Shipping costs and companies

[lizandpat 0]

Hello everyone...and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I have a few questions for those of you who have either already moved to the States or are in the process of moving:

First, are you shipping household items? If so, do you have any suggestions for International Shipping companies?

Also, if you don't mind sharing, I'm curious as to how much something like this costs.

My fiance is from the Netherlands and depending on the cost would like to bring a few things. He has a one bedroom apartment and after selling all of the electronics since they won't work here it would leave things like bedroom and living room furniture to bring.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated!!!

Thanks everyone and I hope you've all had a wonderful Holiday!!!

Hugs,

Liz

[StillThePrettiest 3]

I shipped from both London, where I had been living, and from Sydney Australia, where I had stuff in storage... I found it very worthwhile to do; it can be a little pricey but nowhere NEAR the cost of buying everything new again (I suspect not even near the cost of buying stuff second-hand, and of course this way you have your own things, which you already know you like) - so it's a saving in both money and time

and having my own things around me in my new home has been great

my tips for shipping:

- do a lot of online research, and get phone quotes for the SAME cubic foot or metre amount from each one - base this on your best guess; doesn't really matter if you're over or under on the real thing, as you just want the quotes to be comparing apples to apples... I found companies to vary incredibly; as in, the most expensive quote in London was double the cheapest, so it's worth checking them all out!

- get the best one or two companies to send people out and look over what you'll be shipping and give you an actual quote; check that they include things like packing and uplift, port fees, delivery at the other end etc (all standard - the only extra out-of-pocket you should have should be any customs charges which they can't predict ahead of time)

- if you find it's on the pricey side, consider leaving larger items, and packing only smaller stuff - since you're paying by the cubic foot, you get more value for money on many smaller items (I remember giving the example once before of a bookcase vs a cubic foot of kitchen stuff - you pay far more for the bookcase, which will probably be of less value to start with, as compared to all the kitchen stuff you can pack into a box - you get the idea)

expect to pay a few grand... it's not CHEAP, but I found the value for money to be pretty excellent with both the companies I used (Allied Pickfords in the UK, and Grace Removals inAus), when you consider what you're getting

all the best with it!

Edited December 26, 2008 by StillThePrettiest

[HighwayStar 0]

I received my stuff less than ten days ago, and I can confirm what StillthePrettiest said in her post above mine. Though it didn't come cheap, everything got here in tip-top condition, and having my own things does make a difference. I also chose not to bring any furniture, exactly for the same reasons - furniture is a nuisance to ship, because it has to be taken apart, and that means it takes up a lot of space, unlike smaller items. Most of my boxes were packed full of things, which helped keep expenses down.

I forgot to add that I paid for full service - the only things I had to do (besides paying the bill, of course) were getting everything ready prior to packing, and then unpacking when my shipment got here. For me it was not hard to find a good shipping company, because in Italy I used to work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and many of my coworkers were pretty experienced in matters of moving abroad.

[lizandpat 0]

Thank you both for the information....it's exactly what I needed!!

We know it'll cost a couple thousand dollars at least but if he doesn't bring a couple of the furniture pieces, I think we can keep it around one thousand.

btw, CONGRATS on your wedding, HighwayStar!!!