Shipping UK to USA

[NicolaBolton87 161]

I know this has been asked a few times and I've searched the forums extensively but have only found a few posts here and there.

 

Can anyone recommend a company to ship belongings to Pennsylvania?

 

I'm still in the process of going through my things but I think I'll have about 5/6 boxes. All the online quotes I've had back are between £700-£1000!!!!! At this point I'm thinking of just leaving everything.

 

For information - it will be things like clothes, shoes, personal documents, couple of electrical things like hair straighteners/hairdryer and toiletries such as shampoos/conditioners/shower gel etc (Lush is very expensive so I want to send it over rather than buy it all again!)

 

Any advice/experience is appreciated. I move on the 25th August.

[BJ & Christine 1,392]

6 minutes ago, NicolaBolton87 said:

I know this has been asked a few times and I've searched the forums extensively but have only found a few posts here and there.

 

Can anyone recommend a company to ship belongings to Pennsylvania?

 

I'm still in the process of going through my things but I think I'll have about 5/6 boxes. All the online quotes I've had back are between £700-£1000!!!!! At this point I'm thinking of just leaving everything.

 

For information - it will be things like clothes, shoes, personal documents, couple of electrical things like hair straighteners/hairdryer and toiletries such as shampoos/conditioners/shower gel etc (Lush is very expensive so I want to send it over rather than buy it all again!)

 

Any advice/experience is appreciated. I move on the 25th August.

My fiance got a quote for 127 cubic feet. Have attached quote for ur viewing.

 

Note this quote was only valid for 30 days as prices fluctuate. 

It should at least give u a idea. 

Also, this is door to door service not door to port. 

[G Walters 136]

When my wife came from the uk she did her shipping through ups. She sent all of the stuff she was bringing that way. She left all the big stuff behind.

[T_P 872]

Wouldnt some of these things fit in a suitcase that way instead of paying a shipping company which I believe will cost you quite a chunck of money you would pay an extra luggage? Have you thought about it? Other than that honestly I would probably just buy everything new in US....look at how much the shipping would cost you x how much buy new would and go from there.

[DavidandJen 15]

You're probably not going to be able to use your UK hair straighteners and dryer in the US anyway, due to the difference in voltage.

[Meisha&Jake 869]

I havent moved yet but id recommend buying extra suitcases & paying the fees to check extra in, it will be cheaper than shipping the items you mentioned

 

Im taking 3 checked in bags & 1 hand luggage sized suitcase - as for straighteners & hairdryers you will always need to use a travel conversion plug, so its worth buying new straighteners & hairdryer when in the USA 

 

Just my personal view/what im planning on doing

 

edit: my friend recommended vaccum bags to put clothes in, extra space when packed into suitcases!

Edited July 30, 2018 by Meisha&Jake

[yuna628 9,700]

20 minutes ago, NicolaBolton87 said:

I know this has been asked a few times and I've searched the forums extensively but have only found a few posts here and there.

 

Can anyone recommend a company to ship belongings to Pennsylvania?

 

I'm still in the process of going through my things but I think I'll have about 5/6 boxes. All the online quotes I've had back are between £700-£1000!!!!! At this point I'm thinking of just leaving everything.

 

For information - it will be things like clothes, shoes, personal documents, couple of electrical things like hair straighteners/hairdryer and toiletries such as shampoos/conditioners/shower gel etc (Lush is very expensive so I want to send it over rather than buy it all again!)

 

Any advice/experience is appreciated. I move on the 25th August.

Just some advice: Things like makeup, personal documents and shoes/clothes that are critically important - you should be taking with you on the plane. My husband used frequent flier miles and upgraded so that he was able to take three max size suitcases + the carryon and backpack. He was able to transport a significant amount of stuff that way. Important personal documents should always be going on your physical person and never left up to a shipping company.

 

Ditch the hair dryer and straightener and buy new. They aren't going to work here, even if you had a converter. I've had things blow up before. Things that will work properly with converters - would be laptops, cell phone chargers, and gaming devices. My husband did leave a significant amount behind when he left the UK - but he did manage to transport the majority of his DVDs, games, books (unless you have a serious collection), and electronic equipment (if thinking of doing this consider buying one way travel insurance that covers such equipment specifically). He brought a good majority of his clothes too. But you may have to part with some things. He did sell DVDs for instance that I already had copies of, donated clothing that he didn't use. LUSH can be purchased stateside and is not too costly at all. Wrap them in plastic baggies and stuff them in shoes if small enough. Shipping items is an expensive process and I think it should really be better for people that need to move whole households, furnishings, and those who have serious collections. He wrapped figurines in clothing, stuffed items in shoes, anything he could do to save space.

 

If there was anything specific that he wanted transported at a later date, he had his parents bring it over in their suitcases whenever they decided to visit. His mom shipped some larger figurines over via royalmail/usps and they arrived a few weeks later.

[Loren Y 2,756]

You can ship a pallet pretty cheap if you do port to port. Drive your stuff in the boxes to the closest port in the UK, loan them on a pallet they get shipped to new York and you can pickup at the port there. Pennsylvania isn't too far a drive from new York. Here's the link below.

 

https://www.dfsworldwide.com/Shipping-to-usa.html

[tammyjb 136]

I just put my stuff in suitcases. I.e, the essentials. So brought out two therefore only paid for one suitcases extra as 45 dollars. Then every time someone from back home visits they’re bringing extra suitcases of my stuff for me. Miss out on all those crappy shipping costs. Tbh, only take the things you NEED not the things you want. When we heard back home in july next year to england were basically taking two empty suitcases to fill and that should be all my stuffed moved over.

 

Granted when i visited in march i brought over two huge suitcases of just clothes and left them here before going home. 

[tammyjb 136]

28 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

Just some advice: Things like makeup, personal documents and shoes/clothes that are critically important - you should be taking with you on the plane. My husband used frequent flier miles and upgraded so that he was able to take three max size suitcases + the carryon and backpack. He was able to transport a significant amount of stuff that way. Important personal documents should always be going on your physical person and never left up to a shipping company.

 

Ditch the hair dryer and straightener and buy new. They aren't going to work here, even if you had a converter. I've had things blow up before. Things that will work properly with converters - would be laptops, cell phone chargers, and gaming devices. My husband did leave a significant amount behind when he left the UK - but he did manage to transport the majority of his DVDs, games, books (unless you have a serious collection), and electronic equipment (if thinking of doing this consider buying one way travel insurance that covers such equipment specifically). He brought a good majority of his clothes too. But you may have to part with some things. He did sell DVDs for instance that I already had copies of, donated clothing that he didn't use. LUSH can be purchased stateside and is not too costly at all. Wrap them in plastic baggies and stuff them in shoes if small enough. Shipping items is an expensive process and I think it should really be better for people that need to move whole households, furnishings, and those who have serious collections. He wrapped figurines in clothing, stuffed items in shoes, anything he could do to save space.

 

If there was anything specific that he wanted transported at a later date, he had his parents bring it over in their suitcases whenever they decided to visit. His mom shipped some larger figurines over via royalmail/usps and they arrived a few weeks later.

This is exactly what i did. So much easier and cheaper. 

[debbiedoo 2,339]

our situation is a bit different, as my fiance is simply driving over the border, but he is only bringing what few clothes he has (that arent already here), and then his trade tools he has in storage currently. 

 

he sold/gave away/ tossed all his other material possessions when he sold his house.

 

Stuff isnt that important, and is expensive to move. 

[trudi 1,317]

I brought 2 cases every time I visited before I moved, most of my stuff was here before the visa was approved lol

As others have said hairdryer/straighteners leave behind and buy new.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, Loren Y said:

You can ship a pallet pretty cheap if you do port to port. Drive your stuff in the boxes to the closest port in the UK, loan them on a pallet they get shipped to new York and you can pickup at the port there. Pennsylvania isn't too far a drive from new York. Here's the link below.

 

https://www.dfsworldwide.com/Shipping-to-usa.html

We picked up at the port and it can get more complicated than you first think. Every container has to be unloaded to a big truck and driven out of the port ($) to a warehouse and stored. ($). If the container is identified as one they want to further inspect, it goes to a CBP warehouse ($). You can get your own customs form clearance needed for collection rather than paying somebody, and then go enjoy the concertina wire around a high fence at the CBP facility. But you find out there is another fee to collect your things because of the inspection ($). It also involves several trips to the port city because the customs guy, ships' agent office, and the warehouse pickup are on different days in different locations across a big city. 

Note: it was not New York. 

[Loren Y 2,756]

9 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

We picked up at the port and it can get more complicated than you first think. Every container has to be unloaded to a big truck and driven out of the port ($) to a warehouse and stored. ($). If the container is identified as one they want to further inspect, it goes to a CBP warehouse ($). You can get your own customs form clearance needed for collection rather than paying somebody, and then go enjoy the concertina wire around a high fence at the CBP facility. But you find out there is another fee to collect your things because of the inspection ($). It also involves several trips to the port city because the customs guy, ships' agent office, and the warehouse pickup are on different days in different locations across a big city. 

Note: it was not New York. 

I ship and pick up out of Long Beach, California on a pretty regular basis. I do have my TWIC card, so I usually have no problem going into the port and picking up my pallet. I do the self clearance for CBP myself like you said, not very hard then you don't have to pay someone to represent you. I guess it just seems easy to me because I do it often. Your probably right if it's a first time thing it can be a little crazy. The whole situation is crazy every so often. One time I had a motorcycle sitting on a ship in the bay because the union clowns were on strike. And only union labor can unload ships. Took 30 days to get it off the ship. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

1 hour ago, Loren Y said:

I ship and pick up out of Long Beach, California on a pretty regular basis. I do have my TWIC card, so I usually have no problem going into the port and picking up my pallet. I do the self clearance for CBP myself like you said, not very hard then you don't have to pay someone to represent you. I guess it just seems easy to me because I do it often. Your probably right if it's a first time thing it can be a little crazy. The whole situation is crazy every so often. One time I had a motorcycle sitting on a ship in the bay because the union clowns were on strike. And only union labor can unload ships. Took 30 days to get it off the ship. 

Ahh...totally different if you can get into the port I'm sure. It was just rotten luck that our container was selected to be searched. Not our pallet apparently because it was still wrapped and intact 

 

The CBP was a cake walk in an office building nowhere near the port. The guy didn't even want the form I was a little puzzled about in a few places. He said this is real easy...no form....just show me your packing list. It was a quite detailed list of 20+ boxes. He walked off and came back with that page with all the holes punched. I can't even remember what that was called.