Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

Will do - thanks, :)

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

What can we expect the price range to be for a 20ft (by what?) container: London to Canberra, door to door?

Thanks

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

How much did it cost please?

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

Crown quoted £3500 estimated for a 20ft container from Lancashire to Perth... They are calling next week to give us a proper quote....

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

hi all,

am new to this forum as we are just embarking on our move from Cheshire to Brisbane. Looking for references for shipping companies. Have had quotes from Crown, AngloPacific, GB Lines and PSS.

Have used Crown before (New Zealand to UK) and they were great, although we had some breakages they sorted out our insurance claim quickly so we were pretty happy. Have also used Allied Pickfords in the past (Australia to UK, then UK to NZ) and they were also good - but have been told that the company has changed ownership now in the UK so have steered clear this time.

Problem is we seem to be getting a big variance in Cubic volume and quotes. Have just received a quote from Crown for over £6,400 for a sole use 40cuft container, whereas AngloPacific have quoted £4,400 for 20ft sole use and some groupage (have now asked them to quote for a 40ft container to compare apples with apples). Crown estimated 1350 cuft, whereas AngloPacific were 1170cuft! Still waiting on the other two quotes to come back - but all very confusing. Obviously don't want to get hit with a massive bill at the other end!

Definitely DON'T want to use groupage as there seem to be too many horror stories on here of stuff going missing.......

Am keen to get the PSS quote thru (but they aren't coming till Monday) as they seem to have the best reputation on the forums.

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

Yes, very confusing.:frown:
I've only had one quote so far - John Mason - 20ft container - 4K, Leicester to Brisbane.
Will let you know when I get more.

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

We got a quote from Coles today £3595 for groupage (we need 900 cubic feet) & £3995 for sole usage of a 20ft container which holds 1100 if that helps :thumbsup:
Got more companies coming over next week :eek:

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

It was 4k we bought most of our stuff as we felt it was cheaper to take than try & kit a 4 bed house out for the same money. It has paid off we had to buy some things when we arrived like white goods bed linen,towels etc is quite expensive but you can pick some good things up in the sales.It's good to have familiar things especially for the children. All our quotes we're similar it came down to a good feeling about the company we finally chose.

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

[QUOTE=chelle1607;7701560]hi all,
Crown, AngloPacific, GB Lines and PSS.

. Have also used Allied Pickfords in the past (Australia to UK, then UK to NZ) and they were also good - but have been told that the company has changed ownership now in the UK so have steered clear this time.
!
Lets just clear up, what has happend to Pickfords uk ,the company is still operating as normal, its ownership has changed hands, due to some economic restructuring.
The TEAM group a european relocation company now control Pickfords [uk], this company [team] is still part off the Allied consortium.
This was due to some much needed economic restructuring, on part of the SIRVA Group , the owners of the Allied brand...............;)mm
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=221144

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

we came out at the end of march and used john masons they were the most professional and the best price our stuff arived in six weeks all in tact would recomend this company:

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

Go through all your quotes, have a look at the recommendations on expats, ask questions about the dpot in Oz that will be handling your cargo: can you attend the quarantine inspection etc. Some companies only ship to the port, and leave you with a big mess to solve when you arrive, with potential storage costs etc that weren't expected. there are a few businesses in Brisbane that can help with your cargo, one that has been recommended before is QC Solutions. Do a web search and shoot them an email for info. Doesn't hurt to get extra advise at the other end

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

Just got another quote in from Allied Pickfords 800cbft £3185 20ft sole use....
Coles were 900cbft £3995 for sole use... Just waiting from Crown, John Masons & Anglo Pacific to send us their quotes....:D

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

I have had Crown, John Mason,Pickfords all round to quote for a 20ft container going to the gold coast as it stands J Mason have come in with the best and Crown the worst.Just getting a quote from a company in partnership with HiFx

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

We went with Crown, who were more expensive than most other quotes we got, but part of that is due to the extras that are included. Bear in mind the costs for clearance at quarantine, with Crown that's all included, and no extra fees to pay the other side unless you have items that quarantine pick up as needing cleaning (&therefore extra charges). It's not necessarily included by the other shipping companies. Also, Crown included an unpacking service on the other end as standard, which is not included with the others. So you need to check & compare apples with apples before dismissing solely based on price in quote.

We got PSS round to quote, and the guy who came round got my back up immediately by stopping me mid-sentence as I explained to him what I wanted to be quoted on. He told me he was the expert, and to please leave him to do his job, afterwards I could tell him what I wanted shipped, and he would see if it was possible to adjust. :thumbdown: Then he proceeded to plonk himself on my sofa, and whattle on for ages dissing other shipping companies, and we couldn't get him out the door for an hour - he thought he was being friendly but we were just getting aggravated by his attitude & lack of capacity to take our hints it was time for him to go. In addition, they kept phoning us to ask us what we thought of their quote, but never received it. Twice they apparently sent it, but we mysteriously never got it. Did not bode well for their service down the line to us, so we decided not to seriously consider them. I realise others have been very happy with them, but I guess you have to make a call on the companies that quote you & how you feel about the service they presented to you. It's a bit like an interview, after all, but thereafter there is an element of risk.

One other thing to note ; we were chatting to our packing crew (who were fantastic!) and it appears the crews generally tend to work independently, and get called in by certain shipping companies as required. So, may work a job for Crown, then a job for PSS, then a job for John Masons, etc. Our crew did tell us though that even though they work independently, they were contracted to work for Crown, and Crown tends to cherry pick their teams (could be a bit of self-promotion going on there too though ;)) but apparently some shipping companies will just take whatever crew is available, so they don't all necessarily work to the same standards. Same on the other end, our crew who unpacked here are exclusive to Crown, but told us other agents/companies often will rely on using independent teams. So maybe ask the companies about that as well.

Re: need shipping company recommendations please!
 

I think quality is the most important thing rather than price, i think HIFX have a deal with Anglo from what they said to me. They arent the cheapest but do seem to have a good reputation, as do Crown