Time frames - what to expect?

[jostoddart]

Hello everyone,

We are just waiting for confirmation on a job offer for my OH so hopefully be heading back home to NZ in the next few months. To help with notice periods for work and such like i was wondering if anyone can provide some time frames that we could work with..

So what can we expect from initial contact with moving company - to when they can come and pack up - how long it takes to pack - shipping times... etc.. Appreciated that they may all varied but we are just trying to work out estimates..

Also any horror stories that anyone wants to share about companies would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Jo Stoddart

[JandM]

Hello and welcome.

There are quite a lot of old threads about experiences with moving companies - use Search on the blue bar above, and you should find some material.

[Moomette]

I think it would depend on the location and company, but the agents in London told us they could work to as little as a couple of weeks notice. Obviously it's better to have more notice if possible and it would also depend on the time of year as some times are busier than other, for example before Xmas I think? It might be worth getting the quotes in now, and that way you can book pretty quickly when needed, even if you need some tweaking with contents etc.

As for packing times, it would very much depend on the size of the house/volume of goods, but for example it took 1.5 days to pack up our 2.5 bedroom flat, which came close to filling a 20" container.

As JandM said, it might also be worth reading some previous threads, such as: http://www.enz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=31309

Hope that helps

[Manks]

I would start getting quotes from moving companies now. They will be valid for 30 days but at least you'll start to get an idea of what to expect, what you need to do, etc.

We've moved internationally twice. Both times we filled a 20ft container. First time took less than 1.5 days to pack. The second time was just one day but they brought one more guy (4 vs 3 the first time).

Shipping times will vary depending on the route your stuff is shipped on. Ours went the "scenic route" from New York, down the East Coast to the Bahamas, across to Africa (Cape Town, Durban), Mauritius and then Australia. It travelled on 4 ships. Seemed excessive and took 3 months. We weren't exactly happy but most of the stuff arrived unscathed.

Ask about their knowledge of import restrictions/MAF etc, how many people they've moved to NZ, what some of the difficulties are...

Factor in insurance to your quote. Our options ranged from US$25-$30 per $1,000 value. This bumped the cost of shipping up by about US$1k.

[jostoddart]

Thanks Moomette and Manks,

You have pretty much given what i needed to know... Good advice on getting the quotes in now since they are valid for 30 days...

Thanks

[Hagabel]

From time we had in home visit assessment/estimate they moved us 2 weeks later, shipping time left east usa july 16th and est arrival waikato sept 29th ish. Used Rainier(US though) and took full day to pack/fill 20ft container.

It was actually easier than I thought.

However we have to pay $400 upon delivery, paid $8240 (US) inc insurance for 20ft.

Good luck

[Super_BQ]

However we have to pay $400 upon delivery, paid $8240 (US) inc insurance for 20ft.

I must say that is EXPENSIVE for shipping. I've been out of touch on how much container shipping costs.

Over 5+ years ago I was talking to a guy on the plane and he thought of about bringing a car over to NZ. But he realised that the vehicle had to be at least a worth while vehicle because of how expensive shipping was. By that figure above, it seems like it's over doubled.

[Manks]

I must say that is EXPENSIVE for shipping. I've been out of touch on how much container shipping costs.

about right for shipping from the us. Much more expensive than from the UK