Shipping Crap Halfway Around the World

Soooo... it is kind of a huge pain in the behind to ship stuff internationally. And it takes a looong time... plan on 8 weeks (unless you are more organized in advance, or more lucky than me). Horror stories on the Internet abound.

Consider that you are probably bothering to ship only your most precious and beloved possessions... it is probably worth it to invest in a reputable moving company with responsive employees in whom you are comfortable placing your confidence that they will load, wrap, ship, get thru customs, unload, etc etc. for you.

There are lots of websites that have you enter just a few details & then you will be massively phone and email spammed by dozens of international moving companies (as I learned). They quote great rates, I'm sure some are legit, but this felt sketchy to me. Pay attention to your gut feeling.

I found a few good sources for picking a good moving company:

1. Better Business Bureau - if you already have a company in mind, search for them on the National page & you can see their ratings and the number of complaints in the last 3 years. They also have an article on avoiding scams. Or you can search by your ZIP code for well-rated local companies.

2. Movingscam.com: How to avoid scams, and pick a good company (they seem to accept advertising at this site, so not totally objective, but there are many positive and negative reviews for lots of companies, which is useful, and they list the most positively reviewed companies.

3. Another source is chat boards (such as Amerikanska, also here, or Mums in Sweden, under "Tips" (not just for Mums!)).
Many sources emphasize that the most accurate quotes will come from a home inspection... even though this feels like a pain, it's probably true. And it's kind of nice to have a feeling for the person/company you'll be entrusting all your stuff to before they show up and take over your stuff. Try to get at least 2-3 quotes (based on both price & weight); the average of these will probably be a pretty accurate estimate (and can be used to negotiate a better price with a higher-priced company who offers better service).

In the end, I felt most comfortable going with a local company in San Rafael that had been in business a long time, a member of the BBB and other trade organizations (and received an A+ rating on their website), with a responsive owner who gave me his cell & home phone numbers & did what he said he would, when he said he would. His rate was reasonable but not rock-bottom, but I appreciated the peace of mind. Plus, his wife is Swedish, and he is half Swedish!

I didn't initially realize that many, if not most, local moving companies will have established relationships with "freight forwarders" and can handle international moves. You don't necessarily have to use a company marketed as "international movers".

Things I learned about int'l moving:

• Boxing stuff up: some companies ("port to port") will let you box your own stuff, bring it to the port & load into the container there. This is a way to save $ if budget is tight. Other companies ("door to door") include some or all of the packing themselves. The items can generally be insured against breakage only if the moving company packed them. A compromise that your moving company may be willing to make is to let you pack the boxes (save time/$) but leave them unsealed so the company can inspect them & verify them for the customs form.
  
• Insurance may be affected by kind of service (door or port). Most moving companies include a very minimal insurance in the rate (on the order of $0.50 per pound; for us, around 3,000 lbs, this is only$1,500, whereas our total value will be something like $20K... so, the included insurance is essentially nothing. For repair/replacement insurance, it's generally around $25 per $1000 value and it will be through a marine insurance company (which the moving company is working with).
  

• Containers: who knew there was so much to know about containers?? For door to door companies, they will somehow consolidate your stuff.
  
• For smaller shipments, everything will either be palletized (shrink wrapped to pallets) or put in wooden "lift vans" or "lift crates" (see photo), about 7'x7'x 4'. These can hold 1,000-1,200 pounds. Figure about 15-17% loss due to dead space, etc., (~166 rather than 196 cubic feet in practice). These units will be put into 20' containers with other people's stuff. You pay by volume, and it may take longer to sail since you're waiting to accumulate a full container going to the same destination. Plus, possibly greater chance of "pilferage" (the shipping company speak for, getting ripped off), more handling/forklifting (so more chance of breakage), etc.
  
• For larger shipments, you are looking at 20' or 40' steel containers. Just like on The Wire. Remember to leave breathing space for the Eastern European prostitutes trapped inside.
• Article on estimating weight of household goods (note my movers say 45 lbs per item, not 40)
• CUSTOMS & duties: Your stuff must go through Swedish customs. You can apply for relief from duties using the form on this page. (However, if you have a full service moving company, they should do this for you.)
  

International moving costs (find out what is included or not included in your quote):

1. Line haul charges

• Furniture disassembly/wrapping
• Boxing fragile stuff (moving company will not want to insure for breakage against things they did not pack themselves)
• Prepare inventory
• load into truck
• fuel & mileage
• container (crate/lift van/20 foot container)
• door delivery at destination
• unloading truck
• unwrap furniture
• remove packing debris
• Insurance (basic may be included; extra is supplemental, see above)
  

1. Documents

• Export documents
• Bill of lading ($115)
• C3 form (
• customs & border clearance
• Port fee/terminal handling/port security charge
  
• Ocean freight
• Agent fees

1. Tax relief from Sweden: http://www.tullverket.se/en/startpage/keywordsaz/az/movingtofromsweden/movingtoswedenfromacountryoutsidetheeu.4.16ca6de0120cf835feb80002326.htm

PACKING TIPS

1. Suggestions for "survival box" to open first (mark clearly)

• Soap and toiletries
• Towels
• Facial and toilet tissue
• First-aid kit
• Instant coffee or tea
• Snacks and instant foods
• Paper plates and plastic utensils
• Small pan or coffee pot to heat water
• Trash bags
• Light bulbs
• Screwdriver and hammer
• Knife or scissors to open boxes

1. Fragile stuff

• Let moving company pack for insurance against breakage
• If you pack yourself, do not stack dishes/framed paintings/etc. Have them upright, side by side, with padding in between. (This way, the weight of the other dishes is not bearing down on the bottom one).
  

1. Make sure you fill boxes to the top (use linens/clothing to save space) to avoid crushing.
   
2. If you have to pack any liquids (nothing explosive, flammable etc.), double-box inside a plastic container to isolate in case of spillage.
3. Leave out bulky items (pillows, bed spreads) rather than boxing- then they can be wrapped and used to fill small spaces, rather than having to fit in another box.
   
4. Use uniform-sized boxes as much as possible for efficient loading/stacking & best use of space.
5. Print out address labels with your name & telephone number on them, affix to all boxes.
   
6. Take photos of your stuff as you pack for insurance.
   
7. Make sure you bring the hooks and nails you need to hang paintings on the wall (perhaps tape the ones you were previously using to the back of the painting, or put them all in one place- a level and hammer would be useful too). It's a pain to arrive in your new place and have to go out to the hardware store for this.
8. Make sure you pack any tools needed to assemble furniture and bring them with you. Moment of panic when we arrived & the moving company said they couldn't put together my bed because it used standard rather than metric bolts, and they didn't have the right tools. Thankfully, I had them, otherwise this would have been a huge nightmare.