MorsePacific

As of August 24th (pending Visa approval) I'll be moving to NYC from London!
I'm actually going to be going straight on holiday, as my gf and I had booked a cruise from Miami months ago, so I'll be flying into JFK, leaving some of my stuff at her parents' place, then we'll be flying down and getting on the boat. Returning on September 4th to go and get my SSN and do my I-9 interview in the office and get down to it!

My company's HR department is being typically slow and messing me around a bit, so I'm trying to get ahead of as much of this as possible by myself rather than relying on them. I've been told they're putting me in touch with a relocation firm in NYC who will hand-hold me through some of the process, but that was last Wednesday and so far still nothing.

My belongings are split between my house here in London and my parents' place in Wales. My intention is to package up everything in London that I want to ship, then take that back to Wales, package up everything there that I want to ship, and have them send it after me once we've got permie accommodation in NY.


When I moved to London last year I used this firm for my packing boxes and I must say the kit they sent was rather excellent: SNIP

I was planning on doing the same again but my question is around the packing itself:

• Is it smarter to stuff the boxes as full as possible, or use lighter and more boxes with added bubble wrap? (most of this will be clothing to be fair).
• For customs, is it a requirement that every box content is itemised? I obviously will want to do that as I'm packing!
• Generally do you pay per kilo or per box? This will have an impact on my approach to the first list item.
• Are dimensions an issue? I have one oversized item to move - a Sonos Soundbar.

As I say I'm sure my 'relocation helper' can advise me on this, but I don't know when they are going to get in touch.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

malch

Pack the boxes as full as possible but with sufficient bubble wrap or padding to protect the more fragile items. HOWEVER, keep an eye on the weight as you pack.

As a young man, I thought it would be "tidy" to pack all of my books in one big box. It all went in nicely, fitting perfectly. Then I discovered I needed a bloody fork lift to move the damn thing :-)

WEBlue

I agree with the above. It's important to know WHO is going to be moving your boxes where--will your parents have to shift them, or will big strong deliverymen handle them all along the way? (Hard to tell b/c your link was removed....)

MorsePacific

I have no idea why my link was removed?
I found this in the Site Rules "The forums, (including the private message, blog and email systems), are not a venue for advertisements in any way. Please do not post promotional/advertising messages, urls, nor specifics that would lead people to your site/blog/product/service/Facebook group etc. "


I am in no way affiliated with PackingBoxes.co.uk

Perhaps this will be better. Anyway, I moved across the UK with these are they were pretty good, but I'm not sure if they're hardy enough for international travel?

Excellent point about the packing weight. For a start I'll have to move them around (and I'm not a strong man ). They'll be in a garage back at the parents' place but wouldn't be surprised, even if deliverymen show up to collect them, if dad tries to help out so that's very much worth bearing in mind.

Pulaski

Also expect your box to be bumped or dropped, so the box needs to be strong enough to retain it's integrity given the weight it is containing. In other words, just because you and the moving company employees can lift your box doesn't mean that when the box is unceremoniously dumped on the ground it won't split open.

If you're packing particularly heavy stuff you can get extra heavy duty boxes, designed for packing plates and other crockery.

Mallory

Check the weather forecast before your cruise - after all, it is the hurricane season!

Pulaski

Not just "the weather forecast", you need the National Hurricane Center!

MorsePacific

Good point - that's why I'm considering the double-walled stuff just-in-case. There won't be much heavy stuff, but I'd still like for my boxes not to get broken!

WEBlue

Has your firm's relocation person contacted you yet, MorsePacific?

Some of the questions on your list will depend on the moving company that your firm hires.... Or will they just give you a lump sum & you sort out the rest?

MorsePacific

They haven't. There's been a balls-up regarding some important information - took them almost a month to realise - and we're now waiting on that to be fixed. They've given me a lump sum already, but it's unclear whether that's meant to cover everything. I think it is, but I'm also hoping that they give me some guidance on recommended firms etc.

Pulaski

That lump sum is taxable, so keep at least 25% back to pay the tax bill in 2018, q1.

deadshoppingmalls

Both of my relocation lump sums ($10K) were grossed up - it's standard in most corporate relocations.

MorsePacific

Already paid as a spot bonus into my UK account with last month's pay check. My pay etc. doesn't transfer over until September 1st.

Pulaski

Agreed. It doesn't hurt to remind people though.