International Moving Companies
Mover MAX has pre-qualified, evaluated, and verified the
credentials of each international moving company in our network
for your convenience. Read on to learn what to expect from
your overseas moving company.
Top International Move Tips:
What to expect from your international mover:
Complete, accurate information and education about your
upcoming move.
An experienced, courteous, professional crew.
Proper moving equipment that is clean and well maintained.
Secure, professionally-operated storage facilities.
On-time service.
Figure out who's packing/unpacking - the moving company
is liable for any items that are professionally packed. Expert
international movers can increase the probability of all your
belongings arriving at your new home undamaged.
Confirm your move date/details - never hurts to confirm
when they are arriving and the details of the move. You can
never be too prepared!
International Move Tips:
Check them out - Use Mover MAX to find out more about your
moving company. We've taken the time to research each company.
Shipping Overseas - There are two ways to ship your household
goods: by air and by sea. Moving by sea to a foreign country
usually takes from six to eight weeks, depending on your destination.
When possible, your entire household will be packed into wooden
lift vans, which are about 4 x 7 x 7' (feet). These containers
are usually loaded at your residence by the local agent of
your international moving company, and then moved by truck
or rail from your present home to the port of departure. From
there, they are placed inside a steel steamship container
and loaded onto the vessel. For larger shipments, the household
goods can be loaded loose into the steamship container, which
is brought from the port to the warehouse of the local agent.
The local agent would transport the container to your residence,
load up your household goods, and return the loaded container
to the agent's warehouse. From there, the container would
be picked up and transported either by rail or truck to the
port of exit and then loaded on the vessel. At the port of
discharge, the household goods are cleared through customs
and then transported to your new residence.
Moving by air is expensive, but is becoming increasingly
popular. Heavy cardboard boxes or light plywood containers
are used, and in some cases the shipment can be loaded directly
into the airline's containers. While it is very expensive,
it can actually be more economical for a family whose home
is immediately available at the foreign destination. It eliminates
the expense of a long stay in a hotel while your possessions
are en route. Although moving by air means faster service,
it often involves additional handling of your possessions.
International Moving Basics - Typically, a small family
with an average living room, dining room, two bedrooms, kitchen,
and misc. cartons for all your books, clothes, dishes, paintings,
decorations, etc., would be enough to fill one standard twenty
foot (20') container. This size container has a capacity of
about 1,000 cubic feet, holding approximately 6,000 pounds
worth of household goods. Larger households may require use
of a forty-foot (40') container, with over 2,000 cu. ft. volume
capacity, holding approximately 12,000 pounds of household
goods.
Smaller (ocean) shipments can go via "LCL/less than
containerload" method, with the shipping cost based on
the overall volume of goods being sent. If you are not taking
furniture and just sending personal effects, a shipment sent
by an adult may average about 60 - 160 cu. ft.
Cubic feet can be calculated as follows: multiply the dimensions
of an item in feet; height x width x depth = total cubic feet.
Small shipments can often go via airfreight, and the charge
for air-shipments are based on: The greater of either the
actual weight of each item placed on a scale, or the "dimensional"
weight, which is calculated this way: multiply the three dimensions
(h x w x d) in inches and then divide the resulting number
by 166. If the resulting amount gives you a figure higher
than the "actual" weight of that item measured on
a scale, then you'll be charged for the higher international
"DIM" weight.
This is due to the fact that volume displacement is a big
factor in international air shipping. Picture a piece of Styrofoam
that is 3' x 3' x 3'. It will probably weigh less than five
pounds, but when sending via airfreight, the international
"DIM" weight comes to over 280 pounds.
|
