Whats the best way to pack up my house to move overseas?

Question

moving from the US to England. packing already stresses me out. any packing/shipping tips????????????????

Answer 1

You seriously need to get packers in to do the job for you. With all the stress and hassles you have going on, packing should be left the professionals... It may seem like your paying out for a job you can do yourself, but it taes so much stress and hassle away from you...

May I be the first to say Welcome to the UK...!

Answer 2

Don't ship anything that you do not need. Scale down, throw away or give it away. Many items, such as small  appliances or not worth taking, unless you are going to use a transformer. The more you scale down the less stress you will have.

Answer 3

Only take what you cannot replace is a good starting point, we went to Australia and took everything at vast expense and didnt need half of it. When we came back to the UK we packed a container ourselves and did it wrong again by bringing things we could have replaced cheaper than shipping them and we also left behind some things we would have liked to bring because we ran out of space in the container.

Answer 4

I agree, packing internationally should be left to the professionals. Things to consider are customs and duties taxes and regualtions.

Best bet is to move using a container. Its a large metal box that you pack everything into. They do come in several sizes.

Prior to having a mover come for an estimate, pare down... get rid of everything you don't need. Remmeber that some things will be cheaper to buy there, than lug with you. Unless your company is paying for the whole move. By the way, most companies pay between 3-8K for moves. See what you can negotiate.

Gas is VERY expensive there. Cars are VERY expensive there.  Before shipping your car, think if you will really use/need your car. Also, what is the price of a similar car there.  Check on the internet for car and gas prices... you'll quickly get a feel of what I mean....

As for movers... get at least 3 estimates. Make sure they have an office locally there. Not that they have a representative... Bobs moving, licensed by BigCorp. If tehy don't have a physicall brick and mortar office, chances of getting your complaints heard is very low.

Get insurance..... full replacement value. Get documentations... video of your stuff.

Don't sign anything till you read it all. Some scam you by putting codes (numbers) next to items on the form. When you read the fine print on the back.. these codes often mean scratched, scuffed, broken etc. When they do have to assess damages (and they will) the answer is hey this was already scratched, scuffed or broken when we shipped it.

And finally... have a sense of humour.... you'll need it when things go wrong!

Good luck!

;o)