Shipping Advice Please!

[gwolst77]

Okay PIO I need some advice regarding shipping please.

 

I start a new job in Melbourne at the end of August. I will return to the UK around early November to finalise my affairs and bring my wife and two kids over (once I have set up shop).

 

This is my plan so far regrading shipping our stuff...

 

Use Sevenseas Move Cubes for two seperate moves. Ship half my stuff before I go in August (so they land in Oz late October), then ship the rest when I come back in November. This means we are only missing half our stuff for 75 days rather than entire lot. Sofa's, Fridge, Small White Goods will be bought out in Oz.

 

Two large Move Cubes are just under a £1000 (Height 1.88m, Width 1.45m, Length 2.27m, Volume 6.20m³) and then insurance, custom charges, etc. on top.

 

Initially we have decided to taking the following items so far. However, some things may get dropped from the list if we feel it would be easier to replace out in Oz;

 

Move one

 

Washing Machine

Double bed and Mattress (divan)

King size leather ottoman bed (no mattress) - this will be dismantled

Cot bed and mattress (collapsed) - this will be dismantled

2 x chest of drawers (Ikea Malm 4 draw)

PC, monitor, keyboard, small speakers, Xbox, Wii, etc.

Plus a few suitcases and boxes of stuff (space permitting)

 

Move two

 

Wood TV/entertainment stand

Wood sideboard

Nest of tables

Couple of rugs

48" TV flat screen

32" TV flat screen

21" TV flat screen

Single bed mattress

2 x chest of drawers (Ikea Malm 4 drawer)

2 x bed side table (Ikea Malm 2 drawer)

1 x tall chest of drawers (Ikea Malm 7 drawer)

3 x boxes with kitchen equipment, pans, crockery, etc.

5 x boxes of clothes, bedding, pillows, etc.

 

 

We are not taking the sofa, dining table & chairs, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, wardrobes. We will be taking most of our clothes with us on our flights as baggage, so this should free up room in the various chest of drawers for other stuff. Also, we are about to start having a clear out, so the list will probably go down with time.

 

Does this sound like a viable plan? Even if we have to use three Move Cubes, it is still probably cheaper than getting our own container. However, I am considering doing the same via Groupage, so I am going to try to get some quotes.

 

Thanks.

 

:confused:

[fleabo]

My head is spinning just reading it! :laugh:

 

Are the move cubes 1000 quid each, or 1000 quid for two?

[Guest]

£1000 each iirc fleabo

 

I doubt it will save you much as you'll have all the AQIS fees etc for each cube coming in. Whereas one container or shared container is one fee.

[gwolst77]

Three different size cubes - three different prices. You can have the cube sent by boat or by air (which cost more than double obviously) You stil have to pay your AQIS fees and insurance as you would with any other container.

 

But two large cubes and and probably a third cube - will probably work out cheaper than a single container and I can stagger my shipments. My only question is could I do the same thing via Groupage but cheaper?

 

Not too bothered about the fees as I get to claim them all back.

[hamishcross]

6.20 cubic metres is 218 cubic feet.

 

The cheapest quotes I have for groupage (door to door excluding AQIS and the other usual stuff) £1980 for 400 cubic feet, £2385 for 500 cubic feet, £2680 for 600 cubic feet.

 

This is London to Melbourne.

 

You may want to look at sending a couple of t cartons groupage and then sending a large amount of groupage later on. No point buying new things in Australia if you have them in the UK. Seems that once you get above 400 cubic feet, as a general rule, you pay about £4.70 per cubic foot.

 

Hope this helps. I'm going through the exact same thing now. I've eliminated a few companies, got a couple left.

 

 

 

Three different size cubes - three different prices. You can have the cube sent by boat or by air (which cost more than double obvisouly) You stil have to pay your AQIS fees and insurance as you would with any other container.

 

But two large cubes and and probably a third cube - will probably work out cheaper than a single container and I can stagger my shipments. My only question is could I do the same thing via Groupage but cheaper?

 

Not too bothered about the fees as I get to claim them all back.

[Petkula73]

Hi

 

We're in a similar situation, so I would be really interested to hear where you're up to. We currently live in Southbank, Melbourne but will move out to Brighton at the start of August. I'm heading back to the UK (Formby) at the start of August to sort out our affairs and arrange shipment of some belongings. We don't intend to take everything as some of the stuff isn't worth the hassle (for example, we won't bother with the white goods as they are all around 9 years old). However, we will ship a few pretty awkward items like lawnmower and a barbecue.

 

In total I think we have something like 8-12 cubic metres (approx 300-400 cubic feet) so a 45m3 20 ft container is a waste of money for us.

 

I've been looking at Move Cubes plus sending things like bikes separately in bike boxes. Sevenseas look to be coming in at around £1500 for one large cube plus the other bits, plus insurance. Doree Bonner quoted us £1900 on line and I'm not sure if that includes packing.

 

The largest items we have to ship and:

 

2* 2.5 seat sofas

1 * armchair

1 * superking size bed and mattress (180*200cm)

BBQ - approx 180cm*150cm*50cm

1 * petrol lawnmower

3 * bikes

1 * 40" TV

20 * boxes of clothes, crockery and other odds and ends

1 * Persian rug (which weights a tonne)

 

I reckon I can get most of that in a cube, but I don't want to end up being a Charlie and having to book a second cube at £1000 because I got it completely wrong!:err:

[Guest dstreeten105]

So far, that's a viable plan. Just make sure that you'll get the best price when you ask for quotes. I have a friend who's in the same situation you and Petkula73 are in, who took some comparison first before going through with shipping.

[hamishcross]

Hi

 

We're in a similar situation, so I would be really interested to hear where you're up to. We currently live in Southbank, Melbourne but will m for ove out to Brighton at the start of August. I'm heading back to the UK (Formby) at the start of August to sort out our affairs and arrange shipment of some belongings. We don't intend to take everything as some of the stuff isn't worth the hassle (for example, we won't bother with the white goods as they are all around 9 years old). However, we will ship a few pretty awkward items like lawnmower and a barbecue.

 

In total I think we have something like 8-12 cubic metres (approx 300-400 cubic feet) so a 45m3 20 ft container is a waste of money us.

 

I've been looking at Move Cubes plus sending things like bikes separately in bike boxes. Sevenseas look to be coming in at around £1500 for one large cube plus the other bits, plus insurance. Doree Bonner quoted us £1900 on line and I'm not sure if that includes packing.

 

The largest items we have to ship and:

 

2* 2.5 seat sofas

1 * armchair

1 * superking size bed and mattress (180*200cm)

BBQ - approx 180cm*150cm*50cm

1 * petrol lawnmower

3 * bikes

1 * 40" TV

20 * boxes of clothes, crockery and other odds and ends

1 * Persian rug (which weights a tonne)

 

I reckon I can get most of that in a cube, but I don't want to end up being a Charlie and having to book a second cube at £1000 because I got it completely wrong!:err:

 

we have a very similar amount, I estimated it to be around 300 cu.ft however 4 quotes all have it exceeding 570. I would say this, the bbq and lawnmower will need to be spotless, drained of fuel.and I would suggest easy to access for inspection. We decided not to ship anything from outside to save high aqis fees.

 

Good luck though, Brighton is a nice part of Melbourne!

[gwolst77]

The Move Cube comes in three different sizes, £990 for the large cube so the other sizes will be cheaper. You could maybe go with a large and a small cube. In terms of insurance I would shop around rather than taking the shipping companies insurance that should save you money from what I have seen in various posts, which should offset the additional AQIS fees if you go with two cubes

 

In terms of fitting it all in, mark out the dimensions of the cube with masking tape to see if you can fit it all in one cube.

 

I have sent a shipping list to PSS regarding Groupage to see what price they come back with (I have over estimated on the amount so it should actually be a bit cheaper). Not had anything back yet so the Move Cube solution is looking the best so far.

 

Does anybody have a very rough idea of what Groupage cost would be for what I have posted?

[hamishcross]

The Move Cube comes in three different sizes, £990 for the large cube so the other sizes will be cheaper. You could maybe go with a large and a small cube. In terms of insurance I would shop around rather than taking the shipping companies insurance that should save you money from what I have seen in various posts, which should offset the additional AQIS fees if you go with two cubes

 

In terms of fitting it all in, mark out the dimensions of the cube with masking tape to see if you can fit it all in one cube.

 

I have sent a shipping list to PSS regarding Groupage to see what price they come back with (I have over estimated on the amount so it should actually be a bit cheaper). Not had anything back yet so the Move Cube solution is looking the best so far.

 

Does anybody have a very rough idea of what Groupage cost would be for what I have posted?

 

You have a similar amount to us, 400 cuft £2000, 500 cuft 2400, 600 cuft 2700 ish. Hope that helps. If you want to see all the quotes I've had let me know.

[Jockeylad]

Okay PIO I need some advice regarding shipping please.

 

I start a new job in Melbourne at the end of August. I will return to the UK around early November to finalise my affairs and bring my wife and two kids over (once I have set up shop).

 

 

This is my plan so far regrading shipping our stuff...

 

Use Sevenseas Move Cubes for two seperate moves. Ship half my stuff before I go in August (so they land in Oz late October), then ship the rest when I come back in November. This means we are only missing half our stuff for 75 days rather than entire lot. Sofa's, Fridge, Small White Goods will be bought out in Oz.

 

Two large Move Cubes are just under a £1000 (Height 1.88m, Width 1.45m, Length 2.27m, Volume 6.20m³) and then insurance, custom charges, etc. on top.

 

Initially we have decided to taking the following items so far. However, some things may get dropped from the list if we feel it would be easier to replace out in Oz;

 

Move one

 

Washing Machine

Double bed and Mattress (divan)

King size leather ottoman bed (no mattress) - this will be dismantled

Cot bed and mattress (collapsed) - this will be dismantled

2 x chest of drawers (Ikea Malm 4 draw)

PC, monitor, keyboard, small speakers, Xbox, Wii, etc.

Plus a few suitcases and boxes of stuff (space permitting)

 

Move two

 

Wood TV/entertainment stand

Wood sideboard

Nest of tables

Couple of rugs

48" TV flat screen

32" TV flat screen

21" TV flat screen

Single bed mattress

2 x chest of drawers (Ikea Malm 4 drawer)

2 x bed side table (Ikea Malm 2 drawer)

1 x tall chest of drawers (Ikea Malm 7 drawer)

3 x boxes with kitchen equipment, pans, crockery, etc.

5 x boxes of clothes, bedding, pillows, etc.

 

 

We are not taking the sofa, dining table & chairs, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, wardrobes. We will be taking most of our clothes with us on our flights as baggage, so this should free up room in the various chest of drawers for other stuff. Also, we are about to start having a clear out, so the list will probably go down with time.

 

Does this sound like a viable plan? Even if we have to use three Move Cubes, it is still probably cheaper than getting our own container. However, I am considering doing the same via Groupage, so I am going to try to get some quotes.

 

Thanks.

 

:confused:

 

I am also looking at using move cube, but still have not seen a post by anyone who has actually used this method...unless I've missed it. Is there anyone on PIO who has? If so, can you let us know of your experience and whether you would use that method again. Also, how do they work out AQIS fees, is it by volume, or what they have to inspect? What is a rule of thumb guide price for AQIS costs?

 

Thanks in advance.

[Chall77]

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/transport-shipping/35920-move-cube.html

 

There' a few threads and links here Jockey mon.

[Leen75]

Hi, I think I am moving considerably less than all of you (but still too much for excess baggage). I am hoping to just be able to use a small move cube.....

pic just want to bring DVDs, kitchen equipment (moulinex and so forth) kids bits and pieces and some clothes couple of smallish tvs, no big items at all. I am ex military so know how to pack for myself and I have access to packing stuff.

Has anyone just used the small move cube? Just wondered if it fitted lots of small bits into it.....

[k8bug79]

can i ask what groupage is? we want to use a large move cube but can't get one to come to our house as it's too far from depot down bad roads. so we are faced with either meeting half way and loading in a car park or using a relatives house. we have a couple of the big shippers coming to quote but think they're likely to end up more expensive. be i terested to hear of other options

[Ozinoz]

Unless your furniture is antique and/or irreplaceable I would not recommend shipping it at all. We have IKEA in Australia and you can pick it and all your other stuff up for a song on ebay. It is a complete waste of your time and money sending it unless someone else is paying for it of course Everything else is personal and most likely can be fitted into boxes.

 

I always fancied myself as the packing queen but when the men came to pack our stuff a couple of days ago and 3.5 hours later looking on with a lot of great conversation and laughs, I can honestly say it is not worth doing yourself. We booked 30 Tea Chest Boxes and thought we would go over as we calculated it and taped off the area that it would fit in... but no... we were at least 10 boxes under and I had to run around finding more stuff to pack which was very easy but completely unexpected. The other brilliant thing if you don't self pack is that the company deals with customs on your behalf. As 30 tea chest boxes is considered a small, not only did I get charged a very small packing fee, the insurance was also reduced.

 

As my stuff has obviously not even been loaded onto a container as yet, I cannot recommend the company until I receive it, however if all goes as it has so far, it will be pretty much a faultless move. Obviously some things may get damaged but we didn't put anything in that we were willing to forgo.

 

The only thing that is bothering me now is that I swore I was going to become a minimalist... not chance of that now *sigh*

[gwolst77]

Groupage is when you share a container and do not have sole use of it.

 

We ended up using John Masons for our move and I could not fault them. They did everything regarding the packing (and the unpacking at the other end) we just had tell them what to pack and what to leave.

Word of warning regarding Ikea some items are a lot more expensive than the UK Ikea, so just do a bit of research on the Ikea Aussie website regarding whatever stuff you have. Also be aware they may not have the same colour ranges as you get in the UK.

 

Set of 4 drawers from the Malm range in the UK is £59, same set over here is $249 (just been reduced from $289). They don't have them in same colour scheme we purchased in the UK, which caused us problems when some of the stuff got damaged in transit. On balance though most of the stuff you get in Ikea is on price wise the same or in some cases cheaper than the UK.

[NicF]

Unless your furniture is antique and/or irreplaceable I would not recommend shipping it at all. We have IKEA in Australia and you can pick it and all your other stuff up for a song on ebay. It is a complete waste of your time and money sending it unless someone else is paying for it of course Everything else is personal and most likely can be fitted into boxes.

 

 

 

Some if us have furniture that isn't antique or irreplaceable or purchased from Ikea. Our furniture is a combination of older cheap stuff and newer good quality solid stuff. It is possible to buy similar things in Oz but it certainly doesn't make good financial sense to get rid of everything and start again rather than shipping it. £4k to ship it or around $20k plus to replace everything like for like? I know which I would go for.

 

Obviously if everything you own is falling apart and needs replacing then it wouldn't make sense to ship it.

[Ozinoz]

Some if us have furniture that isn't antique or irreplaceable or purchased from Ikea. Our furniture is a combination of older cheap stuff and newer good quality solid stuff. It is possible to buy similar things in Oz but it certainly doesn't make good financial sense to get rid of everything and start again rather than shipping it. £4k to ship it or around $20k plus to replace everything like for like? I know which I would go for.

 

Obviously if everything you own is falling apart and needs replacing then it wouldn't make sense to ship it.

 

Well I am selling everything up at the moment and I can promise you that unless it is irreplaceable or someone else is paying for the shipping, it is not worth it. We also have bring out your dead here where people leave their goods on the verge for anyone to pick up. You can get loads of good stuff, including sofas, desks, chairs etc etc for nothing, we have even picked up stuff that we have sold Also there is Freecycle.

[petitescargot]

We have had quotes from PSS, Doree Bonner and Anglo Pacific. We've had 2 quotes from each company, one for the bare minimum furniture (king size bed, bedroom furniture) plus clothes, linen, sports equipment and a bike, and then another quote for pretty much everything in a 2 bed flat including a large corner sofa. These volumes are approx 310 and 440 cubic feet respectively. At the moment PSS is looking like the cheapest (£5.62 per cubic foot) however we're also considering cutting down the amount we're taking and using a large move cube instead. I would be happy to pack it myself, and it works out at £5.62 per cubic foot.

 

Regarding getting rid of everything and starting again in Oz, we've done a lot of comparisons between the cost of basic furniture in the UK and Oz, and the cost of shipping it, and it really makes sense to take as much of your own stuff as possible. Even basic ikea furniture can be 3 times the price. We decided to definitely not take our large corner sofa though as it will be an extra £500 to ship it!!

[Ozinoz]

We have had quotes from PSS, Doree Bonner and Anglo Pacific. We've had 2 quotes from each company, one for the bare minimum furniture (king size bed, bedroom furniture) plus clothes, linen, sports equipment and a bike, and then another quote for pretty much everything in a 2 bed flat including a large corner sofa. These volumes are approx 310 and 440 cubic feet respectively. At the moment PSS is looking like the cheapest (£5.62 per cubic foot) however we're also considering cutting down the amount we're taking and using a large move cube instead. I would be happy to pack it myself, and it works out at £5.62 per cubic foot.

 

Regarding getting rid of everything and starting again in Oz, we've done a lot of comparisons between the cost of basic furniture in the UK and Oz, and the cost of shipping it, and it really makes sense to take as much of your own stuff as possible. Even basic ikea furniture can be 3 times the price. We decided to definitely not take our large corner sofa though as it will be an extra £500 to ship it!!

 

The problem with self packing is that the Insurance premium is higher and you are more likely to be inspected by customs.

 

I have no idea where you are all looking to say that secondhand goods are more expensive in Australia, they are not. People literally give furniture away here or you can pick it up for a song on ebay or Gumtree.

[petitescargot]

The problem with self packing is that the Insurance premium is higher and you are more likely to be inspected by customs.

 

I have no idea where you are all looking to say that secondhand goods are more expensive in Australia, they are not. People literally give furniture away here or you can pick it up for a song on ebay or Gumtree.

 

I am comparing shipping my existing furniture, against buying new furniture at Ikea in Oz. I'm not saying that secondhand furniture is 3 times the price, but new is!

[Ozinoz]

I am comparing shipping my existing furniture, against buying new furniture at Ikea in Oz. I'm not saying that secondhand furniture is 3 times the price, but new is!

 

But if you are shipping furniture it is secondhand already plus it could get damaged so you can't compare new for old.

[Petkula73]

The problem with self packing is that the Insurance premium is higher and you are more likely to be inspected by customs.

 

I have no idea where you are all looking to say that secondhand goods are more expensive in Australia, they are not. People literally give furniture away here or you can pick it up for a song on ebay or Gumtree.

 

 

I'm not sure I agree with you. Self pack insurance for us was around 100 pounds, the main difference being you are only insured for loss and not damage. If you pack carefully this won't be an issue.

 

My experience here is secondhand goods are significantly more expensive in Australia. In the UK there is not much of a market in used sofas or tables (as most people will buy new), but have a look at what they go for on eBay and Gumtree here. You can pay $2000+ for a pretty ordinary leather lounge suite. You can get a lot of old tat for free if you really want to, but anything decent attracts a huge premium.

 

Basically, nothing is cheap in Australia (except petrol, oranges, cleanskins and oyster blade).

[Pavlova]

We have just moved to melbourne at the end of january

we used Anglo pascific to ship out our belongings in a shared container. We thought it would be a better option than buying new. We had the company pack our belongings -sofas, nice kitchen equipment, bed, desk etc. however it's now April and stuff is still at sea. We were living in a 'furnished apartment' but got fed up and moved into a house. Our stuff is scheduled to arrive at port 17th April and could take 14 days to clear customs.

We have already bought lots of new stuff out of necessity and by the time our shipment arrives I bet we won't need it anymore. Also the price we have been quoted keeps mysteriously increasing and documents have to keep being resent as Anglo pacific keep losing them.

My advice would be take the sentimental stuff but the rest can stay, yes it's expensive here but you tend to get paid a lot more here than the UK so it's not as unaffordable as it seems

[Jockeylad]

We have just moved to melbourne at the end of january

we used Anglo pascific to ship out our belongings in a shared container. We thought it would be a better option than buying new. We had the company pack our belongings -sofas, nice kitchen equipment, bed, desk etc. however it's now April and stuff is still at sea. We were living in a 'furnished apartment' but got fed up and moved into a house. Our stuff is scheduled to arrive at port 17th April and could take 14 days to clear customs.

We have already bought lots of new stuff out of necessity and by the time our shipment arrives I bet we won't need it anymore. Also the price we have been quoted keeps mysteriously increasing and documents have to keep being resent as Anglo pacific keep losing them.

My advice would be take the sentimental stuff but the rest can stay, yes it's expensive here but you tend to get paid a lot more here than the UK so it's not as unaffordable as it seems

Pavlova, I've had a quote from Anglo Pacific and I'm interested to know why your price keeps mysteriously increasing? What exactly are they blaming the increases on? Out of the three quotes I've had for removals they look to be the better, but only slightly. I am still quite interested in self packing, using 1, or possibly two, large move cubes, so your post is kind of reinforcing that thought.