Walmart and others (Walmart is the largest offender) is taking advantage of a situaiton and charging higher shipping prices to APO addresses.   See, APO mail goes to a port destination (NYC on the East Coast) then the cost of forwarding it on to the actual soldier is borne by the government NOT the retailer.

These retailers are creating the illusion that the higher costs are due to costs they incur to ship to the final destination.

Via Stars and Stripes

WIESBADEN, Germany — Overseas military customers ordering gifts online from certain retailers might get an unpleasant surprise when shipping and handling fees are tacked on at the end of the purchase.

Those same customers might be most surprised to find that retail giant Walmart had the biggest markup.

On a $120 purchase, Walmart.com charged $10.35 to ship to an APO address, compared with $2.10 to a stateside address. For most items, Amazon.com charged the same to ship to an APO address as a stateside address. And Target offered shipping on a $120 purchase to an APO address for less than to a stateside address.

…

According to Small, when companies ship to APO addresses in Europe, the order is shipped to New York, after which the Department of Defense picks up the tab to get the package to an APO address.

On Walmart.com, the company says shipping costs will be higher to APO addresses due to higher transportation costs.

“There is no higher transportation costs,” Small said. “Companies are abusing the system and making a killing.”

Disgusting.

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