kamikaze

We have a self storage facility and use 10, 20 & 30ft containers all the time, the amount you can fit in acontainer is all down to who packs it, we work with 3 different removers and there work differs widely, I have seen one company move a customer in to storage and use 2 x 20ft containers and the the other company come and manage to fit 2 into 1, I would never have thought of filling and packing someones belongings as an Art but it is, a skillfull remover /packer can map out your entire home contents in his mind and pack the whole container in his head, the £7 per hour muppets just load the heavy stuff first and then bung everyting else on top, For my money its well worth asking the question "Who will be packing my goods ?" If its 2 boys in a van then ask if there time served because the lads who turn up here are full of muscle and short on brains !!!! Give me an older Gent who has 20 years under his belt anyday, a well packed box = no damage, We are sending our own containers out to Vancouver and we are starting the pack now with bits and bobs migrating into storage as we decluter the house ready for the estate agents,( we head for vancouver over chreistmas) a new " One trip" container will cost you £1900 more or less dropped to your door in most cases,We can supply if you like, Most of the shipping companys would rather you rented there containers but DHL frieght will move the seacan for you. and then you have it at the other end for storage.

JYC

I would advise when packing containers to carefully consider how the contents will fit and react with each other. During the handling and sea passage the container will experience up/down/sideways/rocking motions, as well as sudden forces. So it is important to "pack" the space and consolidate the items together to minimise the free space and ability to allow items to move. Plywood can be used for this. I have seen many containers were the good have shifted as they were not suitably packed for sea passage. Due to temperature differences it is possible to suffer condensation and water sensitive items should be wrapped to protect from this.

I hope this helps.

rubberduckofdeath

Good post, karma given

BadgerNaboo

That is helpful What is the best thing to wrap the boxes computers are in?

kamikaze

Without a doubt it always best to wrap all your goods with at the very least plastic sheeting and then taped, its also worth packing any empty spaces with cardboard, bedding,bubble wrap what ever you have left laying around, even stuff you hadnt planned in taking, because empty space means room for movement and air, dead air space is how you get condinsation inside these containers, most seacans are dark coloured, green,blue,rusty red and as a result they absord heat when the sun is on them and your goods get nice and warm inside the box, then if the weather turns cooler the cooling metal roof starts to turn that internal warm air into beads of sweat , that start to drip onto your goods, normaly when a container is at rest the beads dont fall , they just evaporate the next day when the sun comes up but in transit the jiggling around makes them rain down, you should always pack right to the roof, even if its just empty boxes to kill the dead air, and also wrap well with clear polythene and bubble wrapp for the delicates, try to avoid wrapping in paper and storeing stuff on top.

Messiah Khan

So can you use 10ft containers for shipping? If so, any idea how much a 10ft container is likely to cost, including packing from the North East UK to Vancouver?

kamikaze

10ft containers are very much a speciality product, believe it or not it cost about the same as shipping a 20 foot,because they are odd sized in the stack you dont save anything, you are much much cheaper to go groupage, I have just opened an acount with MAERSK the shipping company and should have my log in details within 2/3 days, when Im online I should be able to give you real time ideas on what you should be looking to pay.

BadgerNaboo

Brilliant advice.

Messiah Khan

Thanks for that. I imagine when we make the move, a 20ft container will be more than enough (We only live in a small 1 bed apartment) so sharing a container may be the way forward. How does this work in terms of loading and unloading?

NicknBridget

We used Ewepack and self packed our 20ft container. We paid under £4000 which included delivery to and removal guys to unload at the other end.
We had to go to customs at Saint John and the removal guys followed us back with the container. Customs didn't ask to open the container and we have had no breakages at all.
We used a huge roll of bubble wrap and a huge roll of corrugated cardboard and mountains of tape and none of the furniture we wrapped was marked in any way.
We packed the container ourselves but were very methodical and it took us just under 2 hours to pack.
I was worried about the space factor but in the end we were only about 3/4 full.
Would recommend Ewepack

Lady Locket

Thanks for the recommendation. Can I ask how the shipping insurance worked out? Many people are suggesting that if you self pack, the shipping company won't insure it.

LL x

NicknBridget

Ewepack recommend an insurance company on their website, who we used without any problems.

www.ewepack.com

www.movingabroadinsurance.co.uk

Hope this helps

Lady Locket

Wonderful, Thanks guys.

JasonnJane

Hi
great advise...we are doing DIY shipping, end of october this year and have been quoted £2300 which we thought was a good deal as we are on a tight budget. Do you happen to know how much would DHL frieght charge to ship to Calgary? I did contact DHL but they never got back to me as the girl on the other end of the phone said that she didn't think they could ship personnal effects. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated

JasonnJane

Can anyone tell me where you can buy those big rolls of cling film for packing furniture?
Many thanks