Recommendation for shipping company for US relocation

mi16

As above - any recommendations for shipping companies to relocate personal belongings to the US?

Any experiences/advice from those who have been through it?


Thanks

él statutorio

Did it a few years ago, shipped out some furniture, clothes, kids stuff, kitchen stuff etc.

It was too expensive and not worth it.

If I was doing it again I'd sell most of it in Ireland and buy it again in the US. Anything I'd want to take with me I'd just put in a suitcase and pay the extra bag fee.

mi16

Thanks él statutorio - that is interesting to know. I have gotten some rough quotes and it does seems pretty expensive for what it is.... ~€2k as an estimate based on description of our items.

él statutorio

mi16 wrote: »

Thanks él statutorio - that is interesting to know. I have gotten some rough quotes and it does seems pretty expensive for what it is.... ~€2k as an estimate based on description of our items.

I think we paid about €3k, can't quite recall.

The downside is we shipped everything in Early June, were told it would be about 12 weeks to get there (Aug/Sept) Stuff arrived in November which was a pain.

We shipped most of our clothes so we were in effect living out of 2 suitcases of clothes each until the stuff showed up. It was fine in the summer but really annoying once winter hit. Onyly had 1 kid at the time so she got a new wardrobe.

Where in the US are you headed to?

mi16

él statutorio wrote: »

I think we paid about €3k, can't quite recall.

The downside is we shipped everything in Early June, were told it would be about 12 weeks to get there (Aug/Sept) Stuff arrived in November which was a pain.

We shipped most of our clothes so we were in effect living out of 2 suitcases of clothes each until the stuff showed up. It was fine in the summer but really annoying once winter hit. Onyly had 1 kid at the time so she got a new wardrobe.

Where in the US are you headed to?

Christ, that was a long wait. Definitely need to consider our options, as even 12 weeks is quite a lot of time.

Off to Charlotte NC sometime in Jan - quite daunting but equally exciting.

él statutorio

mi16 wrote: »

Christ, that was a long wait. Definitely need to consider our options, as even 12 weeks is quite a lot of time.

Off to Charlotte NC sometime in Jan - quite daunting but equally exciting.

Yeah it was a pain in the hole to be honest.

If it's just yourself, just do suitcases and pay the extra $100 per bag.

If you've got a better half and/or kids I'd plan on a min of 2 big bags each. Invest in a luggage scale, use vacuum bags for clothes as they don't weigh much but take up a lot of room.

There isn't anything that we shipped that I couldn't have broken down and stuck in a case. I reckon if I'd done it with suitcases I'd have done it for about $1,000 or so.

andrewfaulk

mi16 wrote: »

Christ, that was a long wait. Definitely need to consider our options, as even 12 weeks is quite a lot of time.

Off to Charlotte NC sometime in Jan - quite daunting but equally exciting.

12 weeks is excessively long for the Us, 3 weeks door to door would be more normal..

Depending on how much you have to ship, you can get reasonable prices, particular to NC as there are a few big ports in this area..

How much cargo would you have OP?

mi16

andrewfaulk wrote: »

12 weeks is excessively long for the Us, 3 weeks door to door would be more normal..

Depending on how much you have to ship, you can get reasonable prices, particular to NC as there are a few big ports in this area..

How much cargo would you have OP?

Thanks Andrew. 3-4 weeks certainly sounds more reasonable. Are you in the business or able to recommend any particular companies to talk to?

Cargo is mostly clothes/personal belongings for 2 people. Potentially 2 bikes and camping gear. Some artwork, minimal kitchenware, no furniture. Pretty hard to gauge without seeing it boxed up.

andrewfaulk

mi16 wrote: »

Thanks Andrew. 3-4 weeks certainly sounds more reasonable. Are you in the business or able to recommend any particular companies to talk to?

Cargo is mostly clothes/personal belongings for 2 people. Potentially 2 bikes and camping gear. Some artwork, minimal kitchenware, no furniture. Pretty hard to gauge without seeing it boxed up.

I work in freight but personal effects isn’t my area..

Did you get quotes from Spratt in santry and IPS in swords? They may be able to help you out

HDMI

mi16 wrote: »

Thanks Andrew. 3-4 weeks certainly sounds more reasonable. Are you in the business or able to recommend any particular companies to talk to?

Cargo is mostly clothes/personal belongings for 2 people. Potentially 2 bikes and camping gear. Some artwork, minimal kitchenware, no furniture. Pretty hard to gauge without seeing it boxed up.

We are currently in the thick of this cargo shipping lark.

We went looking for shipping from Dublin to Wilmington NC, initial quote was around 500 euro for 4.5 cubic meters (2 pallets) and then customs fees and handling on the US side. You also need a broker on the US end to deal with customs for you. We paid 800 euro up front knowing we would have some small stuff to pay once our stuff arrived.

Our stuff was shipped first Dublin to Rotterdam before being loaded onto a transatlantic cargo ship to Wilmington NC, we were advised 33 days transit. It was shipped the 7th September from Dublin and at the beginning of October my wife got an email from a container company called Troy in New York who we didn't know looking for $185. We checked our paperwork and got a number for our broker, turns out he didn't even know who we were, the company in Dublin had not passed on the paperwork (power of attorney) to him. It turns out the cargo ship stops in New York and our stuff was to be transported by truck to a customs bonded warehouse in Wilmington. He advised just pay the bill and he will sort it all out with the company in Dublin, but he warned us that the guys on the docks try rip you off.

Then apparently the container our stuff was in was flagged for a VACIS x-ray exam which you must pay for, then it was selected for extra handling and checking which again you must pay for, this bill from Troy was $270 and it still has not left New York. We asked for proof of this scan and they said they cannot provide any but we must pay the bill or we are not getting our stuff.

This morning our stuff arrived in Wilmington and we are waiting on customs clearance paperwork and more bills. The guys in Wilmington get paid also for handling your goods and the broker has to be paid. Like we were warned they all want a cut of the pie so everyone that handles it bills you.

Honestly I am sick of it, 33 days my arse it's been 53 days so far and we still haven't got it. Also if you want it brought to your home the fees start at $250 before they lift a box. I am hiring a truck and driving to Wilmington to collect it myself. Don't use U-Haul return they charge 69 cent a mile plus a daily rental fee, drive your car and do a one way rental if you must use them. We are going to hire a transit size van from enterprise rental for $83 with no mileage fees.

Depending on what your shipping I would start checking air freight prices. Certain times of the year American Airlines fly direct to Charlotte and maybe you can get a d3cent rate. We had 30 boxes and a couple of dressing tables and I am starting to think it would have been easier to check it all as baggage and at least have it quicker with less hassle. There are four or five Irish companies offering part container shipping, turns out they are the same company using different websites. The price for a 20 foot container I believe is around 3500-4000 euro plus extra charges.

We brought only summer gear with us on the plane because it was between 85-95 degree weather, all our winter clothing is in our cargo. We had to go buy jeans and stuff to get us through, it's around 65 today and sunny so jeans and a t-shirt is nice during the day.

Hopefully will have the final customs clearance and bill later today or tomorrow and I will pass on the final figure

mi16

Thanks for the info HDMI - really good to know but jees what an absolute pain! Would be interested in the final cost for sure and the company you dealt with (PM if you like).

If I can slim down what we need to the essentials only, air freight + extra baggage on the flight might be the most stress free option. Feck the camping gear:)

él statutorio

andrewfaulk wrote: »

12 weeks is excessively long for the Us, 3 weeks door to door would be more normal..

Depending on how much you have to ship, you can get reasonable prices, particular to NC as there are a few big ports in this area..

How much cargo would you have OP?

In my case they wanted our stuff in the container early, then it took a few weeks longer to fill said container (despite us being told it was ready to go). And it had to go to the West coast of the US. Plus it apparently got inspected at customs which tacked on more time.

SweetSand

We moved to Boston 2 years ago. My husband had a great relocation package with an option to either let their company to organise everything (shipment of our stuff) or for us to take cash and organise everything ourselves. We took cash and definitely saved by doing it ourselves. Essentially we were moving contents of 4 bedroom house: 2 adults + 2 kids (3 and 5). I sold most of the furniture on donedeal: all the couches, wardrobes, beds, small things and etc. I sold electric stuff as well, like tvs, small kitchen appliances and etc. The very few things I wanted to hold on to I stored in the in-laws attic :) Big items we brought with us: our bed and mattress, girls beds/m, dinning room set, small kids room storage, rugs, pictures, toys, clothes, books, cooking/cutlery/crockery and etc. I totally regret bringing our own bed and mattress but we paid a lot for them in Ireland and they were only 2 years old. Problem is that Irish super king size is bigger than US queen but smaller than US king, so I cant just go and buy new set of bed clothes :( We decided to go with 20ft container and we went with Aprin Movers International. They were great, we were flying out on Sunday morning so they came Thursday morning first thing and packed all day Thursday and Friday. I think we paid around 6000 euro, but can't remember the exact number. We moved at the very end of November and were told to expect our container just before Christmas which in our case we were hoping wouldn't happen as we had 3 months in corporate accommodation so didn't want to unpack until we move somewhere more permanent. Container was cleared for delivery to us on the 22nd of December so we ended up paying around $400 for 2 months of storing it.
I do second everyone recommending going with extra luggage if you have little stuff to take with you. We ended up we 6 bags to check in instead of 4 and were happy to pay for extra 2 bags only for Aer Lingus never to ask for it which was great and very nice of Aer Lingus. I strongly recommend Ikea heavy duty bags for 4 euro each, we used 2 on this trip: 1 for Christmas tree and all the decorations and 2nd for girl's clothes. Bag weighs nothing, is durable and it takes a lot of stuff to fill it up to 23kg.
One thing I have to say - Craigslist is amazing here. I ended up getting couches, side tables, dinning room storage from it, some for free, some very reasonable. I put in "hotel furniture" into its search and got three 42" LG tvs $50 each, all our floor/table lamps for $10-15 each. And of course there is always Ikea and Amazon for the handiness of it
I do have an experience with an Air container as well on our previous short term assignment to California, husband's company paid for it. It was very handy in the sense of speed as we arrived on Saturday and container arrived on Wednesday (or maybe following Wednesday) and it is amazing how much you can fit into 1m3, no liquids or batteries though, I remember taking batteries from every single toy out. I think it is an expensive option though :( I was just re-reading some of your comments, in that 1m3 container we managed to put our 2 bikes plus a girls bike, tent, 2 sleeping bags, 2 inflatable double beds and loads more. Thats what I mean, when you think of 1m3 you don't think you can fit much into it.
Best of luck with your move!

andrewfaulk

HDMI wrote: »

We are currently in the thick of this cargo shipping lark.

We went looking for shipping from Dublin to Wilmington NC, initial quote was around 500 euro for 4.5 cubic meters (2 pallets) and then customs fees and handling on the US side. You also need a broker on the US end to deal with customs for you. We paid 800 euro up front knowing we would have some small stuff to pay once our stuff arrived.

Our stuff was shipped first Dublin to Rotterdam before being loaded onto a transatlantic cargo ship to Wilmington NC, we were advised 33 days transit. It was shipped the 7th September from Dublin and at the beginning of October my wife got an email from a container company called Troy in New York who we didn't know looking for $185. We checked our paperwork and got a number for our broker, turns out he didn't even know who we were, the company in Dublin had not passed on the paperwork (power of attorney) to him. It turns out the cargo ship stops in New York and our stuff was to be transported by truck to a customs bonded warehouse in Wilmington. He advised just pay the bill and he will sort it all out with the company in Dublin, but he warned us that the guys on the docks try rip you off.

Then apparently the container our stuff was in was flagged for a VACIS x-ray exam which you must pay for, then it was selected for extra handling and checking which again you must pay for, this bill from Troy was $270 and it still has not left New York. We asked for proof of this scan and they said they cannot provide any but we must pay the bill or we are not getting our stuff.

This morning our stuff arrived in Wilmington and we are waiting on customs clearance paperwork and more bills. The guys in Wilmington get paid also for handling your goods and the broker has to be paid. Like we were warned they all want a cut of the pie so everyone that handles it bills you.

Honestly I am sick of it, 33 days my arse it's been 53 days so far and we still haven't got it. Also if you want it brought to your home the fees start at $250 before they lift a box. I am hiring a truck and driving to Wilmington to collect it myself. Don't use U-Haul return they charge 69 cent a mile plus a daily rental fee, drive your car and do a one way rental if you must use them. We are going to hire a transit size van from enterprise rental for $83 with no mileage fees.

Depending on what your shipping I would start checking air freight prices. Certain times of the year American Airlines fly direct to Charlotte and maybe you can get a d3cent rate. We had 30 boxes and a couple of dressing tables and I am starting to think it would have been easier to check it all as baggage and at least have it quicker with less hassle. There are four or five Irish companies offering part container shipping, turns out they are the same company using different websites. The price for a 20 foot container I believe is around 3500-4000 euro plus extra charges.

We brought only summer gear with us on the plane because it was between 85-95 degree weather, all our winter clothing is in our cargo. We had to go buy jeans and stuff to get us through, it's around 65 today and sunny so jeans and a t-shirt is nice during the day.

Hopefully will have the final customs clearance and bill later today or tomorrow and I will pass on the final figure

Name and shame the company! Did you use a general forwarder or a personal effects company?

Whoever it was seems either incompetent(by shipping to NY for cargo bound to NC) or the US agent pulled a fast one..

Also, the customs exam isn’t surprising as I would think CBP would be all over anything labelled as special effects.. However the agent should be able to provide some proof that the exam took place, and if your shipment was in a LCL/ consolidated container the cost should be shared across the cargo owners in the container

andrewfaulk

él statutorio wrote: »

In my case they wanted our stuff in the container early, then it took a few weeks longer to fill said container (despite us being told it was ready to go). And it had to go to the West coast of the US. Plus it apparently got inspected at customs which tacked on more time.

Ah, west coast takes longer as it routes via the Panama Canal.. Seattle can be up to 6 weeks from Dublin Port

HDMI

andrewfaulk wrote: »

Name and shame the company! Did you use a general forwarder or a personal effects company?

Whoever it was seems either incompetent(by shipping to NY for cargo bound to NC) or the US agent pulled a fast one..

Also, the customs exam isn’t surprising as I would think CBP would be all over anything labelled as special effects.. However the agent should be able to provide some proof that the exam took place, and if your shipment was in a LCL/ consolidated container the cost should be shared across the cargo owners in the container

I dont think its really naming and shaming, from what I have been told the freight industry is complicated and there are pitfalls. I think a guide for the normal average family who are shipping part container loads should be handed out when you start the process. At least then you would know what to expect as your goods move through the journey. A lot of time we were in the dark about what was happening. I emailed the company in Dublin at one point and asked for an update and was told our stuff was still on the way across the Atlantic, that was the day before we got the bill to say our stuff had been unloaded in New York or New Jersey clearly the company in Dublin didn't know where the ship was.

It was Irish Shipping & Transport in Malahide, Troy Container Line done the handling within the US and we used City Post Express as our broker. And they ended up at the Cape Fear bonded warehouse in Wilmington. We didn't know about Troy until my wife got a bill.

Total outlay for just over 4 cubic meters, two smallish pallets.

800 euro in Dublin to shipping company
185 dollars to Troy for handling
277 dollars to Troy for VACIS and for a deeper look inside.
71 dollars today to the bonded warehouse. I was expecting a bigger final bill so I am relieved.

Shipped 7th September Dublin and available in Wilmington
31st October, so a 54 day journey.

Customs totally tore the locks off our cases, the ones made on to the case so the cases now are only fit for the bin, so much for tsa locks. Our cardboard boxes are crushed, they were badly restacked after being stripped by customs and they put the fragile stuff on the bottom and didnt even bother putting the boxes fully on the pallets. One layer of wrapping around the pallets so they moved in transit. My computer monitor is probably no good because the box was all messed up. We also used big plastic tubs and one looks like a shark took a bite from it, I reckon the forks from a forklift damaged it.

The broker was the most honest with us and warned us to expect a rough time through the process. He said handling within the US can be a nightmare and he was right, delay after delay. If we had been given the proper price and time for the journey i would happily have paid, it's just the way it all worked out and me having to get certified cheques for different companies, it would have been better to pay one person and be done.

andrewfaulk

Sorry, maybe name and shame was the wrong phrase to use.. It sounds like IST did what a lot of forwarders would do.. They booked your shipment on the cheapest groupage service to the US, which served NY with the cargo being transhipped in NY for other destinations in the US.. There are better ways to do it, but it would take more time and good connections in the US to arrange..

A tip for anyone in a similar position, sorry too late for OP

Ask for your shipment/rate quote to door in the US including all charges within the US.. Your forwarder should be able to get these costs from their US agent and it will allow you to more equally compare costs and avoid hidden/unexpected costs(except of course any customs exam fees)..

Third_Echelon

Santa Fe shipping did it for us when moving from Dublin to San Francisco Bay Area. It was all arranged through my work, but it was a few grand alright from what I saw.

Our container left our house at the end of October and arrived the first week of January, so it was around 10 weeks. I think our stuff was sitting on the dock in Oakland, CA for a week as it was the New Year's holidays etc. We brought furniture with us. A few couches and a bed, a few chest of drawers. Work was paying for it, so didn't really care too much, but looking back, a few extra suitcases or airshipped pallet would have been a better option perhaps.

If I was doing it myself, i'd sell it all and just re-purchase on the other side.

I have to say though, the movers from Santa Fe were brilliant. Packed and boxed everything in a 3 bed semi in around 3 or 4 hours and filled the container. Very efficient.