Shipping Costs

Moving on to the practical side of it, expats are often most anxious to find out whether the shipping fits into their budget. In this section, we not only teach you how to estimate the container volume you need and the cost of shipment, but also explain some of the key paperwork involved.

A bulk of the cost is determined by the cubic volume of your goods. Worry not if you do not know how many containers you will need and what requirements to tell the mover. We have an online calculator that will do the math for you and take you out of the equation. Simply fill up the form at this link, and we will help you obtain quotations from our list of reliable international mover partners. You can then compare, and make your choice.

Full Container Load (FCL)

Sea freight forwarders usually offer containers in two sizes – 20ft and 40ft. As an estimate, a 20ft container can hold the contents of an average three-bedroom family home. If you are looking to ship one or two vehicles on top of the contents, then you will need a 40ft container. Good for you if you have enough contents to fill up a container – you can opt for FCL, which is exclusive to you and does not require you to share with someone else.

Here’s a rough gauge of the pricing:

Less-than-Container Load (LCL)

Of course, it is likely for many expats to exceed one container, but have not enough to fill up a second one. In this case, it will not be worthwhile for you to get a FCL and pay for a lot of unused space. Also, having too much of an empty space may cause the items to move about a lot during the journey and increase the chance of damage.

LCL, where the container is shared, is offered to pack such loose items. Naturally, you may feel slightly iffy about putting your personal possessions with other people’s cargo. However, bear in mind that most goods will be well wrapped up and it is likely that the mover will compartmentalise container professionally. As long as there are no sensitive items and you ensure that nothing is missed out at the end of the day, you are pretty much in safe hands.