KirstyLP

Have you looked at the http://www.trustedmover.org website? It's run by the British Association of Removers and many of their members customers post independent reviews on there.

As someone mentioned above you can get them from your removal company if you're using one, many removals companies also sell them online or you can buy direct from the British association of removers here: http://www.barservices.co.uk/

The British Association of Removers has their own independent reviews website with scores and feedback on many of their members in one place. Look for members of the overseas moving group for those meeting the international moving standards. Hope that helps?

There is a service called LCL (less than container load) offered by most international removal companies - it's an exclusive use wooden crate, sealed and loaded within a shared container. Transit time is about the same as your own container as they are sent with a big consolidator so they don't have to wait around for other shipments. Difference between this and move cube is you can't load it yourself, but worth getting a quote as it might not be a massive variation? Another alternative is groupage where it's loose loaded in a shared container, this is the cheapest method but a little slower as moving companies have to wait to sell/collect the other shipments to fill the container, roughly 12-16 weeks depending on the company you use. Hope that helps?

Not by sea... the shortest sailing I can see at the moment is 40 days port - port (but the range is 40-56 days depending on shipping line) , so when you factor in packing, transport to port, loading, customs clearance and delivery into that 6 weeks isn't possible. How much do you have to move? is Excess baggage or airfreight an option?

There is a really good page on the DAFF website explaining the AQIS process including common items of quarantine concern, what to do when packing and tips to keep costs of passing the inspection down. http://www.daff.gov.au/biosecurity/travel/moving-emigrating Hope it helps?

If you need some independent reviews to decide who to get your quotes from try the British Association of Removers reviews site http://www.trustedmover.org and look for members of the overseas moving group. Let all 3 companies visit you to do an in home survey, show them all the same and make sure they have all the same information and then you can compare their quotes on price and the level of service they are proposing. When you compare price as calNgary said make sure you're quoting like for like - the volume, the transit time, cost of insurance and the the inclusions/exclusions of the door to door price etc. Hope that helps?

Typically they will just come in and pack everything you've asked them to ship. If there are items you're carrying with you or don't want shipping it's a good idea to put these in a separate room/area and make sure the crew are aware of them when they arrive, these guys work fast! Re: packing your own boxes... check with your moving company about owner packed boxes. Most will let you but they may only be able to provide total loss insurance for those boxes they haven't packed, or if you leave the tops open so the crew can check the packing then they might be happy to cover you fully. In all honesty I wouldn't worry too much, these guys move people every day - they've seen it all. Other than making sure everything is safely protected for the journey and that you're not shipping anything prohibited then they aren't bothered what personal belongings you're asking them to pack. hope that helps?

sorry, forgot to mention LCL containers are exclusive use. Both Move Cubes and LCL lift vans are loaded in steel containers for shipping, but only your belongings will be within the wooden crate.

There is a speedier alternative to groupage for a part load, which is LCL (Less than container load). Your items are loaded into a wooden crate (called a lift van) and transported into a consolidator for shipping and collection by the removal company at the other end. As the consolidators deal with much higher volume than individual moving companies the containers fill very quickly so can be shipped much quicker, typically in the same time frame as an exclusive load, give or take a few days for delivering in and handing out. The difference to Move Cube is most removal companies don't let you load the container yourselves as they don't have the small low level trailer equipment and will bring them on their truck which health and safety / company insurance doesn't permit the public to load into. Instead they will come and collect all your things and load them for you. So, if speed is your concern it might be worth looking at as an alternative, but if speed isn't a problem then groupage is by far the most cost effective method of shipment for a smaller move. Hope that helps!

http://www.daff.gov.au/biosecurity/travel/moving-emigrating take a look at the prohibited goods and the common items of quarantine concern links. Don't pack any of the former and avoid the latter if you can!

hi, How much are you taking? Is it a full household, all your furniture and effects or just a few boxes? There are lots of options available - exclusive containers, shared loose load containers, crated part container loads, air freight or excess baggage, the best option depends on the volume of your items, your budget, the timescale you need your items etc. For companies you can look at the FIDI website which has a directory of independently certified professional international removal companies, or for reviews check out trustedmover.org, the reviews site of the British Association of Removers and look for Overseas Group members. hope that helps!

The purpose of the home visit is typically to do the following things, so I hope they prompt a few ideas about questions you might have? 1) to show the move consultant the items you wish to move (make sure to show them everything, don't forget the loft, sheds/outbuildings and to notify them of anything extra you plan on buying/acquiring before you go) 2) discuss your individual requirements and wishes for your move and possible move plans (include the properties you're moving from and to (access etc), your budget, your timescale requirements, any additional service you're looking at (crating, handyman, cleaning etc), your move dates and flexibility, things you'll take care of in preparation (dismantling etc)) 3) get tips and advice for your move (what you can and can't take, how you should prepare, how things work at destination) 4) ask any questions about your concerns for the move (how they might handle special items you're worried about, how their insurance cover works etc) 5) understand the moving process and what will happen next (how would you like to see your quote (e.g. options or all inclusive), how much notice do you need to give to book etc) Hope that helps?

It's important to ask all the companies you get to quote what costs are included/excluded. For example, is the AQIS inspection fee included. (it's common for this not to be as the mover doesn't know what this will be beforehand so you can either pay before at a fixed fee set by the removal company or pay locally once they know what the charge is (may be lower or higher than the fixed fee)). All other moving charges are typically included (this doesn't cover customs duties if anything you're moving isn't duty free) but things to look out for include making sure your quote is door to door including any port handling charges and that the delivery is to your specific property (i.e. the address and type of property, for example if there is a long walk, difficult access or lots of stairs) and if you've made any special requests (for example crating of any items) make sure this is included in the quote, as well as un-crating at the other end. Same goes for dismantling and re-assembling of any items. Hope that helps?

Here's the Australian Govt advice on restricted and prohibited items. http://www.daff.gov.au/biosecurity/travel/moving-emigrating - you can check individual items in the ICON database (link on that page) to be sure. Some moving companies might advise against items for reasons other than their being strictly banned from a country - for example liquids.... containers pass through lots of different climate's on the way to the other side of the world, temperatures might have an effect on the contents and they could also be more prone to leaking and damaging other items in your consignment. It might be that they are advising that they are not worth the risk to ship or that they might need special packing/protection? They may also be on the list because of the attention they attract from customs, which could result in higher costs of inspection - wooden items for example antique furniture are on the 'items of bio security concern' list, not banned but the inspectors might want to take a look to check out the wood is treated and there are no issues. Ask your mover about specific products if there is something you want to take but aren't sure if you can. Hope that helps?

There is some really useful information to help prepare for importing into Australia on the DAFF website here http://www.daff.gov.au/biosecurity/travel/moving-emigrating including common items of quarantine concern and how to prepare them for shipping.... hope that helps

Hi Lindsay, Have you already shortlisted and had a few companies round? I would always suggest getting at least 3 quotes to allow you to make a good comparison. Although it can be time consuming allow all three to come and visit your home to make their own assessment of the volume of goods to be moved and to check out access and any specific requirements. The survey should take around 45 minutes – 1 hour. Don’t be tempted to just have one survey and pass the volume details to the other two companies, volume of goods is usually based on a surveyors evaluation – what if one gets it wrong? Getting 3 in ensures you can check they are all quoting a similar volume. Look for members of professional organisations, most of these will display the logo’s on their advert or web page, but if you’re unsure check the website of the organisation as they will keep an online directory for you to double check. Look for members of the British Association of Removers for UK moves and their Overseas Moving group for moves out of the UK. In addition for Overseas moves look for members of the FIDI network. These organisations pre-vet movers including their quality of service, complaints and claims records and financial standing so being a member of a professional body can validate any claim of a ‘professional mover’ and give you peace of mind that the risk of anything going wrong is reduced as their systems and practices have been independently checked and loopholes closed – it’s easy for any company to say they are experts, but only the real professionals will pass the strict independent audits required to display the badges. Once you've got your quotes there are a couple of areas to check in comparing. Your decision might include: Evaluating the offer against your moving criteria (for example budget / quality / special requirements) Checking all quotes are like-for-like (based on volume, inclusions exclusions (like customs and quarantine inspections for example) and service levels (e.g. level of packing, any crating) Checking the move plan to make sure you're happy with how they are going to carry out your move Checking transit times Evaluating the quality of their services (including accreditation, independent reviews, additional benefits such as tracking systems or advice and guidance provided) Evaluating the quality of their destination agents Comparing price (including any additional services you're going to take) Comparing insurance options - what is the true final cost of your move when insurance is included? All things being equal, who is your preference? who do you feel most comfortable with, and what is your gut feeling? Hope that helps and good luck with the move!

You're right to get a third quote - Once you have the third quote you'll be able to see if any quotes are an anomaly, and then i'd recommend going back to the one that is out to make sure everything is covered/they haven't done something slightly different that isn't clear to try and understand the price difference. Good luck!

Agree with Snifter. Get down to what you'd like to take and then have the removal companies come in and give you a quote. If you are over a 20ft container then you can ask them to give you prices both for a 40ft and a 20ft if you were to cut it down - then you'll know the price difference and if it's actually possible to replace those items you've left behind at destination.

Have you tried Chess Moving?

You can definitely do it, your car will be secured with blocks and straps and probably a wooden bulkhead placed between the car and the household goods to make sure it's fully protected.

I would, security is getting pretty tight these days. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/heathrow-security-confiscate-miniature-gun-from-toy-story-woody-figure-9121642.html

Be careful not to pack anything you cannot import, or that might give concern to customs during an inspection - this could result in extra charges if anything has to be treated/disposed of by customs. http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4369.asp As Vickyplum says make sure to keep an inventory of what's in each box and leave the boxes open for your movers to inspect, they will do a quick check to make sure everything's packed ok for the kind of journey and that nothing obvious has been packed that shouldn't be. Use a little extra padding than you would for a move locally, ships move alot more than trucks! Use scrunched up paper to fill in any gaps within the box to stop / cushion movement as much as possible. Hope that helps!

Hope this helps...

Glad we've been able to help. There is some good info on the page I mentioned before (http://www.daff.gov.au/biosecurity/travel/moving-emigrating) and those it refers to that will help you can keep the potential costs down. Good luck with the move!