Guide To Shipping Things Abroad

Relocating to a brand new country is indeed very exciting and very likely that you already have a ton on your mind.  From packing up your household, arranging transportation, to getting down on the details about a job, or where you will live, you also have to figure out how to move all your things abroad. Although moving items abroad is a bit more complicated than moving them within the country, it can be done with the right planning.

Moving overseas via sea freight

Sea freight is the most common and cost-efficient way to move your household belongings to a new country.  When you choose this option, an international moving company will arrange to send a container to your home. Once the household belongings have been loaded up into the container, a trucker will pick it up and transport the container to the port. Many international moving companies offer door-to-door and door-to-port service, where an agent helps manage the move to ensure that your container is forwarded onto the correct carrier and also all customs clearance documents are completed and submitted.

There are two shipment options when you choose to move your items via sea. They are Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL).  If you think you require a full container for your belongings, then you will likely choose FCL.  If you are only shipping a small amount of cargo, then opting for an LCL makes sense and you will be sharing the container with others.

Here are some other factors to consider when deciding between an FCL or LCL transport:

  • With FCL, you will have the entire container to yourself thus it offers more security than LCL.  There is always an additional risk of your belongings being damaged from items belonging to others if you go with LCL shipping.
  • Although you may have filled in all the paperwork correctly and submitted them on time, LCL shipments are more likely to be detained by customs should the customs decide to examine another shipment in the same container. The whole container will need to be detained until everything is being sorted out.

Moving overseas via air freight

Air freight is the less common way to move household belongings to another country because it is much more expensive than shipping them via sea freight.  Although there is a limitation on the weight of the items that can be shipped via air freight, some people prefer the convenience of air freight eventhough it is expensive.  Air freight is considerably faster than sea freight, you will receive your belongings much more quickly. If you are moving in a serious timetable, air freight might be your only option.

Compare shipping quotes

It makes sense to shop around before committing to a purchase. There are multiple shipping companies operating on almost every route around the globe which may often be too overwhelming to call each and everyone and request for quotation.   This is where an online shipping marketplace like Shiply can help.  They can connect you to their network of reputable and reliable international shipping companies and by just filling in some information on their website, you can receive personalized quotes sent to your mailbox. This saves you time from having to scour the internet or phone book looking for the shipping companies.  You can then compare quotes in just one place.