I have been a relocation consultant for 30 years. Over the years, I have found that most people who are moving abroad know very little about how to proceed or how to shop for a quote. I’m going to explain some of the terms and how it works.
Let’s say, for example, that you’re preparing to move to Singapore and need to get some prices for shipping your household items. You can start by calling a few moving companies or some carriers and get really frustrated.
To begin with, you should know that “used household items” are considered a “commodity” or a description of merchandise. It is “what” you are sending. The rates you get from the steamship lines or airlines are quoted based on the product. I’m assuming you’re shipping “used” household items. “New” household items are considered merchandise or for resale. It has a different price. You should know that most countries consider your household items “new” if they are less than 6 months old, even if you have used them.
Some countries use a “one year” rule. If you ship new household items to most countries, the destination country will charge you taxes and duties on what you ship. Each country has different rates of taxes and duties. If you try to pass off your new household goods as used, foreign customs will determine the value and charge you fees and penalties, as well as taxes and duties. Some countries will simply confiscate everything in your shipment that they determine is new. If you only have a few new items in your shipment, be sure to save your receipts and let your shipping company know so they can check for any issues or ramifications.
There are many ways to plan your move. How much you want to send, how much you want to pay, how much service you want, how fast you want to get there, all will determine who you call.
If you are only shipping a few boxes and plan to pack them yourself, here are some suggestions:
1. Try to keep your box sizes the same, it will be easier to get prices for shipping
2. Once they are packed and secured, put them on your bathroom scale to get an idea of the total weight
3. Cube the overall size (length X width X length) of each box
For example: 18 inches x 18 inches x 18 inches = 5832 cubic inches
Divide 5,832 by 1,728 to get 3,375 cubic feet.
If you have 5 boxes, multiply 5 by 3,375 = 16,875 cubic feet
4. When you have the total weight and size of your shipment, you can start shopping
5. We suggest you start with the US Postal Service, this is usually the most cost effective for small amounts. Be sure to check your weight and size limits to make sure you can use them. They have both air and surface cargo options.
6. If that doesn’t work for you, check UPS. You can call them or use their cost calculator at UPS.com. Most of their service is by air, and you will need to drop off your shipment at a UPS-approved site. Again, there are strict size and weight limits on your shipment.
7. My next option would be DHL or FedEx. Call or shop online for pricing
If your shipment is larger, say more than 10 boxes, but you don’t need a full-service mover, you may want to call a freight forwarder or consolidator. Most freight forwarders don’t handle used household items and most consolidators don’t deal with the general public, so this can be frustrating. There are a few carriers that move household items and you can start by looking in the yellow pages under carriers. Most of them will be domestic carriers. You need an international freight forwarder that handles used household items or personal effects. Personal effects generally refer to smaller shipments or air shipments. Freight forwarders will usually allow you to do some of the service yourself, such as packing, setting up, and the destination service of customs clearance and delivery.
If you have a larger shipment and can pay more for the service, you can call an international mover. A moving company will have more services to offer than a freight forwarder, such as packaging, collection, customs clearance at destination and delivery. Of course, these services also cost a lot more.
Air cargo shipments move much faster than ocean cargo shipments. Typically, an air cargo shipment will move from door to door, or from residence to residence, in approximately 2-3 weeks, depending on the destination country. An ocean shipment will take 4-12 weeks or even longer if you are moving to Africa or the Middle East.
Air freight shipping will generally cost at least twice as much as ocean shipping, unless your shipment is very small. There are some fairly high minimum charges on ocean freight shipments that can make them more expensive for very small shipments.
Here are some terms to keep in mind:
o If you are shipping by air, you will be charged a calculated weight based on the space your shipment occupies, rather than the actual weight. This is called the “loadable” weight.
o An ocean freight (or ocean freight) shipment will generally become one of the following:
A Less Than Container Load (LCL) shipment, which will need to be placed in forklift trucks or wooden crates for shipment
A 20 foot steam container
A 40ft steam container
o Air or sea freight prices will be included in a door-to-door shipment. A door-to-door shipment generally consists of the following costs:
Services at origin (packaging, wrapping, collection, airport/port delivery)
Air or sea freight
Destination service (customs clearance, airport/port pick-up and home delivery)
o A door-to-port shipment will be sent to the destination airport/port, for you to arrange customs clearance, pickup and delivery yourself.
Even with a door-to-door move, there is a possibility of additional charges that are not included in your quote. Some of these are: customs duties, taxes, appliance disconnection, appliance reconnection, custom packaging for high-value items, airport/port demurrage or storage, long-distance transportation, flight charges, elevator charges, hoisting, parking permits, warehouse unloading and storage. storage and insurance. If there are delays due to weather, laws, strikes, port congestion or political uprisings, you will have to pay. The owner of the property normally pays for anything unusual or unforeseen.
One more thing, be sure to check the custom requirements for the country you are moving to. Each country is different and you have to be prepared. If you are using a moving company, they will be able to verify this for you, but I suggest you also check the website of the country you are moving to. The most important thing is that you can meet your requirements. Happy moving!