Can anyone recommend shipping companies to use, average costs and if you would use again for 20ft container. Also how long does it take? Thanks in advance for advice.

approx 35 days transit time from date of sailing which are weekly, sailing on a sunday. are you looking to pack the container yourselves or looking for a company to do the packing for you???

About £3500 for a 20ft to pack or £1500 if you want to pack the container yourself, ex insurance

AVOID USING DOREE BONNER LIKE THE PLAGUE - WE HAD THEM PACK AND SHIP AND THE WHOLE LOT WAS A NIGHTMARE

GLASS ITEMS WERE PACKED WITH EXERCISE WEIGHTS - NOT EVEN WRAPPED WITH ANYTHING TO TRY AND PROTECT THEM!

Thanks for that, how do you pack the container? Do they give you boxes? And how long do you get to put it all in or do you go somewhere to do it?

same as if you were moving 500 yards down the road, buy your boxes online, bubble wrap keep loads of newspapers, tape, mark your 50 boxes 1of50 upto 50/50. beds, just put them in, settees, just put them in. Nothing to it. save yourself over £1500 and do it yourself. I help loads of people move on the cheap.

Paul

the container will be brought the side of the road, you get 3 hours to load which is ample time, its £25-£30 per hour after that, or you can pay extra haulage fees for the double journey and have the container left with you for a few days but again this then causes security questions

paul

hahaha I have them coming to me on the 23rd so will let you know what happens but they were courteous and gave a competitive quote

We've had pss, john masons, anglo and atlantic international all round, quotes from £3600 - £4170 still debating who to go with, got comments on most both positive and negative

May consider doing it ourselves as we could pack and sort stuff as we go. Where do you get boxes online? Do you not need to put anything round sofas or leather? Anyone done this who can give me some tips. thanks

we've got them coming on the 26th... will have to keep a close eye on them.

Have had good feedback on them so far, I think a lot depends on the team that turn up for you.

If you pack for yourself you are not covered by insurance for breakages packing and unpacking, I am having them pack for me, as I'm using Letton Percival for the insurance despite their £100 excess

correct asher, but seriously. If I had a piece of expensive chrystal, I would wrap the thing in thin buble wrap about 4 times, put it in box, mark the box delicates, I put it into a steel 20ft container, no way would it get damaged. Some have insurance and I tell them that the policy they have paid for is loss or theft, who steels a container and how do you lose it???I have done loads of moves for friends and family all over the world and not once have they paid these stupid fees of £3500 to move. The scare/sales pitch used by these removal companies is "oh but you cannot get insurance", my packaging of my goods would be better than those people.

The biggest problem with self packed containers, is that customs/Aqis put them under more scrutiny, than company packed, and at $150 an hour any savings soon diminish.
Australian customs have a list of providers who do the right thing ,Inventories are correctly filled out, packing boxes correctly labeled etc, these jobs can be cleared in 30 mins.
If they find some thing they dont like it can take hours, and if they bring in the mobile x-ray machine it gets expensive, believe me...........mm

Ok you may be better at packing but have you ever lost a shipment? I have I lost all my belongings when the ship sank leaving me and husband with a suitcase of clothes each! I have marine insurance and I am very picky about the wording I can tell you.

Insurance is very necessary and movers employees have occasionally been known to steal!

I have self packed a lot and know how to do it (ex forces) but usually packers do it better and I shall have my beady eye on them!

We are shipping a 40ft from York to Brisbane though the company is paying for shipping and insurance we are still on a budget so we have had 7 quotes

PSS
Crown
Simpsons
Anglo Pacific - couldnt get an appointment in time was waiting over 4 wks for them to come
Bishops move
Doree Bonner
Allied Pickfords

So far they range from £4950 to £7500

Big difference so just waiting on the price from Kent in Australia who are linked with Bishops move as they will quote in $'s which the company prefer as they pay the invoice instead of us paying and claiming back. Then we will decide. I self packed the first time we went to Oz and a lot of stuff was broken (not of much value but waste of time shipping and paying the cost) though we only went with a few boxes. Had it packed from Oz to UK and that was a breeze and since I am going to be 32wks pregnant when we go I want it easy so someone else can pack especially when someone else is paying. Do not need the stress. Its bad enough having to sort through what we can take and what we cant.

Jo