Description
This article is from the soc.culture.australian FAQ, by Stephen Wales
with numerous contributions by others.
4.4 Shipping Information
* From USA to Australia [LS]
It would appear that the cheapest way to get books to Australia is by
using an M-bag from the US Postal Service (this service is for books
only). The surface rate for this is $.72 per pound (this is the rate
from Washington, D.C., to Sydney). Each M-bag can contain from 15-66
pounds and from the experience of netters, it takes about 8 weeks to
arrive. One netter said that Australian postal carriers are not
allowed to handle packages over 20 kg (~44 lbs) so the bags are opened
when they reach Australia, and the packages inside are delivered.
Therefore, put an address on each separate package inside an M-bag.
An air M-bag is available for $5.96 (same origination/destination as
previous) per pound.
Whether or not to ship your belongings from the U.S. to Australia
appears to be a highly subjective matter. However, most people seem
to believe it is well worth the effort and expense if you have quality
furniture. What to bring with you varies wildly, too. It all appears
to go back to something that each person feels is important. The only
consistency: a lot of people were sorry that they had sold electrical
appliances. With the use of a step-down transformer, most everything
(except tvs) will work just fine.
While you will want to get your own estimates, be prepared to spend in
the thousands of US dollars (the average price seemed to be around
$6,000). The experiences people had ran the gamut--some had no
damages and some found crates with items just thrown into the boxes.
If you are using door-to-door movers and a container, insist that the
container be packed at *your* house to avoid breakage. Which brings
up the issue of insurance. Be very certain that you understand what
method of determining value is used. One person had bought more than
enough insurance to cover the value of her goods. However, the policy
paid on the percentage of the shipment weight lost, not on a
cost-to-replace basis.
[AN] Standard insurance I was offered was $25/1000 of the value I put
on my things. I decided to value for replacement cost.
There are three basic parts of a move from the States to Australia.
The first is the packing at your house and delivery to a port, the
second is overseas shipping, and the third is customs clearance and
shipping to the final destination in Australia. It has been suggested
by many people that you insist on having a quote broken down into
those stages. Almost everyone felt that you would be best served (and
save *lots* of cash) by working through a shipping agent to cover
these stages rather than using a moving company for door-to-door
service. The possibility to do either exists, and there were a couple
of people who felt door-to-door service was the best way.
There are two basic types of containers for overseas shipping: ship's
containers and waterproofed crates. Ship's containers come in two
sizes 40' and 20' and everyone agreed that you can fit an amazing
amount of stuff in a 20' container. The waterproofed crates are for
smaller shipments where using a container is not cost effective.
It is very important to get an inventory of what goes into every box.
Do not pack any boxes yourself. The moving company will mark all such
boxes as "packed by owner", and this may delay you in customs.
Moving from your house to the port is based on total weight; the costs
from the States to Australia are based on volume. So, if you were
planning on taking heavy, small stuff or big, light stuff to save
money, forget it. However, most people felt that the approximate
weight of an average container was used in figuring weight, and
unless, you went *way* over the average, you weren't charged more.
It will take your belongings at least three months to arrive and clear
customs. Remember to use other means (you might want to talk to a
mover about a small air shipment) to ship the stuff you are going to
have to have in the interim like sheets.
* From USA to Australia [BJ]
Surface shipping is very expensive; but also quite "flexible."
Standard price LA->Oz is $450 a cubic metre. (Yes, that is absurdly
expensive). Of course, one place at a whim cut the price from $450 to
$250 a cubic metre.
In general excess baggage is the cheapest; both United and QANTAS
charge $90-$100 a bag. Still, this is cheaper than surface shipping
*AND* you get your stuff straight away. No waiting anything up to 2
months (maybe more). I took six bags; 2 are standard, I was charged
$400 excess baggage for the 4 bags over the limit. (I'd been living
in the States for quite a while). I did read in the FAQ that
Australians returning home receive baggage credits (ie. who have been
residing overseas). Not so. It turns out Americans migrating to Oz
receive 2 baggage credits (ie. 4 free items). That's QANTAS,
Australia's National airline (who apparently has a bit of an identity
crisis ;-)
The bags must be no more than 70 pounds each. That's pretty heavy.
If you are shipping appliances be warned that box and pack places
charge $40 a box (these are cardboard boxes with foam peanuts). For a
few bucks more you can get a suitcase, though obviously some things
HAVE to be boxed and packed. If you have a computer etc keep the
original packaging and save yourself some money. (My obsessive
compulsive roommate kindly threw my "tatty" boxes out without asking me
- Grrrrr)
If you have books and printed matter you can save a bundle sending
them bookpost. That's 72 cents a pound; the boxes you use must be
small enough to fit in an "m-bag" (yes, you actually get to try and
stuff them into those big canvas mailbags). They take 4-6 weeks (I've
yet to receive my first) but at 72 cents a pound they work out to be
approximately half the price of excess baggage.
Hints about packing/moving:
+ start early; its a hell of a lot of work.
+ you really will regret those "useless" things you leave behind.
+ It costs a lot; I spent $700 moving my stuff - and I don't
really have all that much.
+ Be prepared for many tears and anxiety attacks.
ie. MOVING SUCKS!
Customs: You get judged on the spot. They won't guarantee how
much duty you will be charged in advanced. Everything older than 12
months is duty free. They may or may not charge you for personal
possessions less than 12 months old. It comes down to the disgression
of the customs officer who examines your luggage. If they think
you're importing stuff that you'll resell, you will get charged.
Generally, be polite and honest; declare everything, and if you're
smart you will have receipts handy. Some inlaws of mine bought a fair
bit of stuff overseas and "forgot" about it; they got $2,000 in fines.
Duties (actually duty is both real duties (tarrifs) and sales tax;
mercifully the Oz government is finally starting to trim tarrifs).
All things electrical: 54%. Computer Hardware: 21%. Shoes and
Clothes (for personal use): 0%. Computer Software: 0%. (HEY! If
computer software is duty free then why does a game that costs US$45
(A$65) in the US cost A$150 in Australia?)
Actually that fits well with my next point; many things are much much
cheaper in the US. Reeboks US$22-US$30. Brand name jeans US$27-US$37
(eg. red tabs, other Levis). I got a really good black leather jacket
for US$150. Bitchin! CDs US$13-17 first release. Computer software
is cheap. Consumer electronics are cheap. Computer hardware is
between the same and cheaper depending on what you are buying. eg.
CDroms and ISA cards are *MUCH* cheaper, but system units are pretty
much the same. Even with the Australian dollar at 72cents there are
lots of bargains to be had over there! If you're going to the US be
prepared for some heavy duty shopping! The food is also excellent,
and once you get used to the concept (many Australians get the shivers
from it) tipping isn't that bad after all (at least for restaurants);
actually works out well for all the parties involved. One last point;
LA does in fact have a public transport system; call 1-800-2LARIDE.
LA is by far the prettiest in the winter when there is no smog. Lots
more to tell but that will do for now.
* From Australia to the UK
I have just moved to the UK and if you are sending a lot of books,
there is a *very* reasonable way using Aus. Post. They have this thing
called "Print Post" where you can send printed material (books, notes,
photos etc.) for $2/kg. Parcels of books have to be divided into
groups with the weight of each group being between 6 and 16 kg (I
think, check with AP for the correct bracket) and you then get a post
bag (which weighs 1kg) to put the parcels in. The whole bag with
contents is then weighed to determine the price. This is a fifth of the
cost of the cheapest freight I could find and is post-office to
address rather than dock to dock. The delivery time to the UK is about
8 weeks, I imagine it would be similar for the US. Even if you are
only sending 10kg of books, this is a considerable saving on sending
it via normal freight channels. [DF]
* From Edinburgh to Oz [LC]
Here's a summary of a couple of replies I received to my query
regarding shipping household goods back to Oz from the UK;
specifically from Edinburgh. The main recommendation was to go with a
large reputably company rather than a smaller, perhaps cheaper, one.
Using the latter may involve lengthy delays, with boxes sitting in
warehouses for anything up to months at a time. Having a local office
at either end is also very useful. In Edinburgh, this narrows the
choice to Pickfords or Scotpac. (There's lots of shipping companies
based in London advertised in the London TNT mag. for Aus/NZers, but I
have no idea on how recommendable they are.) I was warned off the
former, with tales of delay and damage, while Scotpac were reported to
have involved no delays (about 3 months transit time) and no damage
(apart from a buckled bike wheel: lesson is to obtain a bike carton
from a bike shop; actually, shipping bikes is quite expensive, and we
hope to use ours as the second piece of checked-in luggage if flying
via the US).
As far as the choice between door-to-port and door-to-door goes, one
person strongly recommended the latter as saving lots of hassle,
although he did have his moving expenses paid for!! The others
reported no hassles with pickups from Sydney depots, with no extra
charges involved; one had her stuff shipped from Sydney to Armidale
(arranged in Oz) for a *lot* less than the extra it would have cost
for door-to-door.
* Airlines
It has been said that some airlines will allow persons with permanent
residence visa to enter the Australia with additional baggage at no
extra charge. United Airlines does not allow this. United allows two
checked bags and charges $100 for each additional bag (bags may not
weigh more than 70 pounds). It has been said that Qantas will honor
the additional baggage deal, but this has not been confirmed. [LS] If
you are a U.S. government employee, the government will give you
additional baggage credits; make sure you check into this.
[MJ] Note that airlines flying from the US allow two pieces of
checked luggage (with no maximum weight). Airlines flying via the
Far East have a 20kg (one bag, usually) limit. If you are travelling from
Australia to Europe or the reverse, it therefore makes sense to fly
via the US if you wish to take lots of luggage. In my experience, tickets
cost about the same whichever way you fly.
[AN] For US to Australia, going to Brisbane, Sydney or Cairns, Qantas
charge US$92 for each excess bag weighing less than 70lb, US$92x2 for
each bag between 70 and 100lb, and more for bags over 100lb. The woman
I spoke to said that would be the same for going on to Melbourne.
[ST] Regarding baggage allowance for permanent residence visa holders on
airlines. The rule is that you must have a one-way ticket and the visa has
not yet been activated. Baggage allowance is doubled (4 bags instead of
2), not unlimited, and is known as the "migrant's allowance". My wife got
it when she came to Canada as landed immigrant. I was offered it now we
are going over to Australia, but could not as I was getting a return
ticket. I don't think it is universally accepted except by the destination
country's airline.
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