Cawsand

Has anyone used 1st Move International? I kind of like the way they shrink wrap the cargo. We don't need a full container as we are not bringing all our furniture.

woodywoodside

I am using a guy called Paul Lea got his name on here somewhere packing myself (easy) devon to Vancouver £2400.00 It may go up or down a little as I am paying in US dollars.

helcat12

Do you mean that you are packing the whole container yourself?
If so, I have had a similar quote from a company First Move International, but what put me off that was not the difficulty of packing it myself but the potential problem with Customs and Excise.
I have heard that they are not very happy about whole containers that are "customer packed" and will have them opened to inspect the contents far more often than those packed by reputable companies who have produced the inventory.
I'm not smuggling anything, by the way but this process delays the container at the port and also incurs fees for the inspection and obviously carries the risk that you will not get the container back to the port for the next loading and so incur fees for that as well. I believe that these can be quite large and of course they are unknown until they are charged.
I rejected that option for that reason. Maybe I am falling for the spiel, but I just want our stuff to get straight through C&E and to my husband without delay.

helcat12

Yeah, I liked the look of that and if I was taking less stuff I think it looks like a very safe way to go.

woodywoodside

We have done it twice now and packing was no problem at all, as I understand it all the thing about Canada not accepting self pack is put about by the shipping companies who want you to use them and pay them for packing. Honestly this guy is so helpful he makes his money on his commission from the shipping lines. we were going to take a car but have decided not to the quote for a 40ft was £3500. we also had a quote from moving partner ship they wanted £5300. and would not let us pack. They gave us a load of c**p about issuing a packing certificate. When I said there quote was to high they came down to £3900. with in minutes which I find amazing. We originally used Dorree Bonner the first time we moved to canada. Everything was marked and damaged but not enough to claim and lots broken. They did things like wrap my crystal chandaliers in my laura ashly silk bedding. When we do it our selves we make sure everything is wraped perfectly and safe and I keep a full inventory of every single item in every box. We have wooden boxes made (husband) for things like my antque dining table and then pack underneith with pillows and bedding to save space. Look up how to pack a container on the internet its easy, We have hired a 20ft container in a storage depot which we are filling up now and we are going to load from there because of the easy access.
I hope this helps.

woodywoodside

Sorry can I just ask why you think that you would be inspected just because you packed it yourself.The moving companies use any body to pack your stuff in our case just polish casual labour not CRB checked or anything.

tomtatew

We used The Moving Partnership who were excellent packers and delivery. We had a 20ft container cost £4100 plus 2% insurance. They gave a date of 21st May for delivery to Halifax, dead on time, the agent in Halifax contacted us a week ahead of arrival, on Wed 25th (due to Canadian BH) it was with us in Moncton, undamaged and unloaded in about 3 hours.

Tracy was our countact in UK and John Walsh in Canada, great service.

I have to add that customs in Moncton were great also. We made the mistake of packing our B4 we got when landing our visa initially in September last year. The customs here made enqiries and managed to get a copy it for us. It took a few phone calls and a little stress, but it worked. So if you have lost or packed your B4, be nice to customs and they will help you.

Hope this helps.

Miss Clinique

Customs do not know or care if a container is owner packed. They request the packing list, passport and any status paperwork that may be required, when they are selecting containers for document inspection. They look at all the documents first before decieding if they are going to inspect, once it gets into port. Containers are randlomly selected by the computer before the ship gets into port.

woodywoodside

yep totally agree,that has always been my experience never on any of my documents has it said who has packed me or them

helcat12

I didn't think it, I was told it by the rep from GB Liners last week.
He basically said it was because the C&E folks didn't trust individuals to be honest about what was in the boxes/container and that they trusted companies to check what was being shipped and be honest about what was in there.
I think it is very unfair and bordering on sharp practice by the shipping companies to tell people that this is true when it isn't.
In my case, I am on my own with no family or other help nearby and having to work as well while preparing all our stuff to ship to my husband, so filling the container myself is not an option.
I have however boxed all the smaller personal things like ornaments and my trinket boxes and CDs and books. Although there is nothing of much value in there, a lot of it is sentimental value and I will not be there to collect it, my husband will and so it is likely that some boxes will not be opened until I get there some months later. So, I really do not want some stranger opening and re-packing all my smaller things. I have labelled all the boxes and made a list of what is in them - not in huge detail, but 'books', 'ornaments', 'bedding' and so on and I have a master copy list of every box number and the contents. The bigger things like furniture and instruments are listed individually. Will this be enough to satisfy C&E at the Canada end??
By the way, I posted some little while ago that Fox removals had told me that on advice from their agents in Canada, we could not ship our goods as a TWP holder. When I queried this, they then said we could, but not a 20ft container's worth. Unsurprisingly, when I asked for the documents to support this they retracted it a few days later and said it was fine.
Doesn't inspire confidence in their team, though, does it?

woodywoodside

I understand you are on your own, so of course you will have packers in it makes sense, But it annoys me when they claim that you cannot pack yourself or that they have to repack because your container will be turned away when it lands. They are just making huge profits by scare mongering and selling some people a service that they can't aford or don't need. If its true what GB liners told you why are you allowed to pack some items. Surely it would be all or nothing.

Miss Clinique

It was naughty of GB Liners to tell you that. A lot of people pack their personal items, while the crew do the big stuff. Mostly women, us girls dont like the men packing our personal bits.

Customs arent interested in who packed, only what has been packed.

I think you are worrying, understandable, a bit too much about Customs. It must be difficult getting your home packed up all by your self though.

PM me if you want any more advice.

helcat12

I started packing early with the non-regular use things like CDs and books and clothes that belong to my husband (who is already in Canada), spare bedding etc because I knew by myself it would be a big job and take a long time with work getting in the way!
When my husband was here for a brief visit at Easter, we put all the furniture we were taking in storage, as access to our house is restricted and he could help me then with it.
When GB Liners came to see it in the storage, I explained that I had packed some things into boxes and also was still in the process of packing books etc. They told me what I reported and said that they would unpack all my things that I had already packed into boxes and do it again once they had everything at their depot.
I don't want that for all the reasons I mentioned in my last post. Also, I am a demon packer, like you, and there is no way anyone could pack those things more efficiently or safely than I have done already.

Thanks also Miss C. It is a big task but I am getting there now. My husband is HOARDER and skipped off to Canada without sorting out anything, so boy does he feel guilty every time he Skypes me and sees me sat in a heap of boxes and tape! I am more worried about paying way over the odds for shipping when we ill need the money. GB Liners was £4573 while 1st Move quoted £3753 including packing the furniture and big stuff, so they were much cheaper. I think I will ask 1st Move International to come and have a proper look at what I have got - their online quote was good, but I am a bit wary as they have not actually seen the items and I don't want the cost bumping up after they collect.
Thanks all for this thread - it is very naughty for them to tell poor first timers like me such blatant porkies, but if you don't know, it seems reasonable.

woodywoodside

Thats why this is such a great forum

heading-west

Britannia Fleet came and packed out stuff up last week and took it away for storage whilst we stay with relatives.

They did a fabulous job of packing our stuff, everything was packaged and sealed so that no bugs or mildew spores will get to anything.

We organised our own insurance for 1.5% plus GBP50 admin with insure-your-move.com, we were insured from the moment the removers entered our property and includes mould and mildew, fire, storage and marine transit also mechanical and electrical derangement.

Britannia were a bit peeved that we didn't take their insurance, especially as I didn't tell them until after we had negotiated the price of shipping