[Going2NZ]

Howdy

I've searched the forum for shippers but the only ones I can find are UK-based. Any recommendations from the US?

Susan

[Park City Partner]

I searched as well and only found reference to Allied. We have looked at various options. 1 Just hire a container pack and load the container ourselves (or use local movers) and deal with the rest ourselves as well 2) Local company that does International moves with out a specific alliance to a big company and 3) Allied. While Option 3 is the most expensive we are going to go with Allied. I have a good friend that has used the local Allied co. for many moves over 10 years and highly recommended them. I am also pregnant so wanted to do the full service option. Our move is scheduled for mid-Januar so I can let you know how it goes.

[wanderingoregonian]

Thanks for the info Parker City - I too am wondering what to do with all our stuff, particularly since we'll move cross country first to visit friends/family for a few months then leave America for NZ later in the year.

[Going2NZ]

Good points, thanks. I'm on the NZ side of the world but knowing my hubby, he'll do the bulk of the work himself - planning to packing. My only concern is MAF when it gets here. Now that they are open for business after the holidays, I'll track someone down and see if self-packing equates to "suspicious activity". Ya never know, packing your own dishes could mean that the threat level has to be elevated. ;-) Really though, I don't want everything unpacked and messed with or held up with a lot of extra fees involved.

James (my husband) is contacting a few place that do international moves. I'll pass on any info he finds. In the meantime, the list we're working from is below including a really cool moving company scam site. Worth checking out.

The Moving Company
http://www.themovingcompany.co.nz/
- they also handle small shipments like individual cartons and suitcases

Unitrans International
http://www.unitrans-us.com/

Crown Relocations
http://www.crownrelo.com/web/relo.nsf/index.htm
- there are mixed reviews on Crown from the NZ forum

International Movers
http://www.intlmove.com/moving_worldwide.html

North American Van Lines
http://www.navl.com/



Other Information

Moving Scam
http://www.movingscam.com
- very interesting site with articles on what to look for, advice on finding a mover, handling quotes and estimate
- also has a forum where people can post information on their experiences

[mechidna]

These are the people I used:
Trans Global Moving
1-800-840-0716 x 18
1-954-797-6371
www.transglobalmoving.com

I really liked Lisa Setton, the owner. She is very fair and will explain absolutely everything. I wasn't overly fond of Global OC, the second part of the shipment process, but I got my stuff in great time and condition.

Michele

[Howie]

Thanks for the info on shipping from the US. I want to start getting some quotes as we'd like to ask our employers if they will help with the relocation costs and we want to get an idea of how much that will be.
I'm trying to figure out how much room all of the stuff we want to move will take up. Right now we have a 600 sq ft apartment with no storage and it's not too full. We will try not to move very much. The big things that we have are a sea kayak and 2 bikes, a dresser, a queen bed (frame only) a small kitchen table with 4 chairs, a couch, and some boxes of stuff. How much of a container might all that take up? Will the moving company help to give us a good estimate of space? Of course, if we end up getting our moving paid for, we might end up moving some more stuff.
Thanks,
Susan

[wanderingoregonian]

Thanks for the great links and info everyone...

Took a peek in our basement this morning - yikes. We've decided to leave all our furniture here. The only 'bulky' things are framed mirrors/prints from a friend (3x5feet or so). I'm estimating that 60% of what we'd bring are books, papers, files, etc. Another good chunk is textile (quilts, fabric - I love to quilt, linens). Then a few fragile odds and ends (instruments, sewing machine, speech devices)....

I'm beginning to wonder if posting the the books/papers at the bulk media rate makes more sense than going with a shipper? Has anyone done that?

[Park City Partner]

Just remember that it is very expensive to replace stuff once you get to NZ. Although we are spending a lot ($8500 plus insurance) we surely would spend more replacing everything....plus as I keep telling my partner...I like my stuff and it has taken me 41 years to acquire it! Though I must pat myself on the back because I have now taken two car loads of stuff to be donated or recycled!

[tigerlily]

I think Catjlin shipped books and a few other things through the post when she moved from America. I think they also had bikes they brought on the plane. She hasn't been around here for some time, but she was living in Christchurch last I heard.

[Oregonkiwi]

hi wanderingoregonian,
you asked about mailing stuff to NZ. That's what we're planning to do, in fact we mailed off a trial box yesterday (before the rate increase on Jan 8). We're going to NZ on vacation in February to visit my family and hope the box will meet us there so we can see what condition in turns up in, so I'll let you all know how that goes.

We'll be using our full baggage allowance (6 big bags between the 3 of us) on both trips (vacation & then the move later in the year) and figure we'll mail ourselves a few boxes of clothing and unbreakable stuff. The "economy parcel post" rates are not too bad, our 20 pound box cost $45 (including $100 insurance), so we figure we can mail quite a bit of stuff for around $200. All the info is on the USPS website.

[CricketLover]

I'm so thrilled to see this thread, and active responses.

We were just approved TODAY for PR, :raebanana and I have a job offer and need to get to NZ in a few weeks. We weren't planning to move until June, (dogs still in the process of getting their test and all the shots, hubby's job ends in May 2006).

NOW we are looking at me leaving the end of January- TAKING AS MUCH AS THE AIRLINE WILL ALLOW (hubby will fill his luggage with my stuff as well).

I will come back in June to help move the rest of the stuff. We don't have furniture, so we aren't sure that we have enough to warrant getting a container.

So, I'll be interested to hear how it went for Oregonkiwi package that they shipped. We received a ton of spacesaver vaccum bags for Christmas. The thought being we could shrink down a ton of clothes and box them up to be shipped.


Thank you Parker City Partner for
"Just remember that it is very expensive to replace stuff once you get to NZ. Although we are spending a lot ($8500 plus insurance) we surely would spend more replacing everything....plus as I keep telling my partner...I like my stuff and it has taken me 41 years to acquire it!"

I'm want the hubby to remember that when I say.. "Pack it - it's going!!"

[Oregonkiwi]

Congratulations CricketLover!
I got spacesaver bags for Christmas too. :)

[Smiler]

Cricketlover thats brilliant news :clap :clap Well done.



D x

[tigerlily]

Cricketlover great news! Where will you be in NZ?

[Going2NZ]

Congrats on the PR - thats fantastic! It'll be great having another southwesterner here (I'm from Texas). Where in NZ are you headed to?

Aren't those spacesaver bags just brilliant?. I don't know how I lived without them. My husband is going to start sending over some basics for me starting next week - probably going the UPS route.

Oregonkiwi - are you sure the baggage allowance is three bags? I came over by Air New Zealand and they only allow for 2 even when I told them I was immigrating. If so, then good on you as they say here. But double check 'cause my third bag cost me $80.

Susan

[CricketLover]

Thanks all for your congrats!

My job is near Masterton.
I am an endangered species biologist and will be working at Pukara Mt. Bruce Wildlife Center.

I'm very excited, I visited the Center last year, and thought to myself....
"wouldn't it be a dream job to work here?"

Dreams come true!

http://www.mtbruce.org.nz/

[Oregonkiwi]

hi Going2NZ,
you're right about the baggage allowance, it is 2 bags per person. "We" is 3 people (me, husband & toddler), toddler gets the full adult allowance on the child fare, so we get 6 bags. Sorry to cause confusion. :)

[wanderingoregonian]

Congratulations Cricketlover - sounds like a wonderful job!

I look forward to hearing how the packages arrives OregonKiwi. I also just discovered a UPS shipping center 2 blocks away that seems friendly and much easier than the one in our old neighborhood. I just found out that one of my friend has a parent in NZ, and am wondering he'd let me ship (and store in his barn) some of the things I'd like to ship straight to NZ (and skip the Oregon part of this adventure).

Also, can someone tell me more about those spacesaver bags? Where do you get them... what size works for you and how much to they tend to run? I think it something I should look into, particularly the ones that don't need a vacuum (already got rid of ours!)

[jess]

I'm in the process of getting a quote from Allied and need to contact Trans Global (a forum member in NZ who pm'd me months back had great things to say about Trans Global - mainly the price - tho I see there is one complaint about them on movingscam.com at http://www.movingscam.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6551&highlight=trans+global .

Allied wants to come out to the house and look, so even if I don't go with them they seem like they'll probably have the best idea of how many cubic feet I have. I know some shipping companies give a low rate per cubic feet for a set amount and then a higher rate per cubic foot for anything beyond that, so I want to have a pretty good idea of how much I have.

Jessica

[clg]

We used Crown and they were perfect. Not a thing broken and the container was delivered only 5 days late (shipping delay) here is who I worked with.

Debbie Calder
Crown Worldwide Moving & Storage
510-614-4168 Direct line
888-700-0361 Toll free
510-614-4193 Fax
debbie.calder@crownwms.com

She handles a fairly wide geographic area and only does international relocations. She was wonderful I can't recomend her enough.

I have spoken with several americans here all of whom have had nightmare moves, one who moved when I did about 5 months ago still has a container sitting in his old home town. Whoever you use make sure they SPECIALIZE in international moves there seems to be a big difference between people who do this sort of thing every day and the people that do it every once and a while.

Good luck!

Chris

[jess]

Thanks clg, I have now emailed Crown about a quote as well.

Allied phoned me on Monday and said I would receive a call from their local agent to schedule a visit in one to two days, but that was 5 days ago...

(By the way, since I last posted the link above to the one complaint about Trans Global at movingscam, they have responded on that site with details about the transaction and specific information about the Consumer Affairs and BBB files that find they did nothing wrong.)

Jessica

[Oregonkiwi]

Back on the first page of this thread I said I had mailed a box of stuff to NZ and would let you all know how it went. Today my mother in NZ emailed to say it had arrived in excellent condition. (We mailed books and blankets/clothes, nothing breakable.)
We mailed the box from Oregon on January 3 and it arrived in Auckland February 14, pretty much exactly the 6 weeks that the post office promised.