Do we just watch the packers?

[wellywearer]

You may have noticed the update in our timeline so we're now at the next stage of questions!!

My partners company are organising the container - the moving and the packing. But we find it kind of weird not to be packing up ourselves. Did anyone else have this situation?

If so what happens the actual pack day? You sit and watch? Make cups of coffee (before cups are packed)

And what about correct and detailed packing lists? Aren't they vitally important to make things easier NZ end? How will a stranger know exactly what to put? Aside from the fact it'll be a French packing firm, probably without the range of English vocab we have to accurately describe items...

And for those of you with cats, where they in the house at the time or did you send them away for the day?
Thanks

[kiwi.]

We were in and out of the house, there was plenty of other things to keep us busy, so we weren't really there to sit and watch.

Our packers put numbered and coloured stickers on everything they packed and used those to keep track of what went in each box then completed the detailed inventory and gave it to me. Hand writing was a bit rough but was enough to get by.

Don't have a cat, but had a dog. We'd actually moved into a rental just up the street from the house that was being packed so he stayed up there out of the way.

Good luck with your move.

[Living Life]

All we did when they came was make constant cups of tea and chatted to them and helped if they asked which they didn't. They knew exactly what they where doing and they itemized the boxes very well - you can always write on outside of boxes if you want a more detailed but they did a great job and they already knew what we could take and what we couldn't so that was good!! It did feel weird someone else packing up our stuff but they where so organised and efficient that we could not of done a better job. I am pleased we stayed to watch as it felt great to see our stuff getting ready for the go!!

Oh but the only thing we did do which I am pleased, was sort out a lot of rubbish before hand we did not want to take with us so that was handy!!

Sit back and enjoy someone else doing the hard work

[Dell]

I stood at the front door with the vacuum cleaner. When a heavy piece of furniture was being taken out of the house, the guys would tip it so I could vacuum under each piece of furniture. I was shocked at the number of spiders and egg sacs that I found!

I also kept an eye on everything they packed. They tried packing a few things that were labelled 'don't pack' and forgot a few things. I found the cutlery drawer still full after they finished loading the truck. I didn't have time for tea!

[sbranca]

I did watch the packers to the extent I could, but there about four of them in different parts of the house so it wasn't possible for me to watch everything. They're pretty good and pretty fast about their work, and a few things can get missed. If that happens, call the company to come get it. As for the cat... the way I handled it was to keep her in a room that didn't have anything in it to pack or move and I kept her company for much of the time. Packing is noisy, too. Alternatively you can keep her in a carrier if she will tolerate it, or take her to a friend's house.

Moving companies are pretty thorough about listing things because they check off the list when they unload. I would suggest that if you have anything that is particularly valuable and fragile that you pack it to your satisfaction then have the movers pack that into another box. Good luck to you and your kitty.

(When I say the title of your thread I thought it was about the Green Bay Packers! I would have said, of course watch the Packers! Who else?)

[girlwithanewf]

I have had packers a few times and things export packed twice for international moves. To be honest, I think the only time I had time to sit down and watch them was when my child was very little and I had no choice. I would echo the thought that dusting stuff as they pack is a great idea so that the odd spider doesn't get packed too. And a very efficient way of sorting out is to take things out of the kitchen cupboards as they pack them. Slip second decision making - do I keep this or does it go? I find that export packers just write a very vague description on the box and the inventory - nothing more than for example 'ornaments' or 'books' or 'china'.
As for animals, in the past I have taken the cat to the cattery or shut her up in one room. And dogs have been a case of either put them in one room or the packers just work round them.
The best piece of advice I can give is don't stress about it. Have a clear out before they come, then they pack and before you know it they are finished. Takes a long time to do export packing though.

[Alistair]

Having moved using company paid for packers four times, I will say a qualified yes to just watching them; Don't ignore them. They usually provide very good inventories. You may have to remind them of the do not pack items throughout the day. I've offered to buy them lunch (let them know up front), but at least one set of packers (in the U.S.) justed want a tip at the end of the day (not a fan of that). If you have a lot of stuff (although I suspect most on this forum would be down sizing quite a bit), they may pack one day and load another. Don't be surprised if the load team is different from the pack team.

If you have to deal with insurance claims (i.e. if they break something or something disappears in transit), then take some good photos of your stuff, espcially the more expensive furniture and other items you might make a claim on. Make sure you know where the scratches, dings are on your items so that anything they do during the move can be attributed to the movers and not previous wear/tear.

If you have young kids, send them to your neighbors if you can; moving can be traumatic for young kids, "Daddy, who is the stranger taking my bed?"

Hopefully, they will pack directly into crates which will be sealed, eliminating any concerns of things disappearing.

Most movers I've dealt with don't like to pack things that you may have already wrapped (e.g. china). Most are quite good at their jobs, or at least the more experienced packers handle the breakables and the new guys deal with the furniture and unbreakables.

It can be a little stressful, but take a deep breath and you'll make it through.

Good luck with the move!

[Dell]

My son and his family are currently packing (they're using Upakweship) so I forwarded them my customs/MAF forms that I received shortly before my container arrived in NZ. There were questions about wood, outdoor items, liquor, weapons, etc.. If you checked 'yes' on any of these items, you had to list the box numbers these items were in. My mover's inventory list was so vague, I had trouble figuring out which box some of these things were in. I guessed on some items.

[MetalSoul]

Make sure you keep your passports etc away from them - ours got packed!!

[benandclare]

Dont worry too much it adds to the excitement at the other end of opening 13 kitchen boxes to find the cutlery in box marked garage