Shipping - what extra costs are there?

Hi all, newbie here.

We're making the move from the UK to Oz and I've gotten some quotes from two shipping companies (******** and PSS). They all seem fair enough - we're only transporting a small amount of stuff so it'll be in a shared container.

However, I'm a bit lost looking at the things that both include and exclude.

Both say they include collecting, shipping and delivery (obviously). After that, I get a bit lost.

This is what ******** says:

Service Based On

 

 

 

 

• Collection from your residence
  
• Professional export wrapping and packing service
  
• Loading and consolidating in a shared 40 foot shipping container
  
• Export customs documentation and freight on board charges
  
• Ocean freight and destination agent handling fees
  
• Presentation to customs and local authorities for clearance
  
• Delivery to residence and placing into relevant rooms
  
• Vehicles will be handed out at agent's depot
  

 

 

Excludes

 

[TABLE=width: 99%, align: center]

[TR]

[TD]

 

• Collection and delivery above 1st floor, unless otherwise stated
  
• Heavy lift items - Supply of external lifts, hoists or specialist lifting equipment
  
• Stair carry, long carry, elevator fees and poor access/shuttle services
  
• Flat pack assembly and tradesman services
  
• Charges for examination/inspection, x-ray, hold, demurrage and fumigation
  
• Government Taxes and Duties, cargo dues (South Africa only)
  
• Quarantine/Agricultural Charges
  
• Unpacking on baggage consignments
  
• Formal Customs Entry if applicable
  
• Storage
  

 

[/TD]

[/TR]

[/TABLE]

 

What extra stuff would we HAVE to pay? I've emailed ******** and they say the only additional fees would be x-ray/examination (if the container gets stopped) and taxes/duties for items such as tobacco or alcohol (which we wouldn't be taking).

Meanwhile, PSS says this:

 

 

• Professional export packing at your residence (assumes good access and not above first floor), utilising export packing materials and cartons.
  
• Numbering and listing of all packages for customs requirements.
  
• Transportation to our warehouse and loading into our shared container service .
  
• UK & destination Port/Terminal handling charges.
  
• Ocean Freight to arrival vessel destination port/terminal.
  
• Customs Clearance, haulage of container and unloading.
  
• Delivery of Household effects to residence as specified above, unwrapping and removal of packing materials at the time of delivery (assumes good access and not above first floor).
  

 

 

Then there's a load of exclusions at the bottom which seem to consist of (for the ones that are relevant):

• rent/demurrage/terminal storage charges during transit
  
• customs security fees, duties, taxes, x-ray and inspections or any other fees or taxes payable to government bodies if applicable
  
• government department quarantine fees and associated handling/transport costs including cleaning, treatment or fumigation if ordered
  

When asked, PSS also replied with:

Our estimate excludes any duties / taxes, storage charges / quarantine fees (approximately AUD150-180), inspections and / or any other government fees if applicable.

 

Other charges payable in the UK include transit cover (highly recommended but optional and offered at 3% of the declared value of the goods with no IPT tax or Excess), HMRC customs export fee £25.00 and MAF Spray £25 (for treatment of outdoor items / shoes etc. if required) and optional container cleaning indemnity fee £35.00.

Put bluntly, judging from the above, do both companies include the same fees, or does one include some fees which the other doesn't? I gather that most of the extra charges will be optional (in case the container is checked) but I'd just like to know what each one includes and excludes, if possible.

We'll also be handling our own insurance (got a few quotes for that which I'll go through later).

Thanks!

Huh - apparently one of the shipping companies is a swear-word or something. Go figure.

It's a minefield isn't it. I am just getting quotes for shipping a few boxes, and even then I notice that some companies include some fees and others don't.

However looking at those quotes, it looks as though both are excluding the same things, but PSS is telling you an estimate of what those excluded costs are likely to be.

Huh - apparently one of the shipping companies is a swear-word or something. Go figure.

No, iirc that would be starred out for legal reasons.

No, iirc that would be starred out for legal reasons.

Thought that'd be the case :biglaugh:

It makes you wonder what they have to hide, if they get their name starred out on immigration forums.

I would probably keep away from them, tbh.

We used Pickfords (wonder if they will be starred???) and didnt have any issues with packing, unpacking or claiming for the half dozen broken objects.

Hi we paid everything up front from the uk, the only thing we had to fork out for here was the customs fee of around $120, becareful tho, we were promised 6weeks arrival it actually took 14weeks and we had paid upfront to have the goods delivered to our door because we lived on the ground floor, but when our goods finally arrived we had moved to the sixth floor, then they wanted an extra $150, we tried to argue that it was not our fault, I'm still waiting for a reply !!!!!!! So we picked up most of the stuff ourselves and had the heavy things delivered, and just unpacked them downstairs and took things up one by one (meadows shipping useless)

Hi we paid everything up front from the uk, the only thing we had to fork out for here was the customs fee of around $120, becareful tho, we were promised 6weeks arrival it actually took 14weeks and we had paid upfront to have the goods delivered to our door because we lived on the ground floor, but when our goods finally arrived we had moved to the sixth floor, then they wanted an extra $150, we tried to argue that it was not our fault, I'm still waiting for a reply !!!!!!! So we picked up most of the stuff ourselves and had the heavy things delivered, and just unpacked them downstairs and took things up one by one (meadows shipping useless)

I don't see how it matters whether it's your fault or not? It's not their fault either. They charge extra to deliver to a higher floor, that's just the way it works.

It is their fault as we were promised a 6 week delivery not 12, and we wanted to pay for everything in the uk so we knew where we stood, if we had known it would take 12 weeks and we would be living on a higher floor we would have paid for this upfront !!!!!!

It is their fault as we were promised a 6 week delivery not 12, and we wanted to pay for everything in the uk so we knew where we stood, if we had known it would take 12 weeks and we would be living on a higher floor we would have paid for this upfront !!!!!!

I've not heard of shipping making it in 6 weeks going UK to Aus, ever. Average is 12 weeks, sometimes up to 14.

That's why you don't use meadows shipping !!!!!!! Xx

I've also been shopping around for prices for shipping a few boxes. Just opened myself an anz bank account - which gives you a 10% discount with pickfords. Or your 4th tea chest for free.

They all worked out a similar prices with my quotes, but that discount dedinitley swayed me. Haven't booked yet, but will be doing shortly.

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It is their fault as we were promised a 6 week delivery not 12, and we wanted to pay for everything in the uk so we knew where we stood, if we had known it would take 12 weeks and we would be living on a higher floor we would have paid for this upfront !!!!!!

I agree you've got a right to be upset about the difference in delivery time - they should never have promised you such a short time. But the higher floor thing is something they couldn't predict either. If you really wanted a guaranteed fixed cost, they should've charged you the extra $150 upfront just in case you ended up in a high-rise - but then you'd probably have sent your shipment with somebody else.

If you were promised a six week delivery time (and have it in writing somewhere, and it's ACTUALLY a six week delivery time in total rather than something like "six weeks from when your container arrives in Australia") then you should get some compensation. However, I really don't think any company in their right mind would advertise a six week shipping time.

Got some more information and I think we know which one we'll go with. We're still unsure about the amount of space we'll be taking so have been a bit generous and one of the companies (shan't mention which one) have said they'd refund the difference if it's less, which is nice.

Thought that'd be the case :biglaugh:

Yes if it's started out it means they have received negative comments and have threatened the forum or taken legal action.

Personally I would avoid that company.

Yes if it's started out it means they have received negative comments and have threatened the forum or taken legal action.

Personally I would avoid that company.

Egad! Someone gave us a negative review! WE MUST SUE THEM.

What a mature way of handling things... :rolleyes:

The only additional coswe had were quarantine and inspection fees of $370 this was only last week we paid this, also our shipment took 5 weeks to arrive in freemantle and an extra week to clear customs so 6 weeks all in

Thank you for that, I was beginning to think i had dreamt the six weeks delivery time as people on here kept saying no shipping company would promise this turnaround '!!!!!!anyway we had more stuff flown out on weds, it was cheaper too and that is here already and as above only the customs fee to pay for

We do have the six weeks shipping time in writing but they won't answer our calls or emails and I'm not stressing myself over it

Any one used move cubes through seven seas? I don't have much stuff, it's mainly sentimental ie photo albums etc. So don't need a big container

Hi can I ask why the fees this end were so high? Did you have to be sprayed and checked x

Any one used move cubes through seven seas? I don't have much stuff, it's mainly sentimental ie photo albums etc. So don't need a big container

Lots of people have. Use the forum search and put in your search term and I am sure you'll find plenty on it. I know there have been a number of threads on it. We used one ourselves which I have posted about elsewhere.

Asking in this thread chances are people who used a move cube won't see your question as this thread is about extra costs on shipping and so may be missed by many pairs of eyes.

The only additional coswe had were quarantine and inspection fees of $370 this was only last week we paid this, also our shipment took 5 weeks to arrive in freemantle and an extra week to clear customs so 6 weeks all in

Hi Elaine, who did you use?

Thanks.

My question is similar and related mainly to GST. We've brought a couple of classic cars with us - one of which was assembled in Australia and was here for many years before I exported it to the UK, partially restored it and have brought it back to finish off here - I'm being asked for $1900 in GST (no duty) although I was under the impression this would not attract GST as it was assembled here in Australia. The other car is mostly disassembled and therefore is really just a rolling shell and 50 boxes of parts - I am being asked for GST on all 150 odd components that make up these boxes despite the vast majority of the items being over 40 years old and of relatively low value (some items have a value of $10 and subsequently a GST fee of $1 has been applied - these won't break the bank but do add up).

Is it correct that these parts attract GST? If so is it because they are motor vehicle parts or should everything attract GST (as one lady has advised me) and if so were we lucky to get through the airport without paying GST on the clothes on our back and in our cases and on the cases themselves?) I'm struggling to get a definitive answer on this so any advice will be appreciated please.

For the record last week I was charged $1600 for all the inspections required on the content of of our 40' container - bio-security checks and vehicle valuation.

Many thanks,

Dave

That's why you don't use meadows shipping !!!!!!! Xx

I contacted them for a quote and they where a nightmare. I told them I wanted a 20 foot sole use container but there where adamant i would be better and cheaper with a shared load although they could never actually tell me what date it would leave never mind what season we could expect to receive it!! When i politely declined as I had had a cheaper quote elsewhere with a company who where happy to give me exactly what i wanted (not that I am fussy but I have moved between countries previously so had an idea on what to expect). Anyway Meadows removals where adamant the other company were lying and that it would be a shared load and kept pestering me to reconsider. They only left me alone when i sent them photos of my 20ft container being loaded on my driveway and sealed along with the paperwork. Never heard from them since and will never ever recommend them. The company we went with we have had no issues with. The day after it was picked up then sent me all the details with ship name and an ETA of 4/11/16. We have been able to track our container the whole way and it looks like it is on schedule, currently somewhere between Singapore and China lol. So thats just over 7 weeks which was what we were advised originally