sallysimmons

We're moving back to the UK from New York in a few months and, as we run a computer-based business, we need to ship two iMacs over there faster than the rest of our stuff. It will cost a fortune, but it'll be cheaper than not working for 6 weeks while we wait for them, or buying new ones over there.

My question is has anyone ever done this? I'm concerned about customs in particular. There's not much point in paying all that money and then having them held up at the airport, so I'm wondering if there's anything I can do to make that less likely.

gillyd65

We brought ours from the uk to canada via fed ex (a friend sent it on after we had left) and will be taking it back again! don't ask. Could you take them as excess on the flight with you rather than fed ex? Just a thought.

Mummy in the foothills

True I bet it would be cheaper to pack them in bubble wrap and give them a suitcase each as excess luggage. about $40 per case with BA

gillyd65

We brought loads with us when we flew out here, and ended up only paying £10 extra on our weight combined. Just pack them carefully and box them up with 'fragile' on them, our son brought a couple of precious guitars with him and they were fine in the hold.

Gabgoeshome

I'm wondering about this also. We want to bring our i-MAC too.

We still have the box and packaging, and we were hoping to just put it on the plane.

Will there be an extra charge?

sallysimmons

They do sell cases to transport iMacs in but even then, I've read horror stories of broken cases and smashed computers. You know how those guys handle luggage!

There's no insurance if you take them on the plane, which is why we were considering Fed-Ex.

gillyd65

When we were coming here the very nice check in lady at Manchester Airport asked if we were emigrating and then just weighed everything we had, totalled the amount we were allowed each and then we only paid £10! How nice she was. This included guitars packed and boxed, golf clubs (which were free anyway upto 20kg but we stuffed the bag full of extras), box of photos and a whole array of other belongings. Talk about the Clampits.......

Gabgoeshome

Thats interesting...Thanks.

We actually have all the original packing stuff (inside the box) that would do it, I assume? after all its how Apple got it to us!

Gabgoeshome

That sounds encouraging

Thanks

sallysimmons

You would think but apparently not. These cases they sell are way more sturdy than the boxes they ship in and yet they often break. You have to remember that Apple will have insurance for the things they ship - you don't.

In the end, it's a risk you either are willing to take or not. I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars to be safe than find myself spending thousands of pounds to replace the broken computer. But then again, the computer could come through fine and I might have wasted that money.

Gabgoeshome

I know ...what a pain!

Oh well, I'll put that info to DH.

Thanks Sally.

Englishmum

I don't know if you have Amex cards but they are pretty good at travel insurance (you may even have some coverage if you paid for your flights with Amex) and it might be worth giving them a call and explaining your situation.

We had some items stolen from our luggage in Puerto Rico (we'd checked our luggage to an outstation of Continental Airlines immediately after disembarking from a cruise) and Amex were very good at paying the difference between the airline compensation and what we estimated to be the cost of the missing items.

Going O/T - did you see the Youtube video clip (which was featured in the TV news) of the FedEx guy who delivered a boxed computer at Christmastime over someone's fence (it was clearly marked as fragile) as he couldn't be bothered to ring the doorbell, even though the owner was at home? He recorded it on his security system. I understand the FedEx guy was fired...

Englishmum

Also Sally there is some info here on extra baggage insurance:

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-...tml?id=5527781

alfie72

Hi all

I know this thread is old, but I'll post this anyway as a warning!

We are planning to move back to the UK soon, but previoulsy in 2004 we came back for 18 months from Sydney (long story) Anyway I sent my Mac G4 computer in it's original box via Fed Ex - lots of valuable work files, all our photos etc. This next bit is where you can laugh and call me a numpty. I backed up my computer in case it got damaged so I could load the back up onto a new computer, but put the back up in with the computer. My logic was if the computer gets damaged I'll have the back up straightaway so can get set up quickly. I know how stupid could I be. (Well not that stupid I also had DVD backups which I put in with our shipping container.)

Lo and behold when we got to the UK we were informed that the computer had made it all the way from Sydney to Bristol and had been stolen from the Business Post depot by one of the employees. I was told it was basically my fault because I'd put it in it's original packaging which was just asking for it to get nicked! The police told me there was nothing they could do because all the cameras at the depot had been pointed at the floor to allow the staff to get away with this for years. Business Post told me they accepted they had a theft problem but couldn't pursue the culprits due to the threat of industrial action and Fed Ex UK acted like a bunch of arrogant @@@@@##$@%.

Well I fixed them! I spent several nights on the phone to Fed Exs US head office with names and correspondence from all relevant parties, threatened them with legal action from Fox Studios and Lucas Film (my work was on feature films) suffice to say I soon had a cheque for a nice new expensive computer and a bit of extra compo as well. Didn't undo the stress and worse didn't undo the damage to our first attempt at returning to the UK, but we got over it.

Lessons for me:

Don't use Fed EX.
Don't use Business Post.
Don't put your back up drive in the same box as your computer!!!
And maybe most importantly-
Don't be unrealistic about the UK - there is a lot of crime especially compared to Australia, it is overcrowded, not everyone is as nice as you'd like. For me this is outweighed by everything good the UK does have but for other people it might not be.

Anyway that's my cautionary tale.

Mallory

Strange things do happen. Several years ago I had a significant birthday. There was a postal strike on in Britain. A family member sent me a keepsake gift that had been purchased at Princess Diana's ancestral home. They gave the package to a friend who owned a gift shop to mail - as she had arranged for UPS at her shop while the strike was ongoing.

When I received the brown envelope, there was a note inside that it had been inspected by customs. There was some packing material, and nothing else inside. The gift had been stolen. The envelope had been opened, and then stapled shut.

The custom form that was filled out by the sender listed the contents as "jewelry." (I bet the thief was as disappointed as I was).