Advice on Moving / Shipping

[trace]

Hi there

We're planning on heading off to Aussie in the next 2 months. Initially the plan was to have all our big ticket items (washing machine, dishwasher, bed, etc) shipped across, since I imagined it would be cheaper than buying things new over there.

I did a price comparison & it seems like it would mostly cheaper buying things over there than having them shipped.

But - there are 2 high quality items, specifically a bed and a dining table/chairs that are more expensive in Aus. There are also a few smaller useful items accumulated over the years, where it would be very convenient to bundle into a shipping container - approx. 2 big boxes worth of things.

Having read this forum, it sounds like shipping is an incredibly expensive option. It looks like about R60-R70K for a 20ft container and that excludes things like insurance & likely spray/treatment fees (the table is wood).

I'm not looking to ship a huge amount - king-size bed, 6-seater table, 6 chairs, 2 large boxes & possibly few more small things. It's more for the convenience of having the small comforts that we've accumulated over the years & buying the soulless items (washing machine, etc) over in Aus.

What would be your advice be in this situation? Are there other options than a container? Are there cheaper shipping container options? I imagine half a container wouldn't be half the price, so likely R50K and how much space would be left over for our amount of items?

Thanks in advance

Tracy

[EmNew]

Hi - not quite at the same stage as you ( ie ready to move with visa in hand ) but already making enquiries as to our options when our time comes. I have read on other posts that Dave/Don of Cargopak are well loved and lauded by all who have used their services. I contacted them just find out if they operate out of Cape Town ( they offer 1/4 , 1/2 etc container options ) and they have a sister company here in Cape Town ( I haven't got the details yet as I am in no hurry , just putting out feelers )

So perhaps contact Cargopak, and perhaps you can get their partner company's details to quote?

cargopak@iafrica.com

[trace]

Hi EmNew

Thanks for the lead. I'll definitely give them a call & find out their prices.

Thanks

Tracy

[EmNew]

Hi Tracy,

In case you haven't time to contact CargoPak, these are their Cape Town counterparts that they refer people to outside of Jhb / Durban area:

KEVIN PARKIN

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

ECONO TRANS

082 442 8606

28 MILNER ROAD, PAARDEN EILAND
CAPE TOWN, REP. SOUTH AFRICA
TEL: +2721 511 5513 / FAX: +2721 511 4707
EMAIL: kevin@econotrans.co.za

WEB: www.econotrans.co.za

Edited January 30, 2015 by EmNew

[Tiermelk]

We got the best price from Kings International in CPT, they also seemed the most knowledgeable about the shipping and customs process. All the other shipping companies (Econo Trans included) said not to take the vacuum cleaner, Kings said just make sure it`s clean. Kings also allow me to pack small items myself as long as I indicated what was in the container, I used plastic crates.

I also did the cost calculation and looking at the big/expensive items it worked out as a draw for us. Luckily we decided to ship as all the other small and seemingly insignificant items would have added up to a lot if we had to replace them here.

Only way I see you saving by not shipping is if you have really cheap furniture and are willing to buy from Gumtree on this side.

If you want to go to a shared container look at leaving behind cheap bulky items.

[Faduv]

Trace, just went through the exercise.

Option 1 - large movecube. Google sevenseas large cube. Costs for us to Adelaide are R16000 plus about $545 customs. So total R21k.

Option 2

20ft container. Got quotes from biddulphs,elliots,magna thompson and gargopak. Price quite even but Dave at gargopak bwst price at about R65k

Option 3

Groupage. 20 ft container capacity round 28 cubic meters.

QUOTE for 14 cubic meters R40k. Est size l2700xh2230xw2230

Problem with groupage. Less busy destinations may take longer. Thus no guarantees on time to reach other side. Container only goes when full.

We decided to to take groupage. Most items sentimental and beds. Will do camping in house when we arrive.

Renting of white appliances quite cheap.

This like washing machine an fridge we will by over there.

Hope this helps

[trace]

Thanks Faduv for the informative post ... and to everyone else too.

After much research we ended up going with Econo Trans in Cape Town. They gave us the best quote and so far they have been super helpful & the most responsive out of all the companies we contacted.

We also went with the groupage option and similarly, most of our items are sentimental + bed, with the intention to rough it while we wait for our shipping to arrive. It looks like you can pick up the big ticket items like washing machine / fridge quite reasonably on Gumtree + online store sales, it might be a little more expensive than SA. There is usually an option for delivery for online shopping, plus there are vehicle subscription companies where you can subscribe & rent various types of vehicles quite cheaply - which could be useful for transporting big appliances.

Cheers

Tracy

We got the best price from Kings International in CPT, they also seemed the most knowledgeable about the shipping and customs process. All the other shipping companies (Econo Trans included) said not to take the vacuum cleaner, Kings said just make sure it`s clean. Kings also allow me to pack small items myself as long as I indicated what was in the container, I used plastic crates.

I also did the cost calculation and looking at the big/expensive items it worked out as a draw for us. Luckily we decided to ship as all the other small and seemingly insignificant items would have added up to a lot if we had to replace them here.

Only way I see you saving by not shipping is if you have really cheap furniture and are willing to buy from Gumtree on this side.

If you want to go to a shared container look at leaving behind cheap bulky items.

We wanted to take a braai. Econo Trans advised us that we would need to ensure that it is spotless - which is quite a tough thing to achieve with a used braai. Having read other forums it does sound legitimate that there shouldn't be any dust or dirt on the items you bring in. I think the same holds for a vacuum cleaner. It's fine to take it, but make sure it's extremely clean. In my experience they are quite challenging to clean. For the braai we ended up taking it to a carwash & they did a really good job cleaning it.

I also did a calculation of buying items over there vs in SA & like you found them marginally more expensive. So we plan to get our washing machine / fridge / etc over there (esp with the hassle of changing the plugs), but we have a nice bed + table + chairs which we plan to send over and within that a collection of boxes with useful crockery, cutlery & glasses and of course clothes - apparently clothes are quite expensive in Aus.

Edited March 31, 2015 by trace

[Neels]

Thanks, Good topic to follow:

We live in a small(ish) town in Mpumalanga. We find it hard to get a relocation company willing have the hassle of moving our belongings. So far cheapest is R89K for a 20ft container. I will contact some of the names mentioned here and report back.