cost savings of self packing/loading versus all in price

Hi all, we're in the process of getting quotes for shipping to Sydney, and making the decision as to whether we do it ourselves or go for the 'all in' package. It would seem general cost saving is around £1100 which is a big saving, however I'm just wondering how true this is, in terms of 'hidden costs'.

For those that have self packed/loaded a 20ft container, what did you roughly spend on packing materials, ie. boxes, bubble wrap, strapping for the container etc? What about fees in Australia and costs of transporting contents of the container from the port to your home? These are the costs I'm concerned may quite easily swallow up much of the cost saving, making it not worth the extra effort. Would be grateful to hear any of your experiences please.

Hi have been weighing up these options as well the extra costs we found potentially were

1: packing materials not sure entirely how many boxes a 3-4 bed house pack with around 70 boxes is almost £100 and then there the other type of boxes such as TV box etc estimated with all boxes and bubble wrap etc would be looking around £200 but maybe another £50 or so more once start wrapping everything.

2: Bungee cords to fasten everything down was quoted extra £250 for these so would need to see if included in price otherwises would need to source and buy

3: for me as lone woman help to load container as its only with u 3 hours and you are loading at a height of approx 4ft which is not that easy for big heavy stuff, 2 guys 3 hours £120 but if you have lots of hands then not relevant but remember will have the unloading issue on other side.

4: if your new address cannot accommodate container truck then there may be charge for loading into and use of smaller truck, again this will be company specific

the full packages offer you option to insure against container cleaning charge for small sum but not sure if you have option with self pack. Insurance is limited as well as those that do insure self pack include breakage clauses for delicate items that are not professionally packed.

for me personally cheapest self pack would be 2700 and I think would easily spend around extra £500/600

​mem

I cannot imagine that I would go for self packing option. Time costs, it is stressful enough moving without this job..

We looked at it and decided against it. As memmymooch says packaging and other materials soon add up and therefore soon wipe out any savings. Plus there is the time you've got to spend packing when you've already got a million and one other things to do. Yeah you might save 500 quid but is it really worth it for all that hassle?

We are going with the self pack option and our lowest quote is £2450 for door to door service (not including AQIS fees). We have managed to get free packing boxes from the people we are storing with. Our friend had moved recently and had lots of leftover wrapping paper that she did not use. We have also sourced cheap rolls of bubble wrap, plastic wrap and rolls of paper. We have moved overseas previously and packed containers. If you search online, you can get some good deals delivered to your door. I also feel that no one is going to look after my possessions better than me so would prefer to wrap them myself. The shipping companies give you 3 hours to pack the container, not long if you are not organised and do not have many hands to help out.

We have been packing each weekend for four weeks and have still not finished. I never dreamt how long it would take to thoroughly clean everything for AQIS.

I think this option would only be for people who are really trying to keep the costs down, have lots of people to help out and have time to pack themselves.

The cheapest quote we've had for a 20 ft container self pack and load is £1421, from our house to Sydney port. It works out so much cheaper, providing the extras like port charges and a trucker in Sydney aren't too high. I've googled but struggling to find what charges we'll have at the port and how much they cost. Anyone know?

The cheapest quote we've had for a 20 ft container self pack and load is £1421, from our house to Sydney port. It works out so much cheaper, providing the extras like port charges and a trucker in Sydney aren't too high. I've googled but struggling to find what charges we'll have at the port and how much they cost. Anyone know?

I got a similar type quote from a company who quoted £1300 from Kent to Perth. This was from door in Kent to Freemantle Port. I then googled for an agent to deal with the brokerage and customs at Freemantle and their quote was $3450, so it worked out a lot more expensive than the quotes I am getting for a "self pack package" from the major shippers in the UK.

My advice would be to read the small print and really find out what is included. I think if there is going to be any hiccups, it will be at the other end and this is also where the hidden costs will lie. If you decide on going with one of the "packages" ask who they use at the other end. I have been to allow $350-500 for AQIS charges.

Good Luck.

Thanks for this Candygirl, very helpful. This is what concerns me, not knowing what costs lie ahead in Sydney when we get there, hence I'm thinking go with a package now. Would be interested to hear who you've gone with as it sounds like a really good price and, like you, we'd prefer to pack our own things. Is your quote for self load too or just self pack? Perhaps you could PM me the details? Many thanks

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Thanks for this Candygirl, very helpful. This is what concerns me, not knowing what costs lie ahead in Sydney when we get there, hence I'm thinking go with a package now. Would be interested to hear who you've gone with as it sounds like a really good price and, like you, we'd prefer to pack our own things. Is your quote for self load too or just self pack? Perhaps you could PM me the details? Many thanks

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You are very welcome. This is an absolute minefield for us all!

I am going with a "reputable" shipper. I have 3 quotes priced approx the same. I now need to really read through all the quotes and small print and testimonials of good/bad service and will then decide.

[h=2]Moving Home back to oz[/h]

Hey guys please don't forget the other end ... when it arrives in dock in OZ .... We ended up going with a shipping agent as we would have had to have booked ourselves into a hotel in Brisbane then done the liaising with customs ... Please take into account things like dock fees and shipping agents / extras such as the above ... It was our shipping agent who told us about the dock fees, and I visited our local Aqis office who confirmed these fees ....

Many thanks for the advice on this, we have been given an agent by the company to use also, who we can pay over we have been told.

Glilly65, if it's a 20ft container then it sounds a very good price. The cheapest I've been able to get is £3700 door to door. I would just check all the small print to make sure it's all in order first though.

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Also don't forget that if you pack yourself then customs unpack and check everything this end, whereas if you get a company to do it they only check some boxes.

This is actually for for a 40ft box, we have booked it in with them now, all seems very good..

I spoke to one of the reputable shippers from PIO yesterday and the lady was very helpful. We are self pack, but we have a detailed inventory list for the shippers and customs, which they said will make life a lot easier for everyone. The lady said to read the AQIS guidelines and adhere to them. She also said that customs nearly always scrutinise "self pack" containers, but detailed inventories and paperwork really helps, i.e. don't put things down like "kitchen", list each and every item in each box. I have already been doing this and don't want to state the obvious, but thought it might help someone else if they are not aware.