Guest Chris n Lou Posted July 6, 2011 Share Posted July 6, 2011 Hi all, I am looking for some help regarding removal costs and the information companies give you. I spoke with a Pickfords agent today and he seemed to be giving me a sales pitch which conflicted with the research I had already done and I don't know whether I can trust the info given. I know I might be being a little too suspicious but from working in a sales background myself, I know what some people would do for a sale!!!! I was told the following and really need to know if anyone else has been told/experienced the same and whether there is any truth in it: 1. The removals company must do all the packing otherwise Customs really pick on privately packed items and will go over it more than if the company packed it. I was told I would incur extra charges then for Customs keeping our belongings for longer. 2. There is no point in shipping cars as it would cost too much - 50% of the value of the car in duty plus shipping costs. 3. You can't put any items in the car except for tools belonging to the car and spare wheel. This is the opposite to information given by other companies. 4. Shipping Insurance would be 3% of the value of goods shipped and it is really easy to make a claim. Any advice welcome as I don't want to get stitched up by a sales guy. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helenandstuwilk Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Hi all, I am looking for some help regarding removal costs and the information companies give you. I spoke with a Pickfords agent today and he seemed to be giving me a sales pitch which conflicted with the research I had already done and I don't know whether I can trust the info given. I know I might be being a little too suspicious but from working in a sales background myself, I know what some people would do for a sale!!!! I was told the following and really need to know if anyone else has been told/experienced the same and whether there is any truth in it: 1. The removals company must do all the packing otherwise Customs really pick on privately packed items and will go over it more than if the company packed it. I was told I would incur extra charges then for Customs keeping our belongings for longer. 2. There is no point in shipping cars as it would cost too much - 50% of the value of the car in duty plus shipping costs. 3. You can't put any items in the car except for tools belonging to the car and spare wheel. This is the opposite to information given by other companies. 4. Shipping Insurance would be 3% of the value of goods shipped and it is really easy to make a claim. Any advice welcome as I don't want to get stitched up by a sales guy. Cheers Hi Chris and Lou This info on points 1 and 4 seem to add up. I'm not too sure about the car though as that's something we never fully enquired about. Although I do know from a friend who enquired about a car that her house contents shipping costs were under 3K and the car would cost 1K to ship. (Car worth 20k) When you arrive you would have to have adjustments made to your vehicle - something to do with the dash and headlights. She has decided it's too much hassle and the extra cost involved not worth it. Our car is only worth about 4k so they said not to bother! There is one company I've heard of that lets you pack your own stuff but customs will open everything at the other end and will receive charges for this. (You can PM me for name) You're better off letting them pack for you as they can exclude what they think will get checked. We've had quotes off 5 companies now and are just playing them off against each other to get a better price! With regards to Insurance, you're better off arranging your own. Letton Percival charge only 1.6%! You will find their details on here or on the net. We've not booked ours yet - still playing them off!!! Hope this helps.x:biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 1. The removals company must do all the packing otherwise Customs really pick on privately packed items and will go over it more than if the company packed it. I was told I would incur extra charges then for Customs keeping our belongings for longer. 2. There is no point in shipping cars as it would cost too much - 50% of the value of the car in duty plus shipping costs. 3. You can't put any items in the car except for tools belonging to the car and spare wheel. This is the opposite to information given by other companies. 4. Shipping Insurance would be 3% of the value of goods shipped and it is really easy to make a claim. Any advice welcome as I don't want to get stitched up by a sales guy. 1 - probably true 2 - depends on the car 3 - someone on PIO must have experience (we didn't ship our car) - I suspect its a hassle for the packers as the boxes have to be small enough to fit in the car, and then they have to come back out at customs, etc.etc. 4 - 3% is probably the most you are likely to pay - you can find companies that do it cheaper - folk were recently using a company that quoted 0.75% insureyourmove(?) or something like that. If you have a household full of stuff I would say let them pack it! They do it 10 times faster than we can, and the cost increase is probably marginal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Have a read of the importing a car thread to help on that one http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/transport-shipping/97053-transporting-your-car-oz-everything-you-need-know.html We looked into it and have decided against it. Unless the car is newish or one in demand over there (or a luxury high end spec) we felt it was not worth it. Some makes/models are also not sold in Aus and can be hard to sell on. Also most imported cars generally sell for less than Aussie cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chris n Lou Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks everyone for your advice. I need to do some serious thinking about the car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted July 7, 2011 Share Posted July 7, 2011 Thanks everyone for your advice. I need to do some serious thinking about the car! There are a lot of threads and posts about shipping cars, many have done it and would do it again, others are put off by the hassle and the cost, but there again there are loads of posts moaning about the cost of cars in Australia. Myself, when I go I am going to take my car (Landrover) and have also been told I can pack it to the gills with my own stuff by more than one shipper, the thing about cars is that you can customs clear it yourself which makes the whole process a lot less hassle instead of leaving it to customs and being no doubt charged loads for it. At the end of the day it depends on your car and tolerance for bureaucracy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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