There is a post office on campus for your convenience. Your mail should be addressed as follows :
Ross University School of Medicine
Your name
Phone number
PO Box 266
Portsmouth Campus
Roseau, Commonwealth of Dominica, West Indies
You can send mail or packages through the US Post Office, DHL, or Fed-Ex to Dominica. If you are sending something that is time sensitive use DHL or Fed EX. Keep in mind that the highest custom fees are assigned to electronics, computers, cameras, CD/DVD’s etc. These items are best brought down in your carry on luggage.
For shipment of boxes/barrels contact:
Tropical Shipping : 1-800-367-6200
Amerijet : US 1-800-927-6059 ; DOM 767-445-7900
Laparkan 305-836-4393
(We shipped our belongings down through Amerijet, but not by air. We shipped through their ocean liner service. The closest Amerijet hub to New Orleans is Houston. Amerijet has companies they partner with that have”drop stations” all over the US. So we had a partner company in New Orleans drive our stuff to Houston. From there Amerijet shipped it to Miami then overseas for us. The website above lists all of their drop off stations).
To send things down by air tends to be more expensive. Shipping barrels by ocean is a more cost effective way to go. This is because with barrels you are not charged by the weight of the shipment (this is true for Tropical shipping, but not all shipping companies). There is only a flat fee plus cost of the barrel. We did not have the barrel option so we shipped boxes, which ship by weight.
Your boxes/barrels will be picked up in Roseau/Canefield by Mr. Alexis George’s transport service. They pay your customs fees upfront. They will deliver your items to your residence. They present you with a customs receipt, you then reimburse the deliverer or Alexis at his office.
Questions about customs/duty? http://www.customs.gov.dm/
From Louisiana to Dominica 
I am trying to ship an electronic item back to the US for a return. What is the fastest/most reliable way of doing so? I have 12 days to have the item returned. Thank you!
Post on the Facebook class pages or Ross Spouses Facebook page to see if anyone is traveling off island in the next few days that can carry it for you and mail it on US soil-easiest solution. If that doesn’t work, you can send things overnight through DHL (is there still a branch above IGA store in Picard? If not there is a DHL in Roseau. Alexis taxi can probably drive it down for you if necessary). It will be expensive but probably the only way it will make it. Good luck!
I’m from Atlanta, GA. I have been using a company called Caribbean Shipping Services to ship to Dominica (just google it). They also drop off empty barrels and pick them up for a nominal fee. Great, fast, and inexpensive service, never had a problem.
I used a company called Caribbean Shipping Services in the Atlanta area, but I think they have other locations as well. I found them to be the cheapest and most convenient. I was able to ship a 75 gal barrel with over 400LB for only $135 plus a $25 pickup fee from my home.
If it helps any Ross University Student, http://www.shipabox.com can help with shipping groceries from the North America to Dominica seaport. We have carefully pre selected and pre filled grocery barrels available at prices you can afford. We ship monthly for timely deliveries. We also have the option for customization.
DO NOT USE AMERIJET. They quoted us $140 and then charged us $370! I have been on the phone for 30 minutes now trying to get the money back and no success. They send you to the Dominica line which then tells you it has been cut off. Just use Alexis or tropical shipping!!
Do you know how to go about shipping from Dominica back to the US? Where do you get the barrels or go about the process?
Go to Alexis Taxi across from the main gate. They ship barrels back to US as part of Tropical Shipping.
I want to ship from Maryland or North Carolina to Dominica. What are my options? Where do we get barrels from? What are the costs and weight restrictions?
You have to call individual companies to find out their costs/weight restrictions.
Tropical Shipping : 1-800-367-6200
Amerijet : US 1-800-927-6059
Laparkan: 305-836-4393
Bernuth Lines : 305-637-8996
Hello. I was wondering how to ship to the USA from Dominica. My computer has crashed and I need to send it back for repairs. How do I do that?
I would call the mail room on campus at 255-6307 and see if they can ship it out for you. If not you can use DHL or Fed Ex.
• FedEx—Portsmouth (767) 445-4291; Cork & Old Sts., Roseau, tel: (767) 448-0992 http://www.fedex.com
• DHL Worldwide Express—Hanover St. & Kennedy Ave., Roseau, tel: (767) 448-5887
I think DHL also has a Portsmouth branch (possibly above IGA?)
I sent some items by mail and they ended up in India. My daughter left on the 22nd and i thought these items will be ther when she arrives, so i mailed priority mail and she has not received them. When I checked at the post office they tracked the items in India. If anybody has any suggestions in sending food from USA please email me.
Oh no! Somewhere in the process someone probably confused West Indies with India…ouch!
Shipping barrels is good for heavy items or anything that does not fit in your suitcases. People tend to ship food, bedding/towels, books, school supplies, clothes, fans/transformer kitchen supplies etc. Some of the shipping companies have barrels or some will refer you to an outside agency. Check the Facebook page of your incoming class and or valuemd. People tend to post what companies they are using in their particular area.
What type of things do you use shipping for? Where do you get the barrels from? Do the companies provide them or you find them youeself? Can we pretty much ship anything using the barrels?
Updated post on shipping services and Dominican Alexis George who picks up barrels from customs: https://louisiana2dominica.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/alexis-george-of-alexis-taxi/
We are in the San Antonio area and had a difficult time finding barrels. Only found them to buy from Amerijet in Houston ($45 ea). We could only fit one in the car with our passengers so we were going to ship 1 barrel and 1 tote but found out it was going to cost $280 where if we shipped 2 barrels it would be $174. We found another barrel. Amerijet said we could use the blue plastic barrels (screw on lid) and found those from a sausage plant that gets casings in them. Also, found out you must make a booking to ship AND cargo ship leaves Miami every Wednesday and takes 10 days. SO, plan ahead to ship a week before you leave.
Thanks for the info Diana. We had trouble getting barrels too, which was surprising since New Orleans is a huge port city. Sounds like it worked out well for you.