Kiev - Post Report Question and Answers
What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Any ethnic foods and spices. Especially Mexican food!!! - May 2021
Quacker Instant Oatmeal and chocolate chips. - Jun 2018
Specialty flours and grains are hard to find locally or at the commissary. We brought some American hipster beer, which was nice, but there are more and more local alternatives available. - May 2017
Selection for Asian cooking ingredients was limited. We also ordered some spices that were not available, or available only sporadically. - Nov 2016
We are usually not big on shipping a lot of stuff - we definitely shipped a better brand of baking powder because the one at the commissary made our pancakes taste sour. I also shipped some toiletries (for which I am brand-picky) from the U.S. but not as many as at previous posts.
If you cook a lot of Mexican or Asian food (or anything else that isn't European) you may want to ship ingredients. Basic Tex-Mex supermarket stuff can be purchased at the Commissary, but more authentic items would be hard to find. - Jul 2016
I would bring hot sauces and Mexican spices, peanut butter, refried beans, chocolate chips, brown sugar, powdered sugar, canned pumpkin, baking powder, vanilla extract, stuffing/dressing, unless you want to pay commissary prices or ship from Amazon (can't do that for liquids, though). Toys and clothes are more expensive here, so I buy those online. - Nov 2015
Since there isn't a DPO, send a small amount of your favorite liquids in your UAB. When you are home buy perfume, nail polish and hair coloring since regardless of size, they can't be mailed via pouch. (Hair color will sometimes come through the pouch.) Of course they have it all here, but maybe not exactly what you would buy if you were home. - Jun 2015
Hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax, good chocolate, peanut butter, vitamin D, and a steady supply of yak trax. - Apr 2014
Chocolate chips, peanut butter, decaf coffee, Dr Pepper, American baby food. - Apr 2013
Cake mix, doughnuts, and Jimmy Buffet CD's. - Apr 2013
Studded snow tires. Better winter wear. Anything with lithium batteries cannot come through pouch. - Feb 2013
Peanut butter, any ethnic spices. Brands you're particularly fond of. Otherwise, you can easily find everything you need in Kyiv or at the commissary. - Jul 2012
Peanut Butter, salsa, mexican food... Most things can be found on the economy. - Aug 2009
We shipped Asian and Mexican ingredients and were happy. In retrospect we probably shipped too much. For some the availability, price (expensive) and quality of wine leaves something to be desired but again, it's changing for the better. - Apr 2008
We would have bought and sent a treadmill for exercise during the winter. We bought a dog after arriving so sending some good quality dog food would have been helpful. If there are any special foods you must have then I'd send those, especially if they're liquid as that can't go through the pouch. - Feb 2008
