Hi everyone,
We're moving to BC in the first week of August so we called up one of the shipping container companies and they arranged to come to see us to survey/estimate our needs etc. Everything went fine and then a couple of days later we received the detailed quote by email. Reading the info, we noticed it said the quote/price wasn't fixed because of us not departing until August and that the price would be 'refreshed'. Putting down a deposit does not fix the price at that contained in the quote.

We contacted them to ask for info on this and asked what price changes were likely and by how much, and the answer we got back was pretty unhelpful. Basically, it looks like they are saying their prices will increase by an unknown amount - "it could be 5%, 10% or even 30%" and that haulage costs will increase, and also there are 'unknown cost implications' due to the fact that from the beginning of August new maritime rules will dictate that each and every container needs to be weighed complete with contents before loading onto the ship.

So even if we book them now and put down the £500 deposit, they can't give us a price for an August shipment.

It just seems a bit strange to me and not at all customer focused...how on Earth can they expect someone to book their services when the price could apparently increase by up to 30%? To book/reserve with a company, I want to put a deposit down and know from day 1 what price I'm going to pay when the time comes. I mean, August isn't THAT far away!

How far in advance are people usually booking their container? When you received a quote, was it fixed or was it subject to increase in between date of booking and date of shipping?

I have to say the guy who came around was very good - very helpful and really knew his subject - but now it comes down to dealing with the details of making a booking it seems unhelpful. If anything we're looking to negotiate the quote down while they're saying the price is going to go up!

Just don't book it yet. I would also strongly suggest getting at least three quotes. Costs vary widely between shippers (or at least they did when we moved).

According to articles I've read recently, large numbers of ships are sitting idle at the moment due to reduced deliveries from China to... everywhere. So who knows how much a container will cost in six months?

Just a quick reply for your information.
We moved from Yarm in Yorkshire to BC in December 2013.
After having about 4 companies look into moving our goods we finally received a fixed quotation from Pickfords, exactly two months before our move, in October 2013.
I suspect that 8 months is considered to be just a little too far into the future to provide a fixed quotation and the removal company will probably feel that it is unnecessary to book this far ahead.
I have to say that if I were asked to provide a quotation that included provision for unknowns then I would inflate the cost, just in case.
Our move was delayed by 6 months and I seem to remember that we requested an early quotation to get some idea of cost, but I might be wrong.
Pickfords were excellent. Their partner receiving company in BC was likewise good and usefully flexible being able to store our goods on arrival, although at some cost, as we had nowhere to put the stuff.

You won't get a firm price this far out, because THEY will not be able to get a firm price, especially with the price of oil etc.

Plenty of time to shop around for budget quotes and for marine insurance, which you do NOT want to get from the removal company.

Another thing I've just remembered: Withabix is right, the shipper's marine insurance is generally very high so shop around. Also, you don't have to insure everything if you don't want to.

Thanks everyone. Can anyone recommend an insurance firm who allows you to pick the items you want to insure? I have looked at Letton Percival but unlike the insurance offered by the shipping company, they say you have to insure the full value of the whole shipment. The rate in the quote from the shipping company is 2.5% during transportation and 0.35% a month during storage in Vancouver (which we will need).

I never heard of any insurer allowing you to pick which bits you cover and those you don't. Even if you could do this, if there is a loss or damage it will be a nightmare. High value items are scheduled in any shipment. Marine insurance is totally different to home owners, it works on average weighted value. Then you get to argue over which bits were covered and which bits were not.

See also General Averaging in the event of an at sea loss. Insurance covers this, no insurance, you cover it.

The insurance through the shipping company specifically says you don't have to insure every item. It says you can itemise each item you wish to insure, detailing the replacement value for each item...and they say that in the event of damage/loss you receive the full amount for the item in question.

That sounds like the thing we ended up doing. Because we had a 40ft container and took everything we owned, the cost to insure the lot was massive. So we itemized by value and with pictures the more valuable antiques, pictures and musical instruments. We then insured these and left the rest to chance. It was still expensive but a heck of a lot cheaper than a. Insuring everything, or b. Selling stuff and replacing it on arrival in Canada.

Uninsured potion though would still make you responsible if general averaging were necessary.

Probably worth noting that most of the things found so far in the underwater search for MH370 seem to be... shipping containers that fell off container ships in the Pacific.

My advice is sell everything in the UK and bring personal effects only.

You can buy most things here for the same or cheaper, shipping is a waste of money and I speak from being in the UK Removals business for 30 years.

I think that's terrible advice. It's far less expensive to ship a household's worth of possessions than buy new.

Are you a furniture salesman in Ontario?

I agree. We looked around to see what equivalent items would cost and compared that with the cost of shipping. Shipping was cheaper and more convenient.
It's not just the large items, it's the fact that you can bring in all of those other smallish items that also make life less difficult.
Quite often, there just aren't any equivalents available. eg furniture here tends to be of the massive build that I don't find attractive.