The straight answer: You don’t need to buy, pack and haul a barrel yourself. Shop online from US stores, have everything delivered to a barrel-packing company in New York or Florida, and they pack it and ship it to Jamaica for you. It works wherever you live — Norway, the UK or anywhere else.

For generations, the barrel has been how Jamaicans abroad look after family at home — rice and flour, soap and toothpaste, school shoes and Christmas clothes. The tradition hasn’t changed, but the way you send one has. Shipping from the US is usually faster and cheaper than shipping from Europe, and shop-and-pack services mean you can fill a barrel from your phone.

How it works

1. Sign up with a barrel-packing company and get its US delivery address, with your name or account number on it.
2. Shop at US online stores and use that address at checkout.
3. They pack. The company receives your packages, opens them and packs everything into a barrel.
4. It ships. When the barrel is full — or when you say go — it goes by sea to Jamaica.
5. Family receives it. They collect it at the wharf or warehouse, or, with a door-to-door service, it is cleared and delivered to their home.

Option 1 — New York: Pack A Barrel (Brooklyn)

Pack A Barrel lets you shop at any US online store and check out with its Brooklyn address. Staff open your boxes, pack the contents into a barrel, and hold your packages while orders from different stores arrive. You tell them when to ship.

• Delivery address: Your Name, C/O Pack A Barrel, 221 E 54th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11203
• Phone: (718) 922-0930
• Fees listed on its website: empty barrel US$40–60; shipping from US$125; plus a service charge listed as 15% of the order you send to them. Ask exactly how that charge is calculated before you order.
• Timing: orders from US online stores can take up to 7 business days to reach the warehouse.

Option 2 — Florida: Pack Yuh Barrel (Mailpac)

Pack Yuh Barrel is run by Mailpac Group, a Jamaican e-commerce logistics company, with its US logistics handled through Miami. It is the most hands-off option: they pack, ship, clear customs and deliver to the door.

• Your own US address: register at packyuhbarrel.com and you get a unique shipping address for your online purchases.
• Barrel sizes: small, medium or large (15, 30 or 55 gallons). A “Barrel-meter” shows how full your barrel is, and you can ship when it is full or even half full.
• Customs and delivery included: they clear the barrel through Jamaican customs and deliver it to the door. The price includes the flat J$6,500 customs charge for allowable items (conditions apply).
• Cost guide: when the service launched, Mailpac said the average barrel cost US$300–400 to ship. Check its current prices when you sign up.

Prefer to pack it yourself?

If you are in the US or visiting, Dennis Shipping has warehouses in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Lauderhill, Florida, and offices in Kingston and Montego Bay. You can have items delivered or dropped off at its warehouses and pack your barrel there. Each barrel is sealed in your presence, and the seal number is written on your bill of lading so your family can check it on arrival.

What to put in a Christmas barrel

• Pantry staples: rice, flour, sugar, cooking oil, canned goods, cereal — sealed in their original packaging.
• Toiletries: soap, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, laundry detergent.
• Clothes and shoes: Christmas outfits, school shoes, underwear and socks.
• School and household items: books, stationery, towels, sheets, small kitchen items.
• Treats and gifts: snacks, toys, and something special for each person.

Skip perishables and home-cooked food, and check what is restricted before you buy — the Jamaica Customs Agency can advise (toll-free 1-888-287-8667).

Clearing the barrel in Jamaica

If your service doesn’t deliver to the door, the person receiving the barrel clears it at the warehouse. The Jamaica Customs Agency’s five steps:

1. Collect the shipping documents from the shipping agent and pay the handling or storage fees.
2. Show a passport (or immigration kiosk slip), TRN and the shipping documents to the Customs Supervisor.
3. Show the documents to warehouse security while the barrel is located.
4. Open and unpack the barrel for the Customs Officer, then pay at the Customs Cashier.
5. Take the Release Order to the warehouse operator to get a gate pass.

Barrels of personal effects or non-commercial items are charged a flat J$6,500 (subject to change), plus the shipping agent’s fees. If someone else is clearing the barrel for the named receiver, they need an authorization letter signed and stamped by a Justice of the Peace, plus the receiver’s TRN and passport.

Tips before you order

• Order early. Christmas is the busiest time of year for Jamaica Customs, and many families in western Jamaica are still rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. Ask each company for its Christmas cut-off date.
• Confirm the price in writing — barrel, packing, shipping, any service charge, and whether customs and door delivery are included.
• Living outside the US? Check that US stores accept your card, and that the packing company can take payment from abroad.
• Keep your receipts and a list of contents. It helps at customs and if anything goes missing.
• Tell your family the company, tracking number and what is coming.

Prices and services are as listed by each company on November 3, 2026, and can change. Always confirm directly before you order. cbeharie.com is not affiliated with any company named here.

Sources

• Pack A Barrel – Shop & Ship
• Pack Yuh Barrel
• Jamaica Observer – Mailpac launches Pack Yuh Barrel
• Dennis Shipping – Services
• Jamaica Customs Agency – 5 Easy Steps to Clear a Barrel
• Jamaica Customs Agency – Personal Items

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