Overseas Relocation Shipping

Overseas Relocation Shipping

Are you Overseas Relocation Shipping? Not sure how to ship your belongings to your new country? We’re here to help! Moving abroad is difficult and taxing. You have a ton of important decisions to make, and the planning phase involves a lot of factors. Understanding the basics of an overseas move and what’s required is half the battle.

While an international moving company will help a great deal, there are still some things you should know for yourself – which is why we’ve put together this brief guide on your shipping options for relocating overseas. At Three Movers, we’ve assisted thousands of customers with overseas relocations over the last three decades. Our goal is to make the transition as smooth and seamless as possible.

Breakdown of Overseas Relocation Shipping Options

Regarding overseas moves, there are several different shipping options and decisions. The first decisions include:

• Door-to-door shipping or door-to-port shipping
• Air or sea freight
• Full (FCL) or less than container load (LCL)
• 20-foot or 40-foot container

To help you make informed decisions about your upcoming overseas relocations, here’s a breakdown of each of these shipping options:

Door-to-Door vs. Door-to-Port Shipping

But, these shipping options depend on whether your possessions' pickup and delivery occur at a residential address, a port, or a warehouse. As the name suggests, a door-to-door international move involves the pickup of your goods at your old home and the delivery at your new home.

At the beginning location, the trucker will bring the container for you to load your belongings. Or, if you hire additional help, they will take care of the packing and loading. Once complete, the container will be transported to your new overseas address, and you will be responsible for unloading your belongings.

On the other hand, door-to-port international moves end when your possessions arrive at the port of destination. At this point, your agent at the destination must pay the applicable taxes and duties and provide the documents needed for customs clearance. Once completed, your belongings will be released into your possession at the port.

Air Freight vs. Ocean Freight

The two options you have to ship your items when relocating overseas are air freight and ocean freight. Ocean freight is the most common and affordable method, but air freight may be preferred if you are on a time crunch or have specific needs. While shipping via air is fast, it is significantly more expensive and usually has tighter limits regarding volume.

With that said, if you need your items to arrive at your destination as quickly as possible, you have less stuff to ship, and you don’t mind the higher cost, air freight may be the ideal option.

FCL vs. LCL

There are two types of shipment options when shipping via sea freight: Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL), or groupage. The latter involves your personal belongings sharing a container with merchandise being exported or goods that belong to other people. Choosing between FCL and LCL depends on how much stuff you have to ship.

If your shipment is a lower volume, you will significantly benefit from the lower costs involved with shipping via LCL, as it is one of the cheapest relocating overseas shipping options available. However, if your move includes the transportation of vehicles, dozens of boxes, or large pieces of furniture, you’ll likely have to go with Full Container Load. If you’re unsure which option is best, speak with your overseas shipping company, who will help you determine which makes the most sense for your situation and the volume of goods.

20-Foot or 40-Foot Relocating Overseas Shipping Container?

The last decision you’ll have to make regarding overseas shipping is the size of the container. While there are about sixteen different types of relocation overseas shipping containers out there, the 20-foot container and 40-foot container are the only ones you’ll need to worry about. Measuring about 33 cubic meters, a 20-foot shipping container will usually hold the contents of a three-bedroom home.

A 40-foot container, on the other hand, will give you double the space. If you have a lot of stuff to ship overseas, 40-foot containers are usually the better value for your money. Homes with four or more bedrooms will typically need a 40-foot shipping container. If you plan on taking your car with you to your new home, a 40-foot container is probably your best bet. While the 20-foot containers will fit a car, they won’t leave you with much space for your cargo.

Your Overseas Shippers

Planning an overseas relocation? We can help! As an experienced and reliable international moving company, Three Movers can assist you with packing, loading, transport, customs clearance, and more! Contact us today by filling out our online request form or calling (888) 202-0036 to find out how you could save up to 20% on your next overseas relocation.

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