Shipping Chocolate to India - good idea or bad? |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 00:16
| #1 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Delhi/VA
Posts: 124
| Shipping Chocolate to India - good idea or bad? Hi All! I'm trying to get together a Christmas present box for a dear friend. I usually use USPS global priority or global express [depends on whether I'm running behind on the date or not - I soooo procrastinate some days!]. Will chocolate survive the shipping? I figured I could double bag it, if the box ends up somewhere warmer for a short period of time [not necessarily within India, I haven't a clue whether the mail gets direct flights]. End point for the box is Kashmir, so obviously temp is not an issue once it gets there! Also, anyone have a preference for shipping methods from the US? I use USPS purely for cost/convenience reasons but have had only 75% delivery [3 out of 4 packages made it, 1 ended up in some postal black hole]. Has anyone used DHL? Did everything go smoothly? Thanks! B |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 00:18
| #2 |
| Maha Guru Member  Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: India
Posts: 741
| bad - a friend sent me some in a hamper - everything in it got covered in chocolate. |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 00:24
| #3 |
| newbie with some admin tools......  Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New Delhi
Posts: 2,740
| yep - all that has to happen is for the shipment to sit outside somewhere (especially if its in an aluminium airfreight container) for 30-45 minutes and you'll have instant chocolate sauce! |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 00:36
| #4 |
| Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Delhi/VA
Posts: 124
| Ugh! I was afraid of that. I wanted to add something to the box that was fun, the other gifts are much more utilitarian. Candy canes may work, now that I think about it. Can anyone think of any other heat stable Christmas-y candy? Now there's a question I'd never thought I'd ask. Thanks again! B |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 01:49
| #5 |
| Maha Guru Member  Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes.
Posts: 6,326
| Hand carry it in cool weather and get lucky (I did).. |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 02:21
| #6 |
| Guru  Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hollywood
Posts: 4,729
| If you are sending in via Priority mail, it should get there ina week or so. your risks of meliting are minimized, However, I would suggest putting them in ziplock bags to minimize damage. Also, it will help if you describe the contents as Ex-lax (laxative chocolate) to further reduce the chance of pilferage. I know of many cases where only the empty boxes of christmas gifts were delivered in india. |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 15:12
| #7 |
| Maha Guru Member  Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Nouakchott
Posts: 780
| definately bad  |
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Nov 17th, 2007, 23:54
| #8 |
| Maha Guru Member  Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California
Posts: 4,367
| How about sending "old fashioned penny candy"? This might be MaryJanes, Tootsie Rolls, lollipops, root-beer barrels, Walnettos, Necco wafers. Some of these should be fairly stable in the heat, and will soften but not turn into sauce. You can see assortmens of these candies at Vermont Country Store site, and some cities have stores that sell them (I believe we have one in a very touristy area). |
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Nov 18th, 2007, 21:50
| #9 |
| Senior Member  Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Midwest USA
Posts: 227
| Yeah, to have your recipient get chocolates that have melted and then re-solidified into one unrecognizable mass, would not be good. I would send more stable stuff and only hand-carry chocolates. I've had trouble with the USPS even within the USA. I would pick DHL. I think DHL has more of a presence in India than FedEx or UPS. You may have to pay more but it shouldn't be that bad. |
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