shipping household contents to USA

shaendiges

Hi, wondering if anyone knows the cheapest way to ship some household items to the states as I'm heading back after 5 years. Most of the companies I've looked at are quoting £3,500-£5,000 for a 20 foot container. I don't think I need that much space, so could share a container, but the costs are still pretty high. I can pack my own container and don't want to pay for that. Have even thought of buying my own 10 foot container for around £885 and then just finding a shipping company. Haven't researched that possibility yet. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks, shaendiges

harryhound

Have you discussed with the shipping companies themselves the advice they can give you.
"Personal Effects" can be a pain in the backside as far as the shipping companies are concerned.
Where are you shipping to over the pond?
I would recommend "house to house" in a container for security reasons.
What makes you think you know all the rules and regulations?
Do you for example know what "general average" is?

I'm retired from the game now, but I think the old innocent days of "bung it in the box", lock it with a bit of twisted barbed wire, open it on the other side of the pond a month later are long gone.
Thanks to drugs and terrorism.

I was talking to an auctioneer in London recently:
How is business?
We are keeping up our turnover BUT that is because we are getting good stuff to sell.
Distress sales?
Not exactly, rich bankers going home, that sort of thing.
The ordinary bread and butter lots worth less than 500 GBP are getting very sticky.
I can have something that a year ago would have sold for 500 GBP and I just can't get is started. It can tumble right down to its reserve of say 100 GBP and nobody wants it.
It is a logistic problem instead of 10% being left cluttering up the sale room it can easily be 30% of the lots.

Anyway, good luck with your move & let us know how you get on.

Harry.

A contact writes:

Shipping to the States, you are correct, it is a nightmare of Regulation and all premises through which cargo for the USA is packed or transits has to be registered with the US authorities. (Dept of Homeland Security & DEA (Drug enforcement Agency).
Lloyds Loading List is still the ‘bible’ for information regarding export from the UK to anywhere in the world….Try a Google search using that name.

It looks like the DIY option is completely out.

Uncle Sam now has its own people over here - I think the hope is that the dirty bomb will explode over here rather than over there.:eek:

harryhound

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