International shipping of car and other misc. via water or land.?

Question

We wish to ship our automobile and other items to Panama. (books, kitchen items and clothes) in a container. We need to compare prices, but have no clue about the mater; where to start, whom to hire, how to prepare.

thanks.

Answer 1

Where are you shipping from and where in Panama do you want to go?  Most shipping lines pass through the Canal.  The port of Manzanillo on the East Coast is the most favorable to handle containers.  Google Hapag Lloyd to look-up their schedules.

Answer 2

The best thing for you to do is to engage a forwarding agent or better yet seek advice from a few of them. They will advice you on various issues such as taxation( probably an import duty, excise charges for the car), the documentations needed, the customs and declaration, etc. As for comparing prices, you may have to ask several forwarding agents for the price (since most shipping line do not deal directly with individual customers and provide different rates for different parties. For eg: some shipping lines offer special rates for their agents, volume discount, contract rates etc.)