Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Apr 15th 2006, 5:45 am
#16
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by gsnichol
Hello everyone,
I'm not quite an ex-pat yet but I will be in a couple of weeks...
I'm moving from Newcastle to Tucson to work next month and am currently engaged in the headache that is arranging to ship my belongings over to there. I only have things like books, CDs, a hifi and other bits and pieces, no furniture or electrical appliances, yet I have been quoted almost $3000 by two different companies to do the move!
I think I can use FedEx for about £600 in total for everything I wish to take. The customs stuff is a little confusing though.
Does anyone have any advice or experiences of sending their own possessions to the USA? The removal companies will do all the customs forms on my behalf, but I still don't think this justifies the price!
I'd be grateful for any comments or advice.
G
I'm not quite an ex-pat yet but I will be in a couple of weeks...
I'm moving from Newcastle to Tucson to work next month and am currently engaged in the headache that is arranging to ship my belongings over to there. I only have things like books, CDs, a hifi and other bits and pieces, no furniture or electrical appliances, yet I have been quoted almost $3000 by two different companies to do the move!
I think I can use FedEx for about £600 in total for everything I wish to take. The customs stuff is a little confusing though.
Does anyone have any advice or experiences of sending their own possessions to the USA? The removal companies will do all the customs forms on my behalf, but I still don't think this justifies the price!
I'd be grateful for any comments or advice.
G
Apr 15th 2006, 5:45 am
#17
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by dunroving
Oh, of course, sorry, then you'd better get used to being asked if you are from Scotland. 
Apr 15th 2006, 5:47 am
#18
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Sallyanne
Did you try Pickfords? Surprisingly, we found them to be the cheapest and they were very efficient. We got rid of a lot of stuff, but we still had more than you, I think, and it was about £2,300 birminham to LA.
Apr 15th 2006, 5:52 am
#19
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Circa 2000, we sent two big boxes full of books (mainly heavy and irreplaceable language dictionaries) from Mitteleuropa to Phoenix via BA Cargo. Can't remember what they cost, but it wasn't too frightening. Sent 'em off a week or so before we left, and got an email 2 days after we arrived to go pick them up from the airport. Did the customs forms ourselves, and on arrival we had to take the forms round to the customs office on the other side of the airport to get a stamp on them before they'd release them. Customs weren't interested in seeing the contents.
Apr 15th 2006, 5:53 am
#20
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by gsnichol
Well as far as I can find out there's only one US customs form to fill in per box stating that they're all personal items and should be exempt from duty. The hifi is only little and not that heavy and it works on 110V (I checked)...
If I use FedEx and attach the customs forms to the boxes, will they not be inspected in my absence and then simply delivered to me by FedEx? Or will I have to go to a warehouse somewhere and clear them personally?
If I use FedEx and attach the customs forms to the boxes, will they not be inspected in my absence and then simply delivered to me by FedEx? Or will I have to go to a warehouse somewhere and clear them personally?
Didn't you write that you are on a budget ... and now you are toying with the idea of using FedEx.
:scared:
Apr 15th 2006, 6:07 am
#21
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by User Name
Hold on there Jim boy. FedEx delivers to the UK sure, but does it deliver from the UK? Maybe FedEx does that now, but as little as about 4 years ago FedEx did not deliver from the UK. Hmmmmm ...
Didn't you write that you are on a budget ... and now you are toying with the idea of using FedEx. :scared:
Didn't you write that you are on a budget ... and now you are toying with the idea of using FedEx.
:scared:
Well FedEx have a UK website and depots here and they give quotes in £ to send things to the five corners of le monde so I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that they do... I'll phone on Tuesday and hassle them. They will be quite a lot cheaper than a proper removal firm.
I did consider taking the lot to the airport and saying "charge me excess baggage" hoping that at 4.30am the lovely Geordie lasses at NCL would be too tired to work out how much extra I would have to pay.
Apr 15th 2006, 6:10 am
#22
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
We used a company called Seven Seas last October, they provided all the packaging materials (boxes/tape/bubble wrap) etc and to send 7 big boxes cost us about 500 pounds. That was by sea and not air, but was door to door and probably took the 8 weeks they quoted.
Everything arrived safely apart from a bowl and a coffee mug. Would use them again if I had to.
Everything arrived safely apart from a bowl and a coffee mug. Would use them again if I had to.
Apr 15th 2006, 6:13 am
#23
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by gsnichol
I prefer my Sunday name, James...
Well FedEx ... will be quite a lot cheaper than a proper removal firm.
Well FedEx ... will be quite a lot cheaper than a proper removal firm.
Apr 15th 2006, 6:15 am
#24
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by gsnichol
Because they're helpfully only open Monday - Friday during office hours and because Monday is a bank holiday I will have to wait until Tuesday...
(You better get used to this, btw...
)
Apr 15th 2006, 6:31 am
#25
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Elvira
Call FedEx in the US - no rest for the Yanks just because it's Easter!
(You better get used to this, btw... )
(You better get used to this, btw...
)
Apr 15th 2006, 6:33 am
#26
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
The news anchors on Friday night were all saying have a good holiday weekend. Saturday and Sunday and they call that a holiday weekend!
And WTF do they call it 'holiday' - what's wrong with Easter?
Apr 15th 2006, 6:37 am
#27
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Elvira
And WTF do they call it 'holiday' - what's wrong with Easter?
Apr 15th 2006, 6:38 am
#28
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Yes exactly, I did notice Passover was mentioined many times earlier in the week. Why is that not called a 'holiday'?
OMG lets not go there :scared:
Apr 15th 2006, 6:40 am
#29
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Elvira
OMG lets not go there :scared:
Annoying isn't it? Imagine what it's like here on the east coast.
Apr 15th 2006, 6:42 am
#30
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Re: Experiences in transporting your stuff to America
Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
Annoying isn't it? Imagine what it's like here on the east coast.
