Sandra

I am currently in an internet cafe in the UK, I live in Aus and need to bring a bit of stuff back.

I have a china horse (present from dead relative). Lots of clothes for children and husband. I do not want to wait six weeks if possible but will consider if price is much better. Does anyone have any recommendations. I know PollyAnna is shipping stuff? It is bulk not really weight but the horse will need careful packing.

Any help appreciated. I am staying near Reading, Berkshire. I will check in again for your advice.

I have become a little stuck as Virgin are being very serious about only letting you have 25 kg which is very low when trying to bring extras back.

Cheers

GinaUK

Hi Sandra,

I would suggest "Excess Baggage". Depending on what you can afford, you can send your "stuff" air freight or by sea.

And as you are near Reading at the moment, you can easily drop it off yourself at their Heathrow facility (or opt to have it collected). They provide all the packing material. Just tell them what you need (e.g. tell them about the china horse).

Go to: http://www.excessbaggage.co.uk/
Then click on "Baggage Shipping" on the left-hand side.

Gina

Simba

Try http://www.sevenseasworldwide.com/ba...ide/index.aspx

Pollyana

Have a look for the poster bluenico ........... my stuff left Bristol last Friday, my sister said the guy packing was tidy, efficient and friendly -he must have been good, she let him have a couple of chocolate hobnobs!!

www.migrateglobal.com

Based in Manchester, but they had no problem coming to Bristol. I'll update people with the rest of the recommendation when the stuff gets here

Pollyana

Did you pick a shipper Sandra? I hate to tempt fate, but I have to say that so far I've had fab service from these guys at migrate global. People might remember that shipping companies are not my favourite topic, but this experience has knocked the last one for six all round. Stuff leaving the UK this week, I have a container number, ship name, ETA in Aus, all quite different from the last time.

Mr bluenico, you and your guys are doing well so far

Sandra

Cheers Pollyanna for the follow up - reminded me to tell you all how I got on.

I arrived back in Sydney Friday morning

I had this horse and loads of clothes and stuff and was very panicked because of the 23 kg limit on Virgin (which is a crap limit and they wanted 30 pounds a Kg for excess!!!!) So I checked out all the shippers given here and finally compared the prices to the Post Office.

I have used Parcel Force for 14 kg of clothes and it cost me 119 pounds which includes 150 pound insurance cover. The stuff was sent Wednesday as I left and should be here this Wednesday or Friday coming.

The saga of the Wedgewood china horse - from dead FIL (special to hubby) - I paper shred wrapped and bubble wrapped very carefully, totally panicked. MIL had a quote of 200 pounds to ship. I put that in my back pack wrapped again in airplane blankets (nicked from previous flights). I then spend 24 hrs flying panicking about horse until I arrived - I even had the backpack in a seatbelt in the car. I unpacked this item first when I got home, nearly crying with tiredness. It was perfect

So for clothes and unbreakables for weight and time I am going to recommend Parcel Force in future. For 14 Kg, I managed to pack (vaccum bags) Sportswear cheapies - Four large fleeces, 10 T shirts, PJs. A large selection of my clothes, including jeans, skirts, sweattops and then I bought loads of bedding I liked including sheets pillowcases, mattress and pillow protectors and fleece undersheets. All massive bargins (I have been here five years I know a bargin when I see it). The only restriction Parcel Force have is on size of packaging. I put mine in a large cardboard stereo box which was very large - 90 cm length by 60 height and about 30 cm wide and this was fine. After about 10kg the price is 5 pounds a kilo extra, I wish I had had more time I would have spent an awful lot more

In my case I feel I did very well. My suitcases contained loads of crap the family wanted and presents from the UK. The horse would have been shipped for 200 anyway if I had not been flying so I had a result.

Next time I will possibly go back to flying with the other airlines with a greater weight allowance. I did not bring enough Bisto and other crap I like.

Thanks everyone for your help, it is much appreciated and allowed me to get some good comparison quotes.

Very glad you are having a good experience this time Pollyanna.

I will do an update on the trip back soon, bit too tearful to tell all the news this time.

Cheers

Pollyana

Glad you got it sorted Sandra - I did think of the likes of ParcelForce, but am bringing lots of Dad's stuff so had to resort to shipping the long way.

Big hug for you - I know just how you feel - bet its partly that feeling of "thats an Aussie airport I'm landing at, why does it STILL not feel like home?"

lor

Do you think he'd mine a trip back down to Bath,if I get the mother in law to bake a cake!

Pollyana

My sister said he was pleased with the hobnobs

Do a search for the poster I mentioned and send an email or a pm!

lor

Cheer's Pollyana. bluenico has now been added to my favorites list,
I'll make contact shortly.But first we have to move into the new home ( friday) and then decide what to ship and what to leave for a few years.Until the return trip back with the empty suitcases.

alkristensen

cheers polly they are 200 yards away from my house LOL

will see what they quote.

al.x

Pollyana

Give them a try - so far they've been great Ship docks in Sydney tomorrow......

Pollyana

And the goods were finally delivered today....yes, July 2nd!

Migrate Global have been fantastic, I can recommend them 100%. Good service packing in the UK end - my sister had the stuff in her garage, but the guy was quick and efficient and so good that she gave him choccy hobnobs.
Superb communication from them the whole time; departure date, arrival date, name of ship, all correct! Arrived in Sydney 9not Brisbane, not happy with that one!) where Migrate Global had given me the agent's name....and thats where the wheels fell off. The importing company, Australian Vanlines, promised at least once a week for 9 weeks that the gear would be delivered within a fortnight. This was after dozens of non-returned phone calls and messages left, dozens of promises of "we'll call you when its released" allegations of "the company that did the actual shipping are called A---- P-----c and they won't release your goods to us and "the goods are right in front of me and will be with you within a week" - the last from an American gentleman on JUNE 1st.

It finally took the intervention of the Migrate Global Managing Director and the AP MD to get Vanlines to understand that "immediate delivery" doesn't mean it can be left in the warehouse for 2 months.

Very grateful to Migrate Global, and will thoroughly recommend them, esp as they are apparently now changing their importing company this end - partly due to lousty communication - for instance, AP calmly shipped into Sydney, without telling MG it wasn't coming direct. The long phone call to my mobile last week from MG's MD in Manchester was above and beyind the call of duty too.

Last week's final straw was Vanlines trying to tell me that it would take a week to get the stuff from Sydney to Brisbane - I could walk it in that time!

All turned up this morning, and full praise to our original packer, none of dad's ornaments are damaged, everything is fine, including my Walkers Crisps and Hula Hoops. 30 cans of dry Blackthorn cider made it too, with NO duty payable - in spite of a dire warning from Vanlines that I would be paying a vast amount in duty, and that crisps, chocolate, cheese sauce mix and Mint Sauce wouldn't get through customs at all! Little note to importing companies - please find out what is and what isn't allowed in, as people with less experience may believe you when really you are talking kack.

So to sum up - Vanlines need to learn basic customer service, a couple were great, esp an Indian-sounding guy in Operations, whose name escapes me, shame he wasn't involved earlier! The rest were a waste of space. :curse:
AP are just as incompetent as ever, shame that so many firms have to use them for the actual shipping bit.
but
Migrate Global were excellent, and I'll recommend them any time

Now off to pig myself on crisps and cider