How to Choose an International Mover
If you're about to move abroad for a professional reasons, military obligations, to retire, or simply to enjoy the excitement of living in another country, you'll want to find an affordable international moving company. There's a wide range in fees charged by international shipping companies based on the size of your move and time frame for delivery. Cost-conscious consumers should shop around for rates for packing up and transporting contents of a three or four bedroom house and/or a car.
Among the essentials you need to check when choosing a mover to handle your international relocation are the prospective movers':
- Insurance for possessions
- Levels of service
- Reputation
- Registration and licensing for international moving
- Affiliations with international moving or foreign trade organizations
Finding the Right International Shipping Companies
There are several moving options with international services: door to door, door to port, and port to door. They must be carefully choreographed for your international move to succeed. Door to door is the most comprehensive service available and, when combined with air transportation, can cut down the time of the move considerably. However, this option is the most expensive.
The planning and requirements for an international move are more complicated than a domestic relocation. When evaluating companies, ask about the timeline for completing the documents and the time movers can actually arrive at your residence to pick up your possessions. Shipping can take up to two months, depending on the level of service and time of year.
The international mover needs to be able to make seamless arrangements with the domestic mover who picks up your possessions, the freight forwarding company that clears your shipping container through customs and aboard the ship, and the international destination moving company that picks up your things at the port across the sea and transports them to your new home.
Ask your prospective international moving company about these details and get quotes from at least three companies to compare rates and services. Also ask:
- If your prospective international shipping company offers storage facilities on the international side in case there are delays at your new residence
- If they own their vehicles
- Whether they plan to use subcontractor
- If there's a local office in or near the city overseas where you'll be living
How to Estimate Moving Supplies and Boxes
Everyone has their own idea of a budget move. In college days, many people used large trash bags as their principal moving supplies, stuffing bedding, pillows, closets of clothing, toys, and towels into big plastic sacks. You may be older today or more careful of your possessions. You certainly wouldn't put a printer, laptop, and flat-screen monitor into a trash bag. On the other hand, you don't want to buy so many boxes, rolls of tape, cardboard tubes, crates, and Styrofoam peanuts that you have to clear storage space for them in your new residence after the move.
Getting the essentials in order can keep down the cost of moving supplies. But don't be foolish. Using warped or stinky banana crates from the supermarket dumpster can ruin your entire move. One professional moving company recommends that if you value your possessions, and plan on packing yourself, you should use strong, corrugated cartons that have folding tops and bottoms that you can seal with 1-1/2 to 2 inches-wide packing tape. Save the dish-pack boxes and packing paper for essential dishes and glassware. Otherwise, use folded clothes, towels, or peanuts to fill out boxes of clothing or unbreakable items.
Planning Your Moving Supplies Room-by-Room
Examine any free or reusable boxes carefully. Here's a rule of thumb for buying boxes--plan by the total number of rooms. Most moving websites have calculators to help you determine what you need.
- For two rooms or less, get 4 large boxes, 3 medium boxes, 2 wardrobe boxes, and 1 dish pack box. You can get by with 1 roll of bubble wrap and a roll of packing tape. It should all fit in a 6 to 10-foot van.
- For four to five rooms, you need 15 large boxes, 6 wardrobe boxes, 12 medium boxes, 10 small boxes, 3 dish pack boxes, a roll of bubble wrap and 4 rolls of packing tape. Plan on using a 16-foot van to handle the move.
- For six to eight rooms, round up 25 large boxes, 10 wardrobe boxes, 18 medium boxes, 25 small boxes, 4 dish pack boxes, a roll of bubble wrap, and 5 rolls of packing tape. You probably need a 21-foot moving track to carry your belongings to your new residence.
Should you buy more than you think you need? Plan on a few extras, but there's no need to overspend. One way to control the amount you spend for moving supplies is to pack one room at a time and add additional materials as you need them.
Planning for International Move Costs
Unlike many domestic moves, if you are moving abroad you almost certainly need to hire an international moving company to help pack up your belongings and ship them by air, ground, or sea to your new home country. So you know you need to budget for international movers, but what costs do you need to include?
International moving costs are typically based on the total volume or weight of your possessions. International moving companies should provide an in-house estimate that is close to final cost. To give you an estimate, a representative of the moving company should do a walk through of your home and evaluate the volume and weight of your belongings.
Be wary of any company who gives you an estimate sight-unseen--accurate estimates require having a professional survey your belongings.
Do I Need to Pay Duties and Taxes on My Belongings?
Used goods and personal items are allowed to enter most countries without being taxed. Check with your moving company for general information and contact the embassy or consulate of your destination country for official guidelines.
What Kind of Insurance Is Available for My Belongings when Relocating Abroad?
There are a number of insurance plans, including basic coverage, full replacement value coverage, and additions to basic coverage. Check with your moving company or independent insurer to choose the best option for insuring your possessions. Certain forms of insurance may come with restrictions--for example, if you opt for full replacement value coverage, the moving company generally needs to pack your belongings for you, which can add to the cost significantly.
How Can I Save Money on My International Move?
There are several ways to cut down on your moving costs when relocating abroad. Use the following tips to lower your moving expenses:
- Sell and donate any items you don't absolutely need to take with you. Sell items on eBay, at a garage sale, or give them away to a local charity. With an international move, weight equals money. The less weight, the lower your moving bill.
- Get at least five estimates from international moving companies. This gives you leverage to get the best possible rate. To avoid any surprise charges, ask the moving company about possible fees that could be added into the total cost.
- Organize your belongings. Even if the moving company is packing your items for you, make sure you make a list of things that will be packed. Gather similar items together (breakables, electronics, paintings, etc.); empty all containers of liquids and food; and create a sense of order to make packing more efficient for the movers.
An international move is a big life change. Start off on the right foot by making sure your belongings arrive intact and you fully understand the services and charges related to moving them.
Relocation Tips
We hope the following tips — based on the corporate relocation we execute each and every day — will help you get your move on the right track. And let us know if we can help. For further information, please contact us
- To assure success, you need a moving plan. Involve not just your facilities managers, but also your IT and HR departments as well. As part of the overall plan, have a technology plan and an asset management plan.
- Technology plan — What do you have? What do you need? Since most companies refresh their technology every 18 to 36 months, is this an opportunity to refresh, upgrade or expand your systems?
- Asset management plan — Audit your existing assets. What's worth moving in the area of technology and furnishings? What should be replaced or upgraded? Can you install what you're moving in the new facility or are there obsolescence and incompatibility issues?
- Determine who will be on the relocation team. What can you handle in house? What might you need to or want to outsource?
- You want to achieve a synchronized team effort. If you decide to outsource cabling, any systems upgrades, breakdowns and reconnects, systems and contract furniture, as well as traditional moving services, ask the vendors you interview what other vendors they've worked with successfully on other moves.
- Be sure to ask for references.
- Have potential outsource partners ever worked on moves of the same scope as yours?
- Determine and involve your outsource partners early in the process to have the maximum benefit of their expertise — from planning to execution.
- Lay out the new location according to the technology and asset management plans.
- Do a CAD layout for office systems and office furniture.
- Determine where outlets will go for phone/fax, electric, etc.
- Work closely with your cabling and contract furniture outsource partner — even at this preliminary point — to assure workability and coordination.
- If you're refreshing or upgrading technology and/or ordering new furniture systems, be sure of delivery lead times, so you can order at an appropriate time for move date delivery.
- In scheduling the move dates, be sure the move is "do-able" in the timeframe allowed. You should leave a window of recovery for testing and troubleshooting systems after reconnection at the new location. For every 100 stations, you should allow five service technicians.
- Coordinate the technology moving process with the people moving process. On the day of the move you will want to phase out the less critical functions earlier in the day and the more critical functions and technology later in the day.
- If you're moving into a newly constructed facility or a total new fit-up, estimate your cabling needs, then double that figure for future expansion. In the long run, this step will save money since it's less costly to run cable prior to the ceiling grid installation and other finishing construction.
- If you're refitting existing space, determine the ability to reuse existing cabling. Retest and recertify what is usable. You can add cabling, but it is more expensive than installing it in raw space.
- Check to see if your state requires a low-voltage permit to be issued prior to cable installation. If so, make sure your cable vendor is licensed to pull such a permit. Without a permit, your job can and will be shut down.
- Make sure the communication cable is properly installed. It must be the correct distance from fluorescent lighting in order to avoid network problems. This is a pesky and common problem that can be hard to troubleshoot if you're not aware of it.
- Make sure that all jacks are modular, with future portability and expansion in mind.
- Protect your information as well as your computer hardware.
- Back up all systems prior to disconnecting them at the old facility. This should include regular corporate backups plus employee backups of individual files.
- Ask your mover what precautions they take in moving computer equipment. To avoid damage, dust and loss of peripherals, this equipment should NEVER be moved in moving pads or cardboard cartons. There are new methods for keeping computer equipment safe, as well as for keeping each individual employee's equipment together and separate from that of others. These innovations are essential for fast hook-up and troubleshooting at the new facility.
- Take an inventory of everything that will be moved. You can do this in-house or ask your moving vendor to do it for you. Do not include laptop computers in the move. Let individuals move their own laptops.
- Ask what security precautions your moving vendor takes to minimize loss or theft during the move.
- Testing your technology once it's reconnected at the new facility is a key step. It must be done quickly and thoroughly so that when people come to work on Monday morning they can turn on their computers and go right to work.
- Depending upon how many terminals you're relocating, you may have to outsource at least this critical step, since you may not have enough in-house staff to dedicate to the process. You should have one IT professional available to test every 25 terminals you relocate.
- Make sure your systems vendor has the sophisticated and up-to-date testing equipment required to diagnose and resolve any network issues.
- Key personnel from each department should be on hand during the testing phase to assure that critical applications in their areas are functioning properly.
- Have contingency plans ready to go. No matter how well you planned the move, you should assume that not everything will go according to plan.
- Dates may change for a variety of reasons, including construction delays. Build in some flexibility and make sure that your outsource partners are also flexible.
- In the event that equipment or furniture deliveries are early or must be held due to an unforeseen delay, make sure that you have a place to warehouse them securely. This would be a good service for your moving vendor to be able to provide.
- Determine who will coordinate utility and telephone company service connection and disconnection, especially in the event of a delay. In any event, you should maintain dual connection until the testing and troubleshooting phase is complete at the new location.
- Have an elevator technician available at each end of the move in case of a breakdown or need for special rigging.
- Keep an eye on the weather. You should be able to mobilize the whole team — including outsource partners — to start early if you need to beat an incoming blizzard or other bad weather condition that could shut down a move.
Because technology relocation is an evolving expertise, please watch this site for updates and case studies, which will help you and your company avoid costly downtime — or worse — in these competitive times. We're happy to share our daily experience and success with our online community.
How to Save Money and Move Well
Figuring out how to save money during your move is actually quite simple, as long as you’re prepared and organized. You might be surprised at how the little changes make such a big difference in the long run.
The most important rule on how to save money is to not move anything that you don’t currently use. It sounds simple enough, but for some people, parting with their belongings—even if they don’t use them anymore or never have—can be a big chore. Break it down into a simple process: if you’re moving it, you’re paying to have it moved and unpacked. If you had 10 extra things that you didn’t need, but were moving instead of discarding, that could take up to an extra hour to load the items into the truck. That extra hour could mean hundreds of dollars that you’re spending. Once you realize how quickly the money adds up, you might decide it’s okay to part with the items.
The best option is to have a garage sale or donate them to a local charity. Not only will this save you money, it will also save you time when it comes to packing and unpacking your items. It can also mean cash in your pocket by means of a tax write-off or from the items you sold at the garage sale.
Another way to save money is to pack well. Believe it or not, packing a box fully and closing it with a tight packing tape is the best way to move your belongings. If these boxes are neat and durable, they stack nicely and allow movers to fit more items in the truck. Also, only use wardrobe boxes—boxes that hold hanging clothes—for hanging clothes. Packing your other items in a box will make the clothes easier and more manageable to move.
The best option for saving money is to mark your boxes clearly and with the appropriate rooms on the outside. The movers will know where the boxes belong once they arrive at your new home and won’t have to step over boxes left in the middle of the room that aren’t identifiable.
The largest rooms of your home will require the most work on your part. To keep moving costs low, make sure the garage and the attic or basement spaces are well organized and packed for the move. The garage can get tricky as you’re dealing with rakes, shovels, brooms, tool boxes, etc. Have all the long-handled items bound together with tape or placed in a large garbage bag, so they can easily be moved. The attic or basement should have all boxes and trunks securely closed and marked.
How Moving Costs are Determined
Moving can be a confusing time, trying to keep track of everything that needs to get done. Hiring a professional moving company helps eliminate some of the stress associated with moving your belongings. However, while trying to keep your costs in check, you may wonder how moving estimates are determined. Most moving companies use their own method to figure out your moving costs. Professional movers should offer free moving estimates. Generally, it’s a fairly simple process.
The first step in a moving estimate is a pre-move survey. This process requires a moving company representative to visit your home and visually survey all the items you plan to move. This survey is conducted under no obligation but will be necessary to determine what your move will require from the moving company, thus determining your moving quote.
During this visit, you can discuss special items that need to be moved such as cars, boats, antiques and pianos. It is imperative that you include all the areas of the home that contain items that need to be moved including some of the larger, more congested areas such as the basement, attic or garage. Remember, each space of your home is critical in determining your moving estimate. The moving company must see everything you are moving in order to get an accurate assessment for your moving quote.
During this visit, it would also be an appropriate time to discuss the procedures and policies of the company, as well as moving timelines for the company. For example, how many movers they will use to move your items, how long it generally takes, etc. Once the pre-move survey has been conducted, an individualized moving plan is developed for every phase of you
International Services
Shipping Your Household Goods (HHG) & Personal Effects (PE) Overseas:
When shipping your HHG & PE overseas, all you have to do is to call us to arrange with International Cargo/Export Shipping Co. for a free estimate at your home or office. One of our experienced packers will come and do an inventory of all the goods, and take measurements, in order to determine the volume of your shipment. Once the volume of your shipment is determined, we'll be able to tell you what size container you need. If you don't have enough volume for a full container, we can quote you on an LCL (less than container load) basis, in which case we will ship your cargo in one of our own consolidated containers to your destination. If you have enough cargo to fill your own container, we will place the container at your house, and come on the appointed day to pack, wrap and load your HHG & PE for export. If you have autos to ship, depending on the overall nature of your shipment, we can load your autos first, build a deck above the cars in order to maximize the container space for your goods, and build a bulk head barrier to separate your cars from the HHG & PE in the rest of the container, thus preventing any damage to your cars.
Minimizing Your Shipping Costs: You can minimize the cost of shipping your household and personal effects considerably, by doing as much of the packing, wrapping and loading of your own container as possible. In this case, we will simply place the appropriate container for you at your residence. However, since autos have to be loaded by experienced professionals, and since the container doors are almost five feet off the ground, we can either load your auto(s) before we bring your container to your house, or after you load your goods; you just need to make sure to leave enough space for same.
If you would like to do an inventory of your goods yourself, simply call us at our toll-free number, or email us, and we will fax or email you our INVENTORY FORM for an easy way to list all of your goods to be shipped, and to calculate the volume you have to ship.
If you are thinking about packing and wrapping your goods yourself, all you have to do is call us, and we'll bring all the packing materials you will need to do your own wrapping and packing, and charge you only for what you use; or you can go to the nearest U-HAUL, self-storage depot, or packing supplies/box shop, and buy the packing boxes, boxing tape, rope to tie your goods down securely in the container (ships can plunge as many as 20 or 30 feet in rough seas!), bubble wrap, cardboard and shrink wrap. These materials, plus a good supply of old newspapers, are needed in order to do an adequate job of packing and wrapping your goods for export. Please note that anything you want to protect should be packed and wrapped adequately, so as to prevent damage during transport. With a dose of good common sense, and two to four healthy friends, you should be able to pack, wrap and load your household goods in a 40' container in one to two days, depending on the total volume and nature of your goods.
Arranging for International Cargo to do all of Your Packing & Wrapping, as well as the Loading of Your Container: If for any reason you don't find it practical to do your own packing and wrapping, and/or don't have time to load your own container, you can arrange for our professional export packing crew do all of your household goods packing, wrapping, and the loading of your container for you at your residence.
What Size Container Will I Need to Ship my Goods: Although we can do everything for you, starting from the initial inventory and volume estimate, to the final delivery inside your new home overseas, you may want to understand how we calculate volume, since you can only put so much into an ocean going container.
There are three basic types of containers for household goods and personal effects (HHG & PE) - 20' standard containers, 40' standard containers, and 40' high cube containers (a foot taller than the standard). The most commonly used container for HHG & PE is the 40' high cube ocean going container. It has an approximate volume capacity of 2683 cubic feet (approx. 75 cubic meters). Its internal dimensions are 39 ½ feet long, by 7 feet 8 inches wide, by 8 feet 9 inches high. However, for practical purposes, shippers can usually utilize only up to 85 percent of this volume, depending on the configuration of the load and the nature of the cargo. For household goods, a general rule of thumb is that shippers can utilize approximately 75 percent of the volume in a container (including one automobile), or up to 85 percent for shipments containing only household goods and personal effects.
Consequently, 85 percent of a 40' high cube container is equal to approximately 2683 x .85 = 2280 cubic feet (approx. 63 cubic meters). Likewise, a 20' container has a volume capacity of 1,148 cubic feet (232 inches x 92 inches wide x 93 inches high - 20' containers only come in this height). At 85 percent maximum utilization, shipper will be able to ship approximately 975 cubic feet (27.63 cubic meters) of cargo in a 20' container. Therefore, once you determine the volume of your goods to ship, you will know what size container you will need.
If you find out that you don't have enough cargo to fill a container, you can ship your goods with us on an LCL basis (less than container load) in one of our consolidated containers. Either way, you need to determine the volume of your shipment. You can call us to come to your house to do an estimate for you, or you can request the HHG inventory form by calling or emailing us, and use same to make a complete inventory, with measurements, of your household goods and personal effects, and use the simple calculations shown below to determine the volume to ship; or fax us the completed inventory form and we will do the calculations for you.
Understanding Volume: Volume is simply the length multiplied by the width multiplied by the height . Since 1 foot equals 12 inches, it follows that the volume of one cubic foot is 12 x 12 x 12 = 1728 cubic inches. We normally take measurements in inches, but need to know the volume in cubic feet or cubic meters. Therefore, after you've calculated the volume in inches, you can simply divide it by the number of cubic inches in one cubic foot, as shown above, and you will get the volume in cubic feet. For example: A television measuring 30 inches x 30 inches x 24 inches will have a volume of 21,600 cubic inches. To get cubic feet, you simply divide 21,600 by 1,728 and you get 12.5 cubic feet.
Now, since a meter is 39.37 inches long, it follows that a cubic meter has a volume of 39.37 inches x 39.37 inches x 39.37 inches, for a total of 61,023.378 cubic inches. So, to get the cubic feet in a cubic meter, we simply divide the cubic inches by 1,728 (as we did in previous example above), and we get the cubic feet in a cubic meter. Consequently, 61,023.378 cubic inches divided by 1728, gives us 35.314 cubic feet in a cubic meter.
In Brief:
To convert cubic inches to cubic feet -
Divide cubic inches by 1728
To convert cubic feet to cubic meters -
Divide cubic feet by 35.314
Now you know how to calculate volume (multiply length x width x height). If measurements are taken in inches, you know how to get the volume in cubic feet or in cubic meters. And since you know what volume of cargo will fit in a 20' standard or a 40' high cube container, you will easily know if your inventory of goods to ship will fit in one of these containers; or, if you don't have enough to fill a container, you'll know you can send it with us in one of our consolidated containers, as LCL cargo.
Shipping Your Goods as LCL: If you don't have enough goods of your own to ship your own 20' or 40' container, you can always ship your goods as LCL cargo with International Cargo. We can pack and wrap your goods at your residence, and pick them up to bring to our export terminal, or you can pack and wrap and bring them to our export terminal yourself.
What You Need to Know When Shipping a Vehicle Overseas:
The following information should prove useful to all people who are shipping a vehicle overseas. If you have already chosen International Cargo/Export Shipping Co. to do your shipment for you, please click on the following link before delivering your vehicles for shipment.
Types of Transport Available: Vehicles can be shipped in one of three ways - In ocean freight containers, via Roll On-Roll Off vessels, and as Air Freight.
- Containerized Shipping: This is the safest and most economical service available. There are regular sailings around the world. It is essential that cars be adequately blocked and braced in the container. Up to six small cars can be safely loaded in a 40' container. However, this should only be done by the most experienced packing professionals to ensure the safety of your vehicle.
- Roll-on/Roll-Off (RORO): Vehicles are driven onto specialized vessels and lashed down inside the ship. From the West Coast of the USA, RORO is practical only from and to theFar East. RORO shipping to Europe is not practical from the West Coast, as the shipments are done via the Far East, and take from eight to ten weeks to reach Europe. RORO shipments from the East and Gulf coasts take about ten days to Europe, at very reasonable cost. However, there is more possibility of damage and theft with RORO than with containerized shipping, and therefore not conducive to shipping high value vintage or collectible autos.
- Air Freight: While offering the fastest transit time, air freight is very expensive. It should only be used for very high value vehicles, in the most time critical of situations.
US Customs: All vehicles require US Customs approval prior to exporting. One of the following documents is required by US Customs for export clearance - Clean (no lien holder) Title ("pink slip" in California); Manufacturers Statement of Origin (MSO); Salvage Certificate. With a vehicle bought at auction, US Customs requires the auction bill of sale, the auction Gate Release, and the DMV printout showing that the title is clear.
Please note that US Customs will not accept a Notarized Bill of Sale, even if it is accompanied with a DMV printout showing title is clear, unless it is accompanied by one of the above required documents. They used to, a long time ago, but not any more.
Shipper's Export Declaration: In order to do the shipper's export declaration, which is part of the overall export documentation process, we need the shipper to provide identification, such as the passport number, social security number, or federal tax id number.
Marine Cargo Ins: By maritime law, steamship companies and common carriers are only liable for $500.00 per vehicle or per container. Because of this limitation of liability, shippers should be sure to ask for marine cargo ins. to cover the full value of their cargo. Shippers are allowed to insure their cargo for the full value of their cargo, plus the cost of the freight, plus ten percent of the cost and freight.
There are two types of coverage: All-Risk and Total-Loss-Only. All-Risk ins offers full coverage against any kind of damage, has a deductible and is usually more expensive than Total-Loss-Only. In the event of a claim, the ins company may require proof of the value of your vehicles, so it is advisable to insure same only for actual real value plus cost of freight, plus ten percent of the cost and freight only. Total-Loss-Only ins will cover your cargo only in the event of total loss, such as the container disappearing over-board, or vehicles or cargo being declared a total loss by surveying agent. In other words, total-loss-only coverage does not cover any claims for damage.
Comparing Quotes - Choosing a Transport Company: We of course want you to use International Cargo/Export Shipping Co. to transport your vehicles and cargo overseas. However, we realize we have to compete for your business, and therefore, we'd like to give you a few tips to help you decide which company to pick.
Any reputable company should be able to give you a couple of references for recent shipments. In addition, any reputable company should provide you with a written price quote, itemizing all of the costs associated with the shipment, so that you may be able to compare the actual total costs involved between companies. You should make sure that there are no hidden costs awaiting you at the time you go to pay for your shipment, or at destination. In other words, your quote should include the ocean freight, the pick up of the freight from your shop or residence for delivery to the export terminal if less than container load, or the drayage of the container to your shop or residence, as well as an estimate of the loading charges, unless you are loading the container yourself. If you are delivering your cargo to the designated export terminal, the quote should include the ocean freight from the export terminal to the import terminal at country of destination, as well as handling, documentation and US Customs clearance, if exporting a vehicle. Your quote should be transparent and stipulate all of the charges that are included in the quote, otherwise you are open for extra charges beyond those quoted to you, at the time that you deliver your cargo for export. In addition, the quote should state the cost for marine cargo insurance, in the event that you want to insure your cargo.
You should also keep in mind that the destination charges are usually not included in the shipping quotes. However, when you are comparing costs between companies, you should know what the destinations costs will be due agent at port of destination. These include agent handling charges, unloading charges, import customs clearance fees (import taxes and duties, as well as any customs ordered inspections are always for the account of the cargo), but you should get an estimate of these destination charges on your original quote.
Please keep in mind that verbal quotes are no more than hot air. You should request all quotes in writing, to include all shipping and destination charges, as stated above. If you get a quote for a global sum, the quote should state the cargo being shipped, from where to what destination (such as "from port of Los Angeles to port of Antwerp," or "from residence to door Berlin," for instance), as well as state what the quoted price includes, such as "includes ocean freight charges, container drayage, export documentation, customs clearance, express mailing of documents to agent, but does not include destination charges."
The important thing to keep in mind is to know what all the charges involved in the shipment are, so that the shipper may have a base of comparison between the quotes presented by different companies.
There are three main ways to ship your goods internationally: by ocean container, by airfreight, by rail or truck.
Container shipment
The Container Shipping Market is the preferred way to ship goods internationally.
It allows the cargo to move from in-land point of origin in one continent to in-land point of destination in another continent. The goods travel in sealed container through multiple modes of transportation.
Container shipping utilizes standard size containers, making the handling, management and their storage efficient.
Containers used for international relocation have the following standard sizes:
20' Standard Container
Maximum Gross Weight: 67,200 lbs.
Capacity: 1,164 cu. ft
External Dimensions
Length: 19' 10"
Width: 8'
Height: 8' 6"
40' Standard Container
Maximum Gross Weight: 67,200 lbs.
Capacity: 2,376 cu. ft
External Dimensions
Length: 40'
Width: 8'
Height: 8' 6"
40' High Cube Container
Maximum Gross Weight: 67,200 lbs.
External Dimensions
Length: 40'
Width: 8'
Height: 9' 6"
Air Shipment
Air shipment is a fast way to send your personal belongings overseas. If you are under time pressure and need your belongings in few days this is the right option we recommend to our international clients. At the contrary to the ocean transportation air shipment weights is very important in determining the price.
Rail road or Truck transportation
There is a substantial volume of U.S. cargo transiting through Canadian borders as well southwards into Mexico. The market is forecast to increase over the next 10 years due to increased global demand.
For people relocating between Canada, Mexico and the United States we use Rail Road or Truck transportation as alternative to the ocean shipments. Clients can rent an entire Truck or a portion of it, therefore we will have the following services:
• Full Truck Load (FTL)
• Less than Full Truck Load (LFT)
How to save on Packing Boxes
Saving on packing boxes can seriously limit the cost of your move, here’s how to:
If you’re moving soon I’m sure the scramble for packing boxes has begun already. What many people do not know is how many different places packing boxes can be found.
If you buy boxes new or retail it’s not uncommon to spend between $100-$200 for your move. However, knowing where and how to find them can cut that expense by 75%.
For starters, you must figure out how many packing boxes you will need. A good rule of thumb is 10-15 boxes per room. Typically you want twice as many small/medium boxes as large boxes. Sometimes specialty boxes will be needed like wardrobe boxes or dish packs. It’s better to buy less of these than you estimate because they can be very pricey. If you have some nice artwork it’s probably a good idea to buy customized picture-boxes.
Now that you have an idea of how many to buy, lets talk where to buy. The best places to look for free boxes are recycling centers, apartment complexes, sites like craigslist, friends/family. Office buildings are also a great resource for free boxes.
If the free box hunt search hasn’t gone to well and you have to buy some, start looking for companies that sell used boxes. The difference in price between used boxes and new boxes can be night and day. Often times you can hardly tell the boxes were used.
If you want to buy new boxes they can be found almost anywhere, but the pricing difference can be substantial. Online websites like Uline.com and uhaul boxes can be very useful. Both of these sites have specials periodically and tend to have lower pricing on boxes.
Next time you move and you’re scouring the earth for packing boxes, use this guide as a way to save 75% overall on your packaging expenses. |
