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stickball
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« on: November 17, 2006, 12:50:26 PM » |
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Hi everyone. This may be a bit off-topic and I hope it doesn't offend anyone. I've accepted the position at University of Sunderland and am trying to prepare to move by the first of the year. Can anyone recommend a reliable, safe Removal company that can get our stuff over to the UK? Any horror stories or positive recomendations are welcome. Also, if you care to share anything about what we need to be on the lookout for in the way of unexpected charges, that would be great.
TIA...
Alan
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"Television isn't a medium. It's a small" - anon
"Sh!t happens" - George Carlin
"I can do the work of three men -Curley, Larry, and Moe" - dena
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baoloa
New member
Posts: 10
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« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2006, 01:21:36 PM » |
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Depending on how much stuff you have...
Some points:
Standard IKEA-type furniture is cheaper in the UK than in the US (at least, cheaper than in CA), unless you have a lot, it is not likely to be worth shipping it. The electricity is 220 volts, rather than 110, so it is not worth bringing many electrical items, unless each is going to be attached to a converter.
For smaller amounts of stuff, the US post-office, surface mail, is quite cheap, around though everything has to be packed into smallish boxes, the largest of which is about 2 feet cubed.
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science_expat
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« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2006, 01:34:31 PM » |
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I brought my car over when I did the move. Since I was only coming for a couple of years (or so I thought!) I just stuffed the car with things and didn't ship anything separately.
Since then I've sent a few boxes via the post office at about $50 each (book boxes, sea freight) and did one biggest shipment of maybe 25 or so book and slightly bigger boxes. No problems any time and no duty but make sure that you sort out the customs stuff.
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It's not procrastination. It's "just in time" delivery.
Nutso is the new normal.
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chocky
Junior member
Posts: 55
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« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2006, 07:53:51 PM » |
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We did a reasonable size move from the US to Aus with Crown Relocations. They were very organized and their rep did an excellent job of providing us with all the info we needed, and lots of useful advice besides. They do everything -- even come to your place and wrap every last wine glass and pack it all into boxes. But we didn't pay for it, as it was part of my relocation package. We had a maximum of a certain amount of cubic feet so we didn't bring everything, and of course as others have said we didn't bring anything electrical (although the rep told us about one Hollywood client who took everything, even his fridge, to Aus, and then simply had his entire house re-wired to 110v!). The only thing we were not so happy with was that they used a local sub-contractor to do the packing because we were a long way from their hub, and we had hoped to get their own specialists to do our packing. But in the end only 2 fairly fragile china items got broken (which we glued back together successfully) and everything else was intact and as good as when it left, which isn't bad for that journey. I guess those packers knew what they were doing.
We also had a few things shipped from the UK to the US and later to Aus by International Movers who are based in London (internationalmovers.co.uk or excessbaggage.co.uk). They are a "pack it yourself" outfit. They drop off boxes and packing materials for free, you pack it at your leisure, and when you're ready they come along and pick it up. I was very impressed with their service. They also do larger scale house removals I think. Despite our best efforts to wrap and pack things carefully we still ended uo with one breakage, so I guess it's not necessarily true that if you want something done well you should do it yourself!
Both companies dealt with the customs stuff, or if we were legally required to make declarations etc they gave us the paperwork and clear instructions. Good luck.
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porcupine
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« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2006, 02:51:50 PM » |
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I used Bishop's Move going from the UK to SA - they are based in the UK. I thought they were pretty good - they came with notice of less than a month, and everything turned up in the right place at the right time, largely unbroken. I don't know if they can arrange a move from the US, though. The best bet might be to find a global company with branches in the US and UK.
'Pack it yourself' companies are probably cheaper, but if you've never moved internationally before, I strongly recommend paying for professional packing. As well as saving shreds of your sanity (you will already have a lot to do!), this usually has the added benefit that Customs won't need to open all the boxes to inspect them.
I would sell most of your electrical stuff and any nonessential furniture rather than packing them. Just hit IKEA Newcastle and an electrical outlet store when you arrive (once you've had a chance to see what will actually fit in your new house). Also take the opportunity to get rid of as much clutter as possible - it is not funny to realise exactly how much that 19th box of junk actually cost you to ship!
One other thing: see if you can find a multi-region DVD player. Your US TV will probably not work in the UK, but if you can't get a multi-region machine, take your current TV and a US DVD player so you can watch your current collection.
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Porcupine=Genius
Oh porcupine, take off your crazy hat. |
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falada
Junior member
Posts: 53
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« Reply #5 on: December 11, 2006, 04:35:46 PM » |
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We used Allied/Pickford, and they were marvelous on both sides of the pond. Staff were very friendly, everything was packed professionally, and the one minor claim we made was settled quickly.
However, please remember to have a soft chair and some smelling salts to hand when they give you the estimate. The price can only have gone up since I moved over a year ago, and it was horrendous then. Get rid of ANYTHING that is not precious to you and buy it anew over here.
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fourhats
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« Reply #6 on: September 14, 2011, 03:17:38 AM » |
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Is your new university paying for moving expenses? If so, then it makes much more sense to send over your things than to buy new (remember, the VAT is 20%). If your local moving company is part of a national organization, they can very likely arrange the international move, and at a competitive rate. A single container runs around $2500-$3,000. There are also many international movers--if you google them, there's one that's a clearing house and you'll get multiple estimates from various movers. It's actually cheaper to move across the sea than across land. More than that, international shipping/customs rules require that the company pack the boxes for you, so that they can sign off on the contents. This doesn't cost more, and is a huge plus. They also arrange for your belongings to clear customs on the other end, and then deliver to your new residence, taking away the packing materials.
If you only want to send boxes, Seven Seas is very competent and competitive. I've sent boxes of boxes via USPS many times, and invariably something gets lost (once a whole box), or you find someone else's things mixed in with yours at customs.
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runwithscissors
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« Reply #7 on: September 14, 2011, 04:06:03 AM » |
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Not a shipping related answer, just a head's up. Do not live under any circumstance live actually in Sunderland, it will drive you to despair. If you're moving to the North East, I strongly recommend neighboring Newcastle or better yet Northumbria further north up the coast. Trust me on this.
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"Space is invisible mind dust, and stars are but wishes"
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scotia
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« Reply #8 on: September 14, 2011, 04:10:54 AM » |
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Not a shipping related answer, just a head's up. Do not live under any circumstance live actually in Sunderland, it will drive you to despair. If you're moving to the North East, I strongly recommend neighboring Newcastle or better yet Northumbria further north up the coast. Trust me on this.
OP posted in 2006 so I guess this advice may be a little late. I suspect a spammer has been active...... |
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expatinuk
Has spent over 1000 pounds but now holds a Brit passport!
Distinguished Senior Member
Posts: 6,653
From SC living in UK
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« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2011, 11:33:40 AM » |
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OP posted in 2006 so I guess this advice may be a little late. I suspect a spammer has been active......
Better than some of the other others posts... ;-) |
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Expatinuk seems to be a Soviet Satellite in stationary orbit over the UK
It is what it is.
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runwithscissors
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« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2011, 04:30:18 AM » |
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Ah... didn't spot the date. They should really lock threads that are 5 years old.
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"Space is invisible mind dust, and stars are but wishes"
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