RReed

We are about organise shipping (20ft container). We hope to leave our house before xmas, and travel to oz in jan. Presumably the shipping company will store our stuff until we arrive and have an address. Problem is: my husband is a dj and will need his records right up until we leave. Will we have to ship them separately, and how much? Or, put our stuff into local storage so we have access and get shipping co to take stuff from there just before we leave?

Pollyana

Lots of factors to consider I guess. Bear in mind the time taken to ship - how soon do you think you will need your stuff this end? If you are going to temp furnished accom, then I should think you could negotiate storage until all the stuff is ready to leave (inc the DJ stuff) and then it can leave when you do - but then it could be 3-4 months, probably less, but think worst case scenario, before you get the stuff this end.
On the other hand, if you send the records separately, you can allow the other stuff to leave at once, and it will get here a lot sooner.
Does he need the records quickly - is he working as a DJ here? In which case, shipping them could take too long.

Personally, in your situation, I would ship everything else when you leave the house - saves on storage and gets it here faster. Then send the records by air (if needed quickly) or as a separate consignment by sea. The cost of air freighting may well balance out the UK storage cost.

You say, will they store till you have an address - yes, the importing company can store for you, but they will charge you. May not be that long in storage though - my stuff left the UK in early November last year, but wasn't cleared by Customs in Brisbane till the 2nd half of Feb. Shipping over Christmas is slow cos everyone in the ports and Customs slows down.

speak to some of the shipping firms like Crown or John MAson's, and see what quotes they can do, and what they suggest.

Good luck!

RReed

Thanks pollyana. I thought that we couldn't send stuff over to oz until we had an address there. We won't have an address until we get there (don't have any relatives in oz). If we can, then that makes things easier as we could ship when we move out (hopefully nov/dec) then catch up with the stuff over there, and send the records seperately. But, if that's not the case?? continued...

RReed

continued...He can do without his records for a bit whilst we are in oz, as no work lined up. But, needs the records in UK. Have suggested he records some mixes and plays them instead for a few months (not amused - ha ha). If we can't start shipment until we are in oz, then it may be easier/cheaper to shove our stuff in a lock-up in uk until we have an address in oz. Then get relatives to supervise shipment from lock up with records included. Have emailed some shipping places and requested contact. My brain hurts - bloody records!
Rachel x

RReed

Rang Allied Pickfords: apparently you don't need an address in oz. You need some kind of contact address eg. relative in uk etc. So why has there been loads of discussion/messages about this 'change'. Hmmmm. Now I appear to be having a discussion with myself on this thread. Think I've been doing too many night shifts.
Rachel

Pollyana

Most places will ship before you have a firm address here - sometmes people have friends or rellies here, give their address, and then update the company when they get here. The only thing that matters though is that the company do have a contact for you - all they want is to be able to tell you that your stuff ahs arrived. Give them a rellie or whatever in the UK, then as soon as you are here and have a contact address of your own you can get in touch with the shippers and pass on the info.

lindseyden

Hi Rachel

We are arranging shipping ourselves at the moment. (nightmare isn't it?). I have Allied Pickfords and PSS to the house for quotes. They both said that it 's OK to give an area and not address when it leaves UK but you must give them an address by the time it arrives in Aus. I figure that because it's going to be teavelling over Christmas it's probably going to take around 10 weeks to get there, plenty of time to sort out rental and give them proper address for delivery. The change has happened because of these terrorist threats, so I don't think it's treated paticularly lightly. Hope this helps.

Lindsey