I need help not paying $10,000 to ship all our wordly belongings home :)

Galwaaygirl

Hello all!

I'm glad this forum got started. I will start to add information on other topics as I find it.

My husband and I have decided to make the big move in July. I have emailed every international shipping company I can find to get quotes to ship a container home. One quote was for 3k, another for 10k.

Has anyone actually shipped a container from Toronto home? How long did it take? What company did you use? Did you avoid selling your first born for the priviledge?

Thanks

PaddyWilliams

What shipping companies have you contacted Galwaaygirl. I might be able to give you names of other shipping lines if you haven't been in contact with them.

It is going to cost you a fair whack though, coming all the way from Canada

elastico

Galwaaygirl wrote: »

Hello all!

I'm glad this forum got started. I will start to add information on other topics as I find it.

My husband and I have decided to make the big move in July. I have emailed every international shipping company I can find to get quotes to ship a container home. One quote was for 3k, another for 10k.

Has anyone actually shipped a container from Toronto home? How long did it take? What company did you use? Did you avoid selling your first born for the priviledge?

Thanks

Sorry I have never shipped anything from Toronto but €3K for a container sounds about right.

Allow about 6-10 weeks.

Galwaaygirl

Intraglobe was the crazy one. Bridges was the 3k. Seven seas only ship boxes, not containers. I have yet to hear back from a few others. I was told to avoid Spratt like the plague.

I think the first problem is not fully understanding the process. We have a three bedroom house. The main things I needs shipped are a bedroom suite, two beds, nursery furniture and all our clothes. I think this would all for in a 20ft container but I asked for 40ft quotes.

Super confused!!!

PaddyWilliams

Have you tried going directly to the actual shipping lines themselves
Maersk
APL
Hanjin
OOCL
Evergreen
K-Line

Just a few of the bigger shipping lines there are, but can give you names of others if needed.

johnlcvi

If my memory is right I shipped, in 1980, a 20 foot container from Toronto directly to my address in Galway. This is quite a few years ago, but I paid $5000.00 (can)

Galwaaygirl

PaddyWilliams wrote: »

Have you tried going directly to the actual shipping lines themselves
Maersk
APL
Hanjin
OOCL
Evergreen
K-Line

Just a few of the bigger shipping lines there are, but can give you names of others if needed.

No but I definitely will! Thank you

Galwaaygirl

johnlcvi wrote: »

If my memory is right I shipped, in 1980, a 20 foot container from Toronto directly to my address in Galway. This is quite a few years ago, but I paid $5000.00 (can)

That is shocking money! Thanks for the info!

Suaimhneach

Oh god I need to do this from California - hoping my company will help out but we might need to start researching. Let us know what you find!

maura2e

I don't know if this is of help, but I moved home to Clare from US this time last year and found Liffey Van Lines out of NYC so helpful with the whole process. They ship to Ireland all the time and couldn't have been more helpful. This was the one thing I thought was going to be so difficult and stressful to deal with, but it wasn't at all. My things arrived in early Jan & went through customs without a hitch! I only sent personal possessions, no furniture though.

I'm note sure if they ship from Canada but they might be able to give you some useful information on who does.

Lu Tze

Might be cheaper to sell on what furniture you have in Canada and buy new in ireland, than paying the cost of shipping it all

munchkin_utd

Lu Tze wrote: »

Might be cheaper to sell on what furniture you have in Canada and buy new in ireland, than paying the cost of shipping it all

was going to suggest this.

Ship the boxes and sell all bikes and furniture. If toronto is like the USA or Germany, every rented house comes empty so theres got to be irish and others out there setting up who would bite your hand off for good value and condition second hand furniture

In Munich we've a couple of ex pat internet forums where folks sell everything from furniture (lampshades and everything) to cars so maybe checkout that near you too.

Galwaaygirl

I found a company called CMS who have quoted me $3500 USD for a 20ft container. I honestly cannot explain the massive pricing difference. Hopefully this all works out.
Of course I have weighed up the option to leave things behind/sell to newbies in town but this is just not a good option for many reasons.
Thanks for your replies.

Suaimhneach

Galwaaygirl, did you ever find a way to reason the sizes? I can either move 4000 lbs by ship, or 1500 lb by air, but I have no idea how much that is and am not even sure what to google to understand it.

drawrj

I've done it three times in the last 5 years, most recently back in February. Each time between Dublin & California.
I used a company called Suddath.
They charged based on weight, the last time it was $4000. This was only for 2 adults clothing, some sports equip, kitchen utensils and a small amount of furniture. The time before was April 2014, we moved the contents of a 1 bed apartment. My employer covered the cost but I know it was over $10000.
Each time it took roughly 8 weeks.

Suaimhneach

Three times in five years! Omg. Drawrj, you must have so much wisdom to share with us! I am doing CA to IRL (came over with three suitcases, hoping to return with much more).

Did you pre-pack some things? The advice is to not do that for the shipping company but I feel like there are some precious things I would ensure are safe before I let them go?

drawrj

Every time I was told not to pack anything at all. The guys that come out have to document everything for insurance and customs.
All the guys we had where careful when packing everything into the boxes, anything valuable or delicate was well protected.
The whole process is not as bad as you may think except for the 8 weeks travel time.

drawrj

If there was one I would recommend, it would be to look at each item and weigh up what it is costing you to ship it and what it would cost just to replace, from experience many items work out cheaper to just replace.
Also if shipping electrical items ensure they are dual voltage or can be used at your destination.

Suaimhneach

Makes sense not to pack anything, but I presume you box your underwear? :O Or do something with your more private possessions? Like they're not gonna go through my make up press are they?

We will probably sell/give away our electronic stuff, very little will work in IRL from here I think.

See, on the replace thing I am looking at stuff like our couches. Cost us $900 in ikea for one, can probably only sell it for $400. To buy it new is MORE expensive... so ship it?

drawrj

In our case all underwear, private possessions where packed by them. If I'm not mistaken make up/cosmetics are not permitted to be shipped!

In regards the couch, I would replace it. If it cost $900 and you can get $400, it would probably be more than $500 to ship based on its weight and size.

CelticRambler

I'm a firm believer in the "keep it, it might come in handy" philosophy, but having tortured myself and the family to move the contents of our house once, I wouldn't do it again. We still have stuff in boxes twelve years later that we were on the "must keep" list, and I'd say 90% of the furniture we brought is in the garage, either because it didn't go/fit/work in the new house, or because we replaced it with something better/more suitable afterwards.

Unless the items have real sentimental or financial value, you'd probably be better off using this as an opportunity to aggressively de-clutter!

Suaimhneach

My company are supporting the move so relocation fees covered by them so that is helping take the pressure off the cost of it. But that's good advice on decluttering. We do donate to charity every year or so but might be worth it for stuff we dont actually need.

maggz

How much did you pay?? I just want to ship some paintings and some personal possessions too.

maura2e wrote: »

I don't know if this is of help, but I moved home to Clare from US this time last year and found Liffey Van Lines out of NYC so helpful with the whole process. They ship to Ireland all the time and couldn't have been more helpful. This was the one thing I thought was going to be so difficult and stressful to deal with, but it wasn't at all. My things arrived in early Jan & went through customs without a hitch! I only sent personal possessions, no furniture though.

I'm note sure if they ship from Canada but they might be able to give you some useful information on who does.

Traumadoc

shipped 2 containers from Australia to Ireland ( 20 and 40 foot) about 10 years ago , packed and all it was about €12000

bisounours

Have you found a place to live already and measured the place? Asking as you're moving furniture and North American houses can be much bigger than some European ones and you don't want to be caught out with an American King size bed (which is NOT the same as an European King!) which won't fit in your bedroom.

BailMeOut

Packed / Shipped / unpacked entire house in 40 ft container from USA to IRL and it was around $12k. Took about 3 weeks to arrive.

maura2e

Just seeing your reply now as Im not on here very much but am posting a response should others find it useful. I shipped 10 large (~3.5 ft long by 2ft high) plastic containers that I packed myself with clothes, books, personal possessions & also shipped my bike and the cost was $500! I did pay to rent a van to transport it all to their depot in Manhattan and that cost an additional $200, so all in all I thought it was very reasonable. In hindsight I wish I hadn't brought all the books but instead all my kitchen utensils, dishes, etc. as those things are more expensive to buy here.