[alihow]

I know its a long way away for us, but I was just perusing the site (and enjoying it immensly!) and was wondering if any of the US contigent who is close to their move had any words of wisdom for shipping personal items over to NZ. thanks in advance, Howard

[catjlin]

Howard,
We chose to ship only clothes and ski/bike gear and some books and odds and ends. If you aren't going to send too much, sending it via the post is the cheapest option we found. Then again, you end up spending money right off the bat here to get more stuff!
Cat

[alihow]

I think that may be the best route to take. Like I said, we are a long way away from that step, but the questioned popped into my mind, so I thought I'd throw it out there.
Howard

[selchie]

If you don't have much of a household accumulated, I suppose buying new on the other end is a good idea. We've decided to take most of our belongings with us because we've spent many years acquiring good furnishings etc, and some of it is inherited. We'll ditch some stuff, of course.

I've long heard that movers won't insure belongings if the client self-packs, but I've heard so many tales of poor packing by movers that I cringe at the thought of letting them do the work. I've also heard that they can be stubborn about paying for loss even if the belongings are insured. Maybe I'll hover and make myself such a pain in the neck that they'll let me pack. But I will decide more on the packing issue after I've researched several and put the fear of me into them.

[alihow]

Thanks Selchie- yeah, we too have a household full of stuff, a lot of which we are going to want to keep. Plus lots of stuff for my daughter that i would hate to have to buy again. Lets share experiences as we get closer (we are proably a year away at this point). When are you looking to go? and to what paart fo the country?
Howard

[clg]

We are shipping a 20 foot container on August 2nd.

We got quotes from Allied, American Moving, and Crown. It will take about 6-8 weeks for the container to arrive to Wellington and all had the same policy on packing, if you want to purcahse full coverage you need to let them pack. The low bid we got was from Crown at about 9,000 for door to door service including all packing. Insurance was about the same from everyone and will cost us about 1k.

Chris

[alihow]

wowser! thanks so much for the info Chris, although it nearly knocked me off my chair! i guess thats what this site is all about though, right> gaining knowledge. For 9k though, i may have to rethink bringing everything and may want to start a new. so much to think about! i have just started this process and already my head is spinning!

[clg]

I was a bit shocked by the quotes, I was expecting around 5-6k. You pay by weight and they all told me that they were being a bit high on their weight estimate, the lower weight #'s came in closer to 7k.

My employer is paying for shipping so that is a huge bonus but it also means I did not try very hard to negotiate a lower price. I have seen mentions of people doing that. All of the movers also asked me who way paying so who knows, that may have mattered as well.

Good Luck!

Chris

[sweetpea]

wowser! thanks so much for the info Chris, although it nearly knocked me off my chair! i guess thats what this site is all about though, right> gaining knowledge. For 9k though, i may have to rethink bringing everything and may want to start a new. so much to think about! i have just started this process and already my head is spinning!

That's exactly the reaction I had! I had the first of what seems will be a series of garage sales last weekend -- I just can't believe how much crap I have :oops:. I'll probably put my furniture on Craig's List and sorta-valuable stuff on Ebay. I decided to move to a smaller place to save money for the Big Move, so I'm getting an early start jettisoning possessions

:exit

[selchie]

Although it sounds expensive to ship, do consider the value of your posessions and their replacement cost. For the sake of insurance (and being a bit obsessive-compulsive), I prepared an inventory of our belongings, including appliances & electronics, kitchen ware, clothing, furniture, linens, tools, bikes, books, CDs, DVDs, jewelry, art, miscellaneous crap, etc, etc. It would cost us more than $50k to replace it all. Granted, we'll ditch some stuff, but even the small stuff adds up, and you'll not likely get top dollar for the old.

I believe it's been mentioned before, but y'all might want to photograph certain items to document their pre-shipment condition. Maybe print a color copy to be signed by the mover foreman.

Question: when we say "pack", do we mean packing individual boxes, or loading into the truck/container?

Howard: We're not sure of when or where - maybe 1st quarter 2006, maybe Wellington. And am not sure if we'd fill a container or not. But if we have room, we'll pass the word and see if anyone wants to help fill it.

[clg]

When I say pack I meant individual boxes. The only packing we are doing are the things that go on the plane, they will do everything else.

Chris

[clg]

I have an update on move prices. I just had a mover we got a bid from but did not go with say he made a mistake on his estimate. The new price he gave me was about 6,400 which included all packing, transport but not insurance which is still about 1k.

It can be done for less!


Chris

[alihow]

now that is a manageable number! having a rough day at work, best news I have heard all day. Thanks much Chris!

[spodie]

We got a quote from Rinkins for $5764 (20ft). We will pack and unpack.

The other is $9215 (20ft). They will pack and unpack, and it includes import customs clearance charges, and port fees and terminal handling charges. Neither estimate includes insurance.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this estimate? Any thoughts on Rinkins?
Also, how much are import customs clearance charges, and port fees and terminal handling charges, generally? If it's only a few hundred dollars, then that seems alot for just packing and unpacking.

Also, our estimate is based on the space in the container, not weight. Is this better or worse?

[selchie]

Also, how much are import customs clearance charges, and port fees and terminal handling charges, generally? If it's only a few hundred dollars, then that seems alot for just packing and unpacking.
Check out this thread on Overcharges on MAF fees by shippers. http://www.emigratenz.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=934&highlight=maf

Also, our estimate is based on the space in the container, not weight. Is this better or worse?
Can't answer the question, but this ties in with a caution I read somewhere about basing the quote purely on container size. If the movers/shippers underestimate the volume of your belongings, and don't give a quote based on the entire move, they might charge extra to move the remainder. Be sure that the contract specifies that the price is for moving everything, whether the quote is by volume or weight. Caveat emptor and all that.

[CLKasner]

Hi - I am new to this forum, but am finding plenty of useful information. I, like many of the posts, am considering a stay in NZ. I am from the US (Ohio), and am wondering if anyone who is shipping a container would be interested in sharing costs. I have also contacted the movers, however there is a minimum, and my belongings weigh less than that/are less space. I am already here, and would be interested in sharing experiences on this! In that I am already here, I can't leave some stuff behind, but the amount is less than 2000lbs. and is about 150 cubic feet...suggestions?

[Andrew and Donella]

When shipping you have the option of door to door or door to port.

If you choose the door to port service we used a excellent company in Auckalnd that took care of all our port to door requirements including paperwork, customs and MAf, very reasonable costs. Transparent with the fees. Your shipping company may exclude the port service charges and MAF fees. If you tell them the shipping company the container is from and the size they will tell you exactly the costs when your shipping company claim not to know. Also saved $400.00 on the MAF fees.

Contact them at customerservice@relocationnz.com

[RoadRunner]

We recently received our shipment (from US West coast to Wellington). Can recommend which company NOT to use - send me a PM and I'll be happy to provide specificsn (don't think I am supposed to name names in the general postings.)

In general, I would suggest doing as much of your own packing as you are comfortable with. It took 8 weeks for container - door to door...

[selchie]

Not mentioning names is probably wise. I'm not sure if it was this forum or another, but one user posed a warning about a pet shipper based on her own negative experience, and a lawyer pops in writing that he contacted the pet shipper and even told them that they could have grounds to sue for libel! Yeesh!

[selchie]

Oh, another thought. Yesterday's (August 28) SF Chronicle had an article about a glut of shipping containers on the West Coast. We're getting more imports from China than exports, and containers are returning to Asia empty. Thus, one may be able to get a container going back to Asia (perhaps even NZ?) for less than usual. The article also mentioned that the Port of Oakland may be a more efficient place to ship out of than LA.

Sorry, I didn't read the article thoroughly, but just got the jist. For the article, visit http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/28/BUGR4ED3G91.DTL&hw=shipping+containers&sn=001&sc=1000

[leosus]

[QUOTE=CLKasner]I, like many of the posts, am considering a stay in NZ. I am from the US (Ohio), and am wondering if anyone who is shipping a container would be interested in sharing costs.

I am interested in sharing a container. Believe it or not my best friend works for an export/import company and he can get me a hell of a deal, but I only will need AT THE MOST a 1/2 container. I won't be shippping until March/ April/May of 2006, but I am happy to talk about a possible share. I am in Kansas City, so the container can start in Ohio, go to KC then on to CA. PM me or let me know-

Susan