Shipping from US to NZ

[denalipop]

I'm trying to organize shipping from the US to NZ. I have mostly electronics and clothes, but no big furniture. I think maybe a couple hundred cubic feet of stuff total. Enough to fill up a small bathroom floor to ceiling.

Which companies do you recommend for shipping that amount of stuff from US to NZ?

Thanks!

[denalipop]

I've contact Rainier Overseas and UPakWeShip. They both have different ways to boxing up stuff (crates vs vacuum-pack). For electronics, which method would you recommend? Are there other companies that specialize in shipping electronics and other "small" items (instead of furniture)?

[BkyMonster]

We sent a computer and flat panel monitor (in original packaging we had saved), multiple video game systems and other electronics via UPAK with no issues. Rainier wouldn't even call me back. We packed everything ourselves so no experience of packing methods. We did stuff clothes down between the styrofoam packing gaps in the boxes, but just to save on volume. UPAKs crates vary by region. Some areas do not have the liftvans (the crates), so the method of packing is your boxes (buy good boxes) on a pallet wrapped in heavy duty plastic wrap. This is what ours was. We had about 1 cubic meter iirc.
I know places like UPS store and PakMail do custom packing for items. If you don't have the original packaging I would possibly recommend something like that, or the plastic-wrapped expandable foam that approximates form fitted styrofoam packaging.

[denalipop]

Becky, thanks for the response!

Did customs open up everything on the other end? I worry about packing our stuff "too well" (densely).

[BkyMonster]

No, they just had a look at our packing list after MAF.
If you have a 1 year+ permit you are allowed to bring all your normal household things with no customs fees.

[denalipop]

We have PR. So all we need to do is make an inventory of each box?

[BkyMonster]

There are a bunch of forms you will need to fill out once you arrange shipping, even with DIY places like UPAK, and you don't even strictly need a detailed inventory, but I'd recommend one for insurance purposes. The more detailed your inventory the less MAF needs to get into your stuff. When you fill out the MAF forms you need to list things they may find interesting so having a packing list is handy. AFAIK they do a few spot checks and if what they see lines up with what you wrote for that box then they generally only look at the things of interest they have flagged. (Despite flagging 5 of our boxes for inspection they got into exactly one and just looked at the top of it. YMMV) You can do a search on here for the types of things MAF likes to look at. Decorations, wood, food items (maybe), tools and similar are the usual suspects.
Ours included close to the full contents of each box (with replacement value) as well as a list of every book. (13 of our 17 boxes were books)
I don't know how the type of shipper that packs your stuff works, but I'd imagine they make some kind of list.

[denalipop]

Thanks, Becky! So overall were you happy with UPak?

[Keith C.]

Here's my experience with UpakWeShip. I's advise you to try somebody else.

[denalipop]

Thanks for the info!

So does it make more sense to use a company which uses a different strategy? I know Rainier uses crates and containers... Is that the safer route?