anita098

Hi all,

We're in the process of getting a few sea freight quotes after reading very useful threads on this website. However, it's got really confusing and I just feel like I'm doing something wrong. W

Firstly, we don't have a lot of stuff mostly personal goods like clothes (lots of clothes), shoes, books etc and a few small kitchen appliances. I think it'll end up being like 10 - 15 4cft boxes so we have decided to use groupage/LCL shipping. The problem is some of the quotes I have received are so far off from each other I'm not sure what sort of quote is a 'good' quote. I don't want professional packing or need unpacking but preferably a door to door service.

Quote 1 - 80 cubic feet = £794 + £126 collection fee (includes boxes and I pack myself, no insurance or custom fees etc)
Quote 2 - 200 cubic feet = £1248 + marine insurance (includes professional packing and unpacking etc)

Does this seem right? I was under the assumption that a 20 foot container was about £2000 so I'm struggling to understand how my quotes are so high. Am I missing something?

scrubbedexpat096

from my research i would ditch the clothes and shoes, will be cheaper to buy new than ship out current, will the kitchen appliances actually work without a converter? then perhaps just pay for an extra suitcase or two with whats left.....

scar

I am c£1000 to ship a similar amount of stuff from Scotland to Dallas and I was surprised at the cost. We actually decided not to take a lot of stuff due to the cost

Tanja87

We're currently planning our move from the UK to CT as well As we're taking a lot of our stuff we've been getting quotes for a 20ft container and they've ranged anywhere from £5500 to $7800 and that's not including insurance.... Sorry, I can't really help with your direct question but just thought I'd let you know that a container is definitely way more than £2000 as it might help put things into perspective

anita098

Thank you guys, that's exactly the kind of advice I needed! I think I'm going to have a reshuffle and leave behind a lot more than I initially planned.

Tanja87 Good luck with your move! This whole process has been so stressful for me, I hope it's going easier for you

steveq

We did it ourselves, buying our own shipping container - still in use here - and arranging our own freight. THat was 5 years ago, but I did a freight job for the museum I'm involved with in Pittsburgh "Hey Steve, how did yiou move your container here ? Can you do it again for us ? " - and had a 40 foot container collected shipped, and delivered to the museum for a hair under $5000 - that was around Thanksgiving last year (note to self: don't schedule ANYTHING for that week....).

Pulaski

You can slash what you bring and it won't impact the total cost that much - it still needs one delivery driver with one van whether you bring 10 boxes or 50. At the higher end of the scale it still takes one driver with one truck at each end to get the container to/from the port whether you are shipping a 20ft container or a 40ft container, and one loading and unloading fee at the dock, so the additional cost for a 40ft container over a 20ft is pretty small. The customs paperwork is also pretty much a fixed fee irrespective of the size of the shipment. …. Labour to pack and unpack, or even load (boxes) and unload is a very significant part of the cost of a "full service" shipment of your stuff.

So, honestly, bring what you want, because tossing stuff to save money won't save you that much. …. But definitely ditch the kitchen appliances - they are some of the least likely things to work well on 120v/60Hz mains, and also the least convenient to use with a transformer, which would be sitting on your kitchen counter.

Tanja87

Haha, I wish it was It has been so stressful already but I keep reminding myself that it will all be worth it in the end..... Hopefully.... haha! All the best to you, too! We can totally do this lol!!

RoseRoseRose