Shipping question: LA to Auckland

[new horizon]

Hello,

If I were to ship 15 12X18 inch boxes, would you happen to know the best way to go about this? Should I perhaps go with FedEx or another company? I don't really need a shipping container as I'm not bringing any furniture. In addition, will I have to fill out any paperwork for NZ in shipping such a small amount of items?

Thank you.

[redsheesha]

Hello,

If I were to ship 15 12X18 inch boxes, would you happen to know the best way to go about this? Should I perhaps go with FedEx or another company? I don't really need a shipping container as I'm not bringing any furniture. In addition, will I have to fill out any paperwork for NZ in shipping such a small amount of items?

Thank you.

What are the dimensions of the boxes? 12x18x? And what's the total weight or weight per box? In terms of postal carriers, FedEx is waaay more expensive than USPS. Check there first, you can enter the weight and size of the boxes and get a quote. I wouldn't call it cheap though: to send up to 20 lbs in their tiny medium size box is $43 and arrives in 6-10 business days (cheapest option). The large box (also 20 lbs) is $55. Any box that's not one of theirs is much more expensive, but still incredibly cheaper than FedEx (from my experience).

We used Contour Logistics from NYC. I know they have a California branch. Go to their site and enter your measurements and weight, and choose sea freight unless you want air (which is more expensive, naturally).

[new horizon]

Hmm... so you're thinking the shipping would be cheaper with USPS? That might still add up to a lot of cash!

[TJH]

We did something similar when we moved and priced all of our options. USPS was the cheapest but it was still very expensive.

[new horizon]

I'm just planning on moving my clothes, shoes, a few books and toiletries. Would it be cheaper to pay for part of a container you think?

Thanks.

[redsheesha]

I'm just planning on moving my clothes, shoes, a few books and toiletries. Would it be cheaper to pay for part of a container you think?

Thanks.

It really only depends on 1) what dimensions are the boxes, and 2) how much weight do they total. Most partial containers are a fixed price for a certain weight. Ours was one fixed price up to 400 lbs. and each box had to be 6 c.u. or less. There's no discount if you only fill up 300 lbs, for instance. If you have heavy stuff or boxes that are bigger than the small post office shipping boxes but less than 6 c.u. each (that's a 24x18x24 box), then investigate an LCL load. Otherwise, you can easily go to the USPS website, input each box's weight and dimensions, and get a price and transit time. If you give us more info on weight, dimensions, etc it would be easier to offer best options.

[Ana&Steve]

Maybe you could compare your shipping quotes to excess baggage fees from the airline, though I suppose they've raised the price on that these days.

[dilanium]

We brought 10 boxes as excess baggage when we moved here in 2008, but they've changed the baggage policies since then. :/

We also shipped two boxes with USPS- with electronics- so they'd have insurance on them rather than hoping nothing would happen on the plane.

[new horizon]

I don't have a particular box size or weight I'm merely going on estimate of how much I will bring. I thought of doing the excess baggage thing, but it seems to have gotten really expensive.

Thanks for the advice!

[redsheesha]

I don't have a particular box size or weight I'm merely going on estimate of how much I will bring. I thought of doing the excess baggage thing, but it seems to have gotten really expensive.

Thanks for the advice!

Yeah, at least on Air New Zealand the policy is no more than three pieces per pax, unless you are Premium Economy or Business/First (and even then I'm not sure the max you're allowed to bring).

Once you are able to start packing or mock pack to estimate, you will see how much you have and be able to go from there. Going by experience, I'd overestimate, if anything. Good luck!