Guangzhou - Post Report Question and Answers
What household or grocery items do you wish you had shipped to post?
Root beer, US cereal - Apr 2023
We brought items that we eat a lot of that we knew would be expensive here - peanut butter, beans, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa. It's easy to find anything here, it will just come at a premium. - Aug 2021
None. I've adjusted to what is available locally. As a result, my consumption of processed food is almost nonexistent, I'm healthier, and the variety of produce available is impressive. - May 2019
Canned goods and olive oil. - Nov 2018
If you like booze, bring it. You can't get any decent wine unless you want to pay out the nose. The American Employee Association will periodically import booze from Australia. - Nov 2015
Cleaning supplies, any particular, non-perishable Western food you really love (anything for cooking Mexican food, for instance), and that's really about it. Maybe more soda that isn't of the Coke/Coke Zero/Sprite variety. A lot of people shipped alcohol, although you can get that kind of thing locally, but it's a bit more expensive. - Aug 2014
Peanut butter, pasta sauce, anything you use or consume regularly where it's important to you that you know it is safe and is actually the brand you expect it to be. - May 2013
Alcohol (good wine/beer/liquor is both extremely expensive and hard to find...and sometimes fake if you do find it); chocolate chips and other baking supplies, including pans/cookie cutters, etc.; any 'health foods' such as whole wheat flour, quinoa and flax meal; maple syrup; good salsa. - Apr 2013
Truthfully, I brought too much! I would recommend bringing any aerosal products, beer/wine/liquor you like (because imported stuff is expensive and potentially a knock off), baking supplies. Everything is easily available. - Jan 2013
Anything specifically American or unique you want. Most items can be found in a generic form here, however your specific variety or flavor may be hard to come by. Also I am told diapers are very hard to find here. - Oct 2011
More shoes, OTC drugs, cold meds, hygiene products. You cannot find Advil, Tylenol, or aspirin anywhere in China. - Jul 2009
Be sure to bring dishwasher soap. That's the one thing I haven't been able to find here. Pretty much everything else you could want is available locally. Baking supplies can be hard to find. - Jan 2009
