in small packs. - Dec 2011
Extra virgin olive oil; non-electric ice cream maker. Art supplies. - Sep 2008
Soft toilet paper, cleaning products, chocolate chips, baking goods. I would also ensure that all my dryer sheets are not packed with my food because the majority of my food arrived spoiled due to the packers. - May 2008
