Just beginning to talk to removalists & have just been told that if I pack up my own stuff it is very likely to be impounded & gone over with a fine toothcomb by UK customs ,which will not only cause huge delays but also I will receive a vast bill for this ??!!

Is this actually true or am I being told porkie pies by someone who wants to bill me for their packing services ?

A lot of the stuff that I am taking home is books/cds type of things which I could so easily pack myself that I rather begrudge paying someone to do it. Also my daughter packed up her stuff before leaving & apparently this all now needs to be unpacked & repacked by thier guys?!

Thoughts anyone ?

We are moving back to the UK just after Christmas and using Chess. We are already sold up and living in a rental until we leave. We've packed most of our house up anyway (all in boxes in the garage) only got the essentials in the house now. We are going to pack the rest that's left too and Chess will simply be coming to load everything on to the container.

We've bought rolls of bubble wrap and packing stuff and have made a good a job as a removalist would.

We did the same coming out here and had no problems with them going through our boxes anymore than boxes packed by removal firms because it had been packed by us.

I know a few people who have done the same and had no problems.

Sounds like they're trying to scare you into using their services...try another company.

Interestingly it was Chess who gave me all these dire warnings ?

The reason they gave was that there is very heightened security at Customs in the UK now because of the terrorist threat, so self packed goods are being particularly targeted as likely to be bringing in 'nasties'.

Can I be really cheeky & ask you what sort of rate they gave you ?

Haven't yet had the quote so I am not sure how much worse it will be for them to do all the packing- suspect quite a lot .I'd still want them to do the nice bits of furniture/pictures but the easy stuff just seems a waste of money.

Hi,

We (ok mainly my DW), self packed all the boxable items, and just had the furniture packed by our packers.

No problems at customs, they didn't even open the container. I think they just x-ray it for strange shapes, body heat, etc. This arrived in the UK in August.

Original price was AU$ 7750, Melbourne to Peterborough, revised price due to us self packing was AU$7000. That was with OSS.

tbh, a number of boxes had never been unpacked, and I wasn't going to unpack them, just to pay to have them packed again.

One word of caution though....... some insurance will not cover self-packed item for damage. They will only cover total loss.

Pete

We did this too on our way back from NZ. We could not get insurance because they did not pack it. Could not afford it any way. But it all came through fine, no problems fines etc. That was in 2004.

The price we had been given by Chess from Perth to Exeter was $8,300 but they said they will knock money off for us packing ourselves. We are awaiting a revised quote so will let you know as soon as we have it.

I think all the removal firms will try to sell you the full package as they are counting on their men being at a house for 2/3 days and they will and do try to make as much money out of you as they can.

We realise about the insurance problem but it is very unlikely the ship is going to sink and your things get lost and broken but we are looking in to insuring some of the expensive items we have.

Know lot's of people who have packed themselves and not had their boxes looked at all, just x rayed.

We was quoted 7900 from perth to Surrey, and 7590 for them to just pack the large items and we pack all the boxes,(as we already have lot's packed) told them they can unpack and repack the lot

After looking at some of the letters we decided to double check about the self packing just to be 100% sure and telephoned the British company that moved us to Perth originally for some advice on own packing. They are a great company that deal with thousands of people coming to and from the UK every year.

We asked them about own packing and the pitfalls. They phoned a department that deals with Customs in the UK for us and gave us a call back.

We have been informed that Customs do not specially segregate containers packed by owners and treat all containers the same whether packed by the removal company or not.

Customs do like detailed lists from customers and numbered boxes so they know exactly what should be in each box. So it is a very good idea if self packing to organise and do this really well. Make sure all the boxes are numbered and give as much detail as you can about what is in the box. We have a lot of our boxes already packed, numbered and put on a list with details of what is in each box so we are quite happy to leave them like this and carry on packing ourselves!

The better the job you do of this makes it easy for Customs to see what you have in each box and they won't be bothered about going through everything.

The man we spoke to said Aussie companies here are talking a load of codswollop and out to make more money!

We are quite happy now to carry on packing!

Remember to paint your garden tools etc and spray them if you can to make them nice and clean! They will like that.

Also bear in mind if you self pack then you will self unpack at the other end!

That is reassuring- I shall start my packing now! Great tip about being so detailed in the labelling,which I would probably have been a bit too lax about otherwise.Thanks so much for clarifying this - I can now avoid being taken for a ride !

it's always a good idea to take photos of your stuff incase of loss or damage ...good luck

also on the accurate labelling side - I am packing boxes now for a local move. I am obviously sticking in the stuff thats used the least first and describing it fairly precisely. The removers will pack what i dont get to (ie most used) That way when we get to the other end - I will know which boxes I can leave til last as I will know whats in them. When Ive left removal firms to pack in entirety - they are so vague I ended up with 20 boxes labelled kitchenware - and i had to open and rummage through every box to find a cup or something. Makes life a lot easier if i can see that one box contains nothing but tupperware or saucepans etc.

Yes, the packers go through a place like machines. It'll be labeled by rooms, but that's it. We once had them pack a waste paper basket, complete with everything in it, very neatly and securely. Theirs not to reason why...

It's a good thing and they're very fast, but I've never been unpacked at the other end and it sounds tricky unless you're moving into an identical place.

BTW, I'm not sure, but the way I understand the no insurance if self packed is that you can claim if the box is clearly damaged. ie the vase inside an undamaged box is broken. If you packed it, it's your problem. but if the box is all bashed up, then it's their problem.

And I'm pretty sure the shipment as a whole is insured against road accidents, sinking ships and such under the company's coverage.

I'm not swearing to it, but that's what I've always understood.

Bev

We have always packed our own stuff and never had a problem. Customs & Excise pick containers at random; if they decide to X-ray you are likely to be charged, and the amount varies. We've just come through all this with the shippers at Southampton, so I told them exactly what our Toronto shippers told us, and that was that we had paid for everything upfront so there would be no hidden surprises. We heard no more about it. We were, however, charged "quayside rental and demurrage" of £13.45.....a piddly amount compared to what the X-ray charge could have been; this is apparently a charge for the actual space on the quayside that your particular container (or share thereof) takes up until it's moved to wherever.
As to insurance, there always seems to be much debate about this; the various shippers we've used in the past have all said the same thing......it is only a whole load that's insured against loss if the ship goes down. We have never taken out insurance, and never suffered a loss.

Good luck....I hope it all goes well for you.

we arrived back in august, we self packed had no probs with uk customs and insured it through letton percival

we used Kent in oz and they are linked with john masons this side

good luck