Rainmaker

Hi All,

My wife and I shall soon be settling in BC from London. We intend to ship furniture/household items/clothing as part of our Good to Follow.

Can I trouble you for your thoughts on the followings please:

1- Wardrobe Moving Boxes: How sturdy are these boxes?

2- Am I at liberty to use any company to remove my goods from London to BC as part of my PR settlement/Goods to Follow, such as Aramex/UPS? Or do I have to utilise the services of specific companies as part of possible customs rules for settlement?

3- Do all items listed on the Goods to Follow list need to be custom inspected/cleared? For example, if I list a certain item on the list, which I have delivered to my apartment in BC post settlement through Aramex, would I then have to take it or my list to a customs officer to get stamped?

Thank you as always for your time and insight, greatly appreciated.

Aviator

You can use any shipping company you choose. It is the customs paperwork that determines how the clearance entry is processed and what if any duty & taxes are due.

All goods coming into Canada are subject to clearance by customs, shippers will require customs paperwork. Whether they get inspected or not is up to customs. Nothing comes into Canada (legally) without going though customs clearance.

Whoever does the import clearance for you will present the appropriate paperwork. If you have a GTF list, you would need to provide this for every entry for goods relating to this.

Rainmaker

Thank you Aviator as always!

To be clear, I do not need to provide settlement/relocation/ related information to the shipping company in the UK, be it Amarex or UPS, and simply ship our boxes as we would any normal shipment - on the other end in BC after clearance, I will either receive the shipment at my residence there or will have to personally collect it from the relevant location - if any associated fees are requested by customs, I would present my stamped GTF list and would then not be required to pay?

A number of shipping companies position themselves as specialists in international moves for PR in relation to custom's requirements - Can I assume from what you mentioned previously that any reputable shipping company will suffice and I am not limited in choices correct?

Thank you again Aviator.

Aviator

When you send a shipment, there is a customs declaration that goes with it.
You provide the customs broker with relevant information for clearance.
When the shipment arrives it clears customs, or may be pre cleared.
Some folks use the shipping companies own brokerage (such as UPS), others use their own broker. Pacific Customs Brokers, have been very good for us.

There are many variables in the process and how it works depends on the information provided and the vagaries of customs. You would provide the GTF list to the broker prior to the shipment being sent, as pre clearance can occur even before the shipment has left the point of origin.

If in the event duty and taxes are wrongly applied, a refund request can be made. I find using our broker generally avoids these situations.

As for shippers, you could use whomever you like and feel confident with. I find UPS to be very costly, especially their brokerage. They often try and push you into using them, saying it will be easier. We bring shipments in quite often and PCB have worked really well. Maybe give them a call or drop them an e-mail https://www.pcb.ca/contact.cfm

I don't see how any shipping company can be any more help in customs clearance than a broker. For a broker, this is all they do.

MatteoHV

Hi

we just moved from London to BC, and i can tell you that is much easier using a removal company than Fed ex, ups or else, and packing all your stuff alone it would take days, the company does it in one day generally. removal company have to have an authorization to bring in your goods (always subject to clearance from Custom).
It depends what you want to bring here. we left all the furniture in UK, simply because houses or flats have different layout and sizes. Almost all the bedrooms have built in wardrobes, and eveything else (unless you are rich etc) you can easily find it on Ikea or Craiglist. Wine and Spirits are very strictly controlled here ( i brought my wine cellar and have some problems due the bad job from the removal company, which in all honesty for everything else did an excellent job).
it tooks 6 to 8 weeks from the final payment, and they deliver it at home once cleared. Suggestion is to declare everything, it can be very costly and dangerous not declare some stuff and try to bring it in, can be charged for smuggling and it may affect your visa.

kirstyp

We don't typically recommend using wardrobe boxes on overseas moves as the movement of the ship/container/box can cause items to fall from hangers. We typically suggest packing clothes in lay flat or standard cartons.

Are you looking at a full house move or just a few boxes? this may also affect the type of company you choose to move with, whether you are looking for door-to-door full service (including packing, transport, customs clearance, delivery) or just parts and other parts you'll do yourself.

Rainmaker

Hi Matteo - thank you for your input - I do intend to declare everything, I am just thinking about how best to cut costs, costs which seem to be rising every day :s
In an ideal world I would want a removals company to take care of absolutely everything, however it is not as great a move as your probably was from the sounds of things - I too will be leaving the bulk of my furniture here/selling them with the same thinking that you had - I will be taking to large mirrors, a large painting, a large lamp and a number of books/decorative items - all of which can be packed myself - I was just thinking that given the relatively small sized move, opting for a shipping company from which I can obtain a more favourable rate would be more cost effective and without any issue?

It sounds as though the choice of shipping company does not have any impact on the move, but that ideally using a removals company with experience in such relocations...

Rainmaker

Hi Kirsty - thanks for your thoughts - I am reading similar stories regarding wardrobe boxes which is a shame to hear as we have a number of delicate items of clothing which would benefit from being in those boxes as opposed to being packed in suitcases/boxes.

Are all wardrobe boxes troublesome and subject to collapsing or having the hangers fall off? Or are some wardrobe boxes better than others?

Thanks again Kirsty.

MatteoHV

Hi

well, mine been very good, nothing broken or missing and peace of mind. When i went to the CBSA office to clear my goods, they wanted to know who packed the goods. It seems that they put more trust in the removal companies rather than peoples. I notice that they did not open a box, just trusted what the company declare under my supervision.
Trust me that when the moment gets closer, you mind is everywhere, and having the trouble to fill documents etc for your goods, is a nightmare. And which documents fills etc, is even worse.
It cost a bit i know but peace of mind is priceless. Ask for a quotation from 3 different companies, i used White and Company (yes i had a problem with the wine and they weren't good for this) but everything else been good for me. Have to be honest.
Hope it helps

cxx

We've moved a few times and each time we've used wardrobe boxes. They seem to work best if you check the items are securely on the hangers, the hangers fit the rails well (the rails can be odd shapes) and if the boxes are tightly packed, but there are no guarantees. The quality / sturdiness of the boxes has varied widely between companies, with those supplied by a local Canadian company being the worst and those supplied by a British company being the best (at least 20 times stronger). If you want to use them it may be worth asking the companies who are quoting to provide samples so you can compare.

Rainmaker

Thanks CXX - I am reading that the wardrobe boxes are hit or miss - what is the name of the company in the UK from which you purchased the sturdiest wardrobe boxes?

Much appreciated.

cxx

I really can't remember what they were called as it was quite a few years ago. I tried searching my old emails but couldn't find anything, however it's possible they have a different supplier these days anyway, so it's probably better if you just ask the companies to provide samples.
I do remember we once got some from one of the storage companies (Big Yellow or something) and they were quite sturdy but had odd rails that only allowed you to hang a few items so everything fell off.

Rainmaker

Really appreciate you going through your old e-mails.

I am hating this move prep more and more as every day goes by - can't wait until it is all over.

Thank you for your insight and guidance CXX.

Rainmaker

With regards to clothes - those that you did not place in the wardrobe boxes, how did you get them over with you? Did you take them as excess baggage on the plane? Did you place them in cardboard boxes and ship them over? Would be interested to hear.

Thank you.

Siouxie

There's also the option to send them air freight (cargo) - handy if you are flying on Air Transat. The goods are taken to the airport 3-4 hours prior to the flight, you log them in with the cargo department.. then get your flight and when you land, go to the customs for cargo to clear your shipment, then collect your goods. I believe you have up to 48 hours to collect them without incurring extra charges, if you not of the mind to get them the day of your flight. All documentation is done via email (a simple 'goods to follow' list, valuation etc.,) and the costs are very reasonable if you are not shipping a great deal of items.

My son got packing boxes and packing materials from one of the online stores, delivered. If you have heavy or delicate items, I would suggest double walled boxes.

If you really want to use a wardrobe box then put the items on hangers and place them in plastic clothes bags / suit bags etc., then run heavy duty duct tape over the top of the hangers and onto the rail. That should stop the hangers sliding off. To stop the clothes slipping, put silicon or rubber bands over the arms of the hangers or use a glue gun to make a rippled ribbon or dots along the top outer edge of the hanger. (or spray the ends of your hangers with this! https://plastidip.com/our-products/super-grip/ )

If you are shipping the clothes by sea, I'd also suggest putting in a few of those silicon bags to stop any damp/mildew forming, if you aren't using vacuum bags.

I shipped the clothes I didn't need in vacuum bags in normal double walled boxes (reduces the volume considerably so reduces your costs).



Edited to add, you may find the wiki articles of use: http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Catego...gistics-Canada