best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

Hi
any advice on shipping from the UK to the USA? I am moving from london to Texas in the next few months and want to know what the score is in terms of how much it costs, best way to do it, what not to bother taking etc. It's hard to find a price per item, so i can weigh up for example whether or not i should take my dining room table or a sofa.

Anyone who has done this and has advice based on their experience?

thanks

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

There have been a bazillion threads on this subject so there's lots of info to be unearthed using the search function.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

Pidgeon.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

Call several removal companies and ask for quotes.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

brilliant.
well if anybody has any advice that isn't stating the obvious or making lame jokes i would love to hear from you.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

I called American and they were incredibly helpful, giving rates per pound, per ton, containers etc... but I didn't ship furniture just personal possessions.
As Tonrob said, search this forum, it's been discussed loads of times - ie dont bother with electrical stuff, house proportions are different so your sofa may get swallowed up in a US house, dont bother with kitchen stuff, pack it really really well, there may be delays, breakages etc.. It's all here already in the forums.
It's up to you what you take .. whatever has value to you.
When I moved from Cayman, I gave my PC to my nail guy, my TV to my hairstylist, I had a yard sale and gave the rest to the Cuban refugees.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

C'mon, BE helps those who help themselves. Take a look at past threads and you'd realise that. It's not a free service - you can't just type a 20-second question and expect people to jump to your aid with a carefully-crafted 10-minute response containing detailed information that's already on here, if you just take the time to look for it.

Now follow the well-intentioned advice already given, spend a bit of time on a decent search for the bazillion (OK, exagerration, it was just a gazillion) other threads on exactly the same question, then come back with something specific. People are glad to help in this situation, believe ot or not.

And quit trying to antagonize people with your sarcasm before you've even got to 10 posts, it's not exactly the best way to get people to cooperate - vinegar/honey, remember ... :thumbup:

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

Thanks orangepants, appreciated. I hear you all re searching - i'll persevere. It's not that easy for a newbie on this board to find stuff btw, hence the question (search is not that familiar with other message boards, or as prominent). dunroving, hear you too - but my sarcasm was in response to what i perceived as sarcasm from the previous 2 posts. anyway, i have had good pointers on this site before and hope to return the favour once i have something of value to offer back. <deep breath> let's start again!:blink:

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

If you click on Search and drag down to "Advanced", you can search for the term "shipping", and specify the US board. That should work for you - you'll have enough reading to keep you busy for a while. Just try to be like Percy (aka Mr. Vere; I have a corny sense of humor)

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

I wasn't being sarcastic. Costs change...especially in the current economic climate...also there are different determining factors such as quantity etc. Calling several companies and asking for a quote is the best way of getting an accurate price.

If you're having problems finding the old threads give me a shout and I'll walk you through the search facility.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

thanks dunrovin + jerseygirl, really helpful. apologies for any offence caused. now to those search results...:thumbsup:

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

It's sound advice as plenty of people aren't aware to search, or to even check the wiki, of which also has a lot of good general info on moving about which things are worth leaving behind and which might be worth bringing.

Depending on where in Texas you are moving to, plenty of threads specifically talking about Texas, Houston and Dallas mostly.

And welcome to BE

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

thanks bob. wouldn't have thought to check the wiki. all set now!:thumbup:

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

Bob touches on a point that I don't recall us having discussed before. In the case of TX, at least, where you are moving to can make a considerable difference.

Before we moved to the Panhandle, I was comparing notes with another BE member who was moving from very near us to Houston. They were being quoted the same price for sole use of a container that we were paying for groupage. I queried this with one of the moving companies and was told it was because for Houston, the container falls off the ship into your front yard, but for us there was a 1200 mile round trip by truck to be added on.

Re: best way to ship possessions from UK to USA?
 

Hi. We are also hoping to move to Texas (Houston) in the next couple of months (if we can sell the blooming house).

We did get a shipping quote from Anglo Pacific who quoted £4,442 for 900 cu.ft of a sole use 20ft container. This was door to door and included packing, unpacking and all materials.

If you get any better quotes than this, please post as we'll be getting more quotes nearer to move date.

Good luck!

Doug.