Recommend a freight company for moving overseas

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mastapenguin

71 posts

Master Geek

#116798 10-May-2013 11:44

I'm moving to Brisbane in the next couple of months, and will have a fair few things to take with me. I've estimated it will be about 4-6 m3 essentially consisting of personal effects, and essentially no furniture.

The vast majority of my things will be boxed and packed, ready to ship with the exception of a few oversize items. I will be sending a few things with me as unaccompanied baggage ($2.73/KG with Air NZ), but the rest I will need to ship. Can anyone recommend some freight companies. I would like to minimize cost, as pretty much everything is packed and can be chucked on a pallet in a container.

Cheers

SandyJ

152 posts

Master Geek

#815266 10-May-2013 14:23

Conroys.. they are excellent. They have been taking care of my stuff since 2008 (from Brisbane to chch, to the Coast and back, stored my gear, and now they are getting it ready to ship to me here in the US. Never had a problem with them.

One thing you need to know.. they will need (all shipping companies need this) an itemized list of everything in your boxes. Because you packed it.. it will affect your insurance and you will need to read the customs forms very carefully. You cant take certain woods/seeds etc. If you dont have that list with every single item in each box.. then its best to rip it open and let them pack it again. That way you are covered for both customs and full insurance.

mastapenguin

71 posts

Master Geek

#815281 10-May-2013 14:44

Thanks very much for your detailed reply SandyJ. I started out making a very detailed itemized list for the first few boxes... but as we are moving this weekend I haven't been keeping as detailed notes. How detailed are we talking: for example, a box of clothes, do you have to list each garment or is "clothes" sufficient?

SandyJ

152 posts

Master Geek

#815298 10-May-2013 15:18

If its just clothes.. then labeling it as such is fine. If its kitchenware, that fine too.. but if you have wooden bowls in the kitchenware box it will show up on the xray so be careful. If its electrical gear then it needs to be itemized. (for insurance and the customs list)

I get slack sometimes and label things 'bedside drawer - keep out!' and when the guys load my tools and find a box labeled 'sh*t bits' it gets a laugh or 2.

Thats another thing.. if you are taking tools etc, make sure they are cleaned and there is no soil on anything. If you are taking a favorite pot plant holder or something.. make sure they are scrubbed out. Last thing Brisbane needs is new bugs.. they have enough imports already.

SandyJ

152 posts

Master Geek

#815306 10-May-2013 15:35

I should add... make sure your name and the box number is marked clearly on each box.

Make a list with your box numbers and contents and photocopy it. One for you and one for the removalists. They will then give each box a new number (their own code) but you will still be able to ID the boxes by the contents when you get a copy of their list and the customs papers to sign. If you are leaving before the boxes do.. this will be important for later.

Dont forget to value each box for insurance.....and yes its wise to insure it, even if its just a basic rate for the boat trip. It safeguards you in more ways than one.