Hi guys,
Moving to Europe for a year or so and don't want to completely start over, so looking to send a couple of boxes/suitcases to Europe. Extra baggage on flights is incredibly expensive, so just going to send separately via air/sea courier. Does anyone know of a company that doesn't charge $200 minimum per piece? At the moment it looks like sending a few boxes will be more expensive than the flight itself.
Thanks in advance.
Thanks for the response. Flying with qatar and unfortunately they don't offer that as an option. Only $50 per kg extra. Same with Etihad.
Do you have any status you can leverage (e.g. qantas), which would entitle you to extra KGs? I guess you also have to weigh up things like, is it worth paying to ship bedding or crockery when these can be bought quite cheaply on the other side
Alternatively, if you check Auspost, I can see the following rates which aren't too bad:
5kg $91.40
10kg $132.40
20k $201.40
This also seems a useful guide https://www.choice.com.au/shopping/shopping-for-services/ser…
Try Excess International (google them). They will provide standard size boxes. I remembered sending 5 boxes last year from the UK (each box is twice volume of a large suitcase) cost about AUD$900. Not sure if the same other way around.
Have you looked at how much it is to purchase extra baggage with your airline? It’s often not as expensive as shipping and you have the convenience of having your goods with you right away.
Otherwise, I’ve used Seven Seas before and found their services good and prices reasonable.
I've moved abroad a few times and I can guarantee extra baggage is WAY cheaper than most courier services. Albeit I haven't moved to Europe. I would just take extra baggage personally.
If you use a shipper, make sure you complete the form that says the goods aren't new and are your personal belongings or you will stiffed with VAT!
You could try Chess Moving, it's a free quote.
I moved 4 large boxes and a bicycle carton from London to Brisbane for approx $550 (GBP295) last year, but I mainly dealt with the UK partner, PSS International Removals. They took 10 weeks to deliver and it all went without a hitch.
We used PSS when we migrated from UK 15 years ago. They have a good rep with expats. https://britishexpats.com/forum/search.php?searchid=12174689
Thanks all for your recommendations!
Most airlines offer 'unaccompanied baggage'. Have a look at what is offered by the airline you are flying with.
It usually arrives, from my experience, about a week later than your flight.