Shipping Household Goods and Personal Effects as LCL (less then a container load) overseas

When shipping Household Goods and Personal Effects as LCL (less then a container load) overseas your good would have to be shipped in what is referred to as a Groupage or Consolidated container with both commercial cargo and goods from other people. Due to this your goods MUST be packed either in boxes, sturdy cartons, crated or in some way packed suitable for an export shipment.

If you do not have unpacked furniture for example it should be easy for you to use plastic bins or buckets or get sturdy cartons from U-HAUL for example. In most cases for an extra measure of protection we can arrange for a nominal cost to have the warehouse palletize your boxes and even shrink wrap the pallet (s) but your goods will need to be packed so that they could be stacked on a pallet.

If you have unpacked goods such as furniture (tables, chairs, couch, bed etc.) you can opt to use a 20 foot or 40 foot container for all your goods and this is much like using a U-HAUL truck as you can load any of your goods either packed or unpack into the container as it would only be for your use.

Should you not have enough to justify using your own exclusive use container and want to ship as LCL (less then a container load) you must then have your goods packed in a suitable way for shipping overseas. You can do this as follows:

Check in your Yellow pages or local packer or Penny Saver and find a lover mover or Man with a Van and ask them for their charges to come to your home and pack up your goods in boxes, cartons or crates. The best would be to use a Lift Van that can be supplied by a local van line or moving firm.

You could also go to a packing store or U-HUAL and get your own boxes and pack your goods yourself. Once your goods have been packed all we need are the dimensions of each of the boxes or crates and the number of pieces and an approx weight and we can give you the costs to your destination based on that. We can arrange to pick up your goods from your home or from the packer to your destination port or to your door.

We do know packers and or moving companies in some areas but this would mostly be in the major centers such as Chicago, New York, Houston etc., but generally it is more efficient and cheaper for you to check with local mover and or packers in your area. We are always pleased to suggest a local mover or packer if we know on in your area and you would then be free to contact them directly. In cases where tight cost negotiations for the packing is not an issue such as a corporate move or when you might want us to handle your goods if you have to leave before you could arrange for the packing then we can act as your agent and arrange all.

However, where costs are an issue and you have time to arrange the packing yourself and or negotiate with local movers or packers just for the packing it will save you money to do it yourself.

Please note that if the mover or packer offers to handle your packing as well as the onward shipping to your final destination keep in mind that they are not experienced or professions in international shipping. Allowing a local mover or packer to handle the actual shipping of your goods as well as the packing is never a good idea and it is better to leave the shipping to the licensed professionals. Experience does count and you want your shipment to arrive in good condition at the right destination – so let a professional handle your packing unless you do it yourself and let us the professionals in international shipping and forwarding handle the transportation of the shipment.