Shipping from UK
 

Evening/Morning!

Today I had our first quote for shipping, nice guy, really informative.
We will probably be looking at a shared container as we don't plan to take all that much, largest items being our paddle boards ;)
Anyways... The company that popped by today was Doree Bonner International... has anyone used them?
Would like some feedback on experiences, any companies that were fab or any to avoid?
We also have White and Company, Britannia and Bournes coming to give us quotes.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We shipped our stuff with crown relocations about 8 weeks ago and they have been excellent. They weren't the cheapest but did they did include maf inspection charges so worked out about the same!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Hi there. I went through this process 12 months ago and certainly Doree Bonner impressed. But I went with PSS in the end who were competitive and were exceptional. But I think it comes down to the “guys on the van” at the end. If there is a weak link it the idiots in NZ that you have to eb aware of. NZ Van Lines leave a lot to be desired, just the conduct and professionalism. In the end, only a small mark on a domestic appliance on a 12,000 mile voyage. Out stuff left Hertfordshire end of November and we saw the Maersk container in Dunedin arrive 17th January.
For me, bring as much as you can. There is virtually no saving having half a container and that will also delay the process getting to NZ. Given how rubbish the GBP rate is to the NZ Dollar, I would bring everything you can lay your hands on and more! We did and also we are building a house and I am going to self import from the UK next year for carpet, flooring, ovens, fridge freezers in fact probably another container! You will be staggered with the exchange rate just how expensive and frankly “crap” the range available to you is in NZ.
That’s my first blog done! Good luck.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Hi, we are new to the forum and have been reading the many comments regarding shipping.
We are currently trying to decide between two - PSS & Bonners. MarineBoyNZ what made you decide on PSS? Anything in particular?
There is about £1k difference between the two at the moment, PSS being the more expensive....!
We are shipping 1 x 20' household plus overspill and two vehicles in a 40'!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We chose PSS over Crown as it gave the most competitive quote to from London to Christchurch. They were willing to negotiate down the insurance rate. The experience was positive at both ends. The only thing that was damage was a cupboard backboard which was replaced easily and we didnt bother claiming.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Thanks! They did bring the "insurance" down and of course no tax, still overall more expensive, might see what they can do to be more competitive!
How are you finding it?

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We used PSS and the Chch NZ Van Lines who unloaded were absolutely brilliant and so professional. ;);)

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Boner simply would not budge on price even to match PSS so we went with PSS. No damage at all. We used LETTON PERCIVAL for our insurance at about 1.25%. We never made a claim so can not assess if they are any good but there are only a couple of underwriters anyway. Good luck

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Thanks all.
Bonner offered a reduced insurance quote without being pushed to be fair, PSS are more expensive so I've gone back to see what they can do. I do like the idea of the free air freight and storage
I've also got a quote from Percival which is competitive!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

With regards to the free air freight from PSS, the box is pretty small and it costs to collect from the airport in customs charges or you can upgrade to door to door for not much more, I think its about $80 and no custom charges. We are going with PSS but have opted now for the free TV crate as that was actually of financial benefit, rather than ending up costing us a fair bit more.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Thanks
When do you go? We're still debating what to take, my washer is about to be replaced as its on its last legs, trying to decide whether to buy a cheap one here or try and hold on!
What about the dryer?
So many decisions :)

Re: Shipping from UK
 

World wide guarantees are next to useless so your Northern hemisphere new washer will be unsupported if a fault occurs. If you relocate to Chch you can dry your washing outside, we have for the last 4 + years....;) Lisa Maree is spot on with the customs charges for the box... we could have bought the contents cheaper in Warehouse to get ourselves started....

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Yeah I thought that. What about cost of local repair if it's a brand that's available locally?
Happy with drying outside and ChCh is a possibility :)
We spend years collecting stuff for our home it feels weird to be stripping it down to basics! I have hundreds of books.... Kindle time lol!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

I initially thought the air freight box was tea chest size, was planning on kids toys and scooters but when I googled for an image its really small, cant think of anything that useful that could fit in it that you wouldn't be better off just buying when you get there!

We are bringing our dryer as its just been serviced / parts replaced as part of that scandal recently with poor design causing fires!! So its like new really. We are renting so don't have washing machine etc but I think its a good opportunity to perhaps see if you can build up some credit history on a mid range washing machine??

Re: Shipping from UK
 

That's not a bad idea re credit history, mines pretty good here so I'm not used to not having one haha! I never really gave that much thought, I did see that the banks like period of credit history here so I'd thought to take experian credit file and also things like credit card and mortgage statements!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

from our experience we never had to show the bank anything from the UK, just had to show we had a permanent job.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

we got the free air freight with PSS but you do need to pay to have it transferred from Auckland to where ever you are

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We're still deciding which shipping company to go with. LisaMaree, thanks for info re the airfreight box size, as I thought it would be a lot bigger! Have also discovered our TV's original box has been munched on by rodents, so the crate might be useful.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

It's a minefield isn't it, between what they include and what they don't it can be really misleading! We ruled out a few just because they were too lazy to come out! Bonners or PSS for us I think though I have heard crown mentioned - not one on my list as yet

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Minefield indeed! I think we're down to PSS and Crown, need to go over the small print properly, and also try and get them to move a bit on price.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

I might try crown! What volume are you shipping? We have 20' plus vehicles in another

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We've got about 75% of a 20', so have quotes for "sole use" and groupage. Our vehicle not worth shipping!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Books are expensive here so don't strip too far. I kept most of our reference books (despite Google making them semi-redundant). Kindle is OK for fiction though. You might want to trawl Amazon for Kiwi centred books eg Rough Guide, Wildlife, even a History of NZ :) as it will be cheaper than buying here.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We too had documents to show our good credit history and no claims bonus's for the car insurance. Didn't need any of it. No one was interested.
We also got the free PSS airfreight and just added as much as we needed to be in it which was a lot more than the free offer but it didn't cost us that much extra. We also didn't have to pay any extra to have it transported from Auckland to Wellington where we picked it up from a secure customs storage facility. Was meant to be with us in 2 weeks but took around 4 weeks in total.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We've got loads of travel books and maps from when we were there in 2011 so we will keep those. The majority of mine are fiction. I'll thin them out a bit then! I suppose as long as we don't go over the capacity it doesn't matter what we bring!!

Not sure of the benefit of the air freight at the minute, aside from paperwork maybe and extra clothes we can't carry on the flight.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

I am planning a second-hand book spending spree on Amazon! Have voucher from birthday to use up :D Might invest in a book on growing cucumbers.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Maybe i should pack the greenhouse....! And we could use our old second hand books to grow mushrooms on the sunny window ledge :)

Re: Shipping from UK
 

The airfreight was pretty much necessary for us.
We had 8 weeks to wait for our container (around Mid May) so didn't want our baba in a travel cot for all that time plus we wanted him to have other toys etc and not have to buy a load more - all stuff we couldn't carry with us on the journey.
We put the boys full size cot & cot mattress in there with all the bedding, monitor set up etc, other baba toys and clothes, work clothes for me - office pants/shoes/shirts and sent winter clothing and footwear for us all as we arrived mid Autumn in Wellington.

Didn't really need the winter stuff as the weather was pretty good in the Hutt Valley late Autumn/early winter 2012 from what I remember. In the end I had to buy a couple pairs pants, shirts and shoes for work as the airfreight took around 4 weeks when we expected 2 weeks.
We were glad to get all the baba stuff so it served it's purpose.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

There's a thought, car seats, although we are shipping a car..... But we will need seats for the hire car.

Work clothes makes sense and bulky coats. Did anyone arrange any excess baggage with the airline?

What about family treasures and memento's, I've got some old photo albums and my dads stamp albums, would you trust that to shipping?

Maybe I should box it up and leave it with someone at home

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We were told the PSS airfreight box was 46x46x46 (4 cu feet) with max weight of 25kg.

Car seats - the airlines should take these free of charge (or at least, one item per baby/child, check airline policy). We're taking at least one full booster seat and one half booster with us.

Family treasures/mementos - not sure! We have a few, and will hopefully fit the most precious in our luggage. The rest we will have to ship. When we left NZ years ago, I left quite a bit behind, so perhaps you could do that initially, then bring out at a later date (either in person, or by ship)?

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Yep the box is 4 cu feet and that's barely big enough for a pair of shoes each - DH is size 12 and his bloody shoes take up so much space!!!!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

:thumbsup: brill!
Can't wait to use that then!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

Have you been and come back and are going back again?
Maybe I'll store at home, I couldn't bear it if some of it got lost/damaged! And like you say I could bring it out in person another time!

Re: Shipping from UK
 

I'm a Kiwi, married to a Brit, and have been going back and forwards! This time is the worst, as we have accumulated so much more stuff (thanks, kids). Most of my old photos, etc. are in storage in NZ. I'm also worried about things getting lost or damaged in transit, but we won't be leaving anything behind in the UK. Sounds like it would make sense for you, though.

Re: Shipping from UK
 

We took a car seat with us as at the time we only had 1 child and we needed it for the journey as we stayed in the UAE and AUS for 4 nights at each stop.
If you don't need a car seat on the journey just hire one from the car rental place as they all have the option to include a car seat.
I'd highly recommend buying car seats and shipping them as they are expensive here.
We thought about excess baggage but decided to take the risk. We got stung in Dubai to the tune of 440 GBP's but hey ho it would have cost us that for the extra baggage for the whole trip.
We sent all our momento's, photo albums etc in the container with all the rest of our goods and no issues.