Shipping boxes from Australia to US: options
 

My wife and I are moving to the US for (at least) a few years for employment, and while I don't have any furniture I want to take along, we have about 4-5 boxes of stuff like books, clothes, etc.

I got a quote from Pack and Send (we're in Melbourne), which is not bad, but the downside is, it requires a destination address (which we don't have yet) or I have to pick it up in a depot somewhere in Woop Woop Town (or whatever it's called there), MA.

On the other hand, it seems like bringing extra baggage along on the plane won't cost as much. Cathay asks $190 per item, Qantas asks $122 per item. Cathay flies directly from HKG to BOS, which means, I don't have to drag my stuff through the dirty and congested LAX. Sounds convenient, and I am inclined to take this option. Are there any caveats though?