by Arnold Farquard © 2019

     International moving companies and long distance moving companies share similar aspects when processing moving and storage. Companies that help you move fulfil one or more of the tasks needed to complete the international move. Depending on the experience of those involved the move has either a greater chance of cost effective results or not. As with many things in life, it looks very easy until the details of complexity with international borders, transferring between modes of shipping and long distances surface. Unknowns, mistakes and timing details quickly become dauntingly stressful.
     The dynamics of international household goods shipment easily shows when the jobs needed to be performed are examined.

Who Makes International Shipments Happen?

• The Owner
  - also called the exporter and the importer by the border services and import tax department in the destination country.
• The Move Manager
  - also called the shipping company or Broker who monitors and guides the shipment through to the eventual delivery.
• The Origin Agent
  - also called packers or referred to as the sales agent as they are the ones who do the site survey, quote prices, do the packing and pick up.
• The Consolidating Warehouse
  - Less than Container Loads (i.e. LCL) are a common method of shipping household goods.you will want the freight forwarder.
  - often called a Bonded Warehouse it provides a location and the handling to bring shipments together that fill each containers and keep costs under control.
• The Freight Forwarder
  - you will want the freight forwarder in each country involved to be government licensed, handling the documentation and language, for your goods within that jurisdiction.
• The Origin Port
  - also known as the Origin Terminal or Export Port.
  - This is where the packed and sealed container the household goods that have cleared customs are loaded for international shipment.
  - This is also where Origin fees or handling charges are incurred.
• The Container Company
  - This is the owner of the ocean going container that holds those household goods.
  - Shipping Containers are built to with stand the elements and handling however fumes, dust or even pests may present unpleasant owner household goods consequences.
• The Shipping Company
  - This is the owner of the company and ship that is transporting the household goods to the next country.
  - Ships impact the costs when they use ultra slow propulsion and low fuel consumption technics or overbook cargo that gets moved to another ships at their convenience.
  - Shipping companies can rearrange schedules, damage cargo, rearrange routes without liability for resulting extra costs unless ongoing shipments are involved.
  - Picking a shipping company can be the difference between goods arriving as expected or being left in the dark while goods flounder on a very old ship.
• Destination Port
  - also known as the Destination Terminal or Import Port.
  - This is also where Destination fees or handling charges are incurred - in the currency of the destination country.
• Destination Bonded Warehouse
  - typically referred to when dealing with importation fees and where the goods are cleared by the customs of the destination country.
• The Destination Agent
  - also referred to as the delivery agent. They deal with processing the delivery of the goods from arrival at the port through to potentially unpacking at the new residence.
  - they will speak the language, know that countries rules and understand the deliver issues around delivering the goods in the 40 foot container or even a 10 x 10 shipping container at the new location.

     Each international or cross border move finds a unique combination of people and companies fulfilling these jobs. Usually without the members of the work chain even knowing about each other. It is always a careful balance of costs versus proven performance where experienced companies are involved and serendipity where do it yourself thriftiness select the lowest cost options. Regardless, knowing the roles that must be taken charge the best first step in avoiding unknowns popping up as extra costs later.

Providing Moving Services For International Moves With Minimal Risk

     Moving possessions to another country can be filled with unexpected events and significant added costs. There are ways to reduce the impact of those extra costs and unexpected changes.
• Carefully Arrange Packing of the Valuable Possessions Your Selected to Move
     What is being shipped needs to arrive in expected condition. It is easy to omit items not to ship but very careless to poorly pack the valued ones. Using a Furniture Vault, as well as boxes, reduces handling and damage risks.
• The Devil Is In The Moving Details
     When the original moving quotation and moving inventory were completed, they identified the volume, weight and packing considerations. That information lets you uncover items that would be best left behind or that would benefit from extra care during packing. It could be as simple as arranging custom crating, protecting against freezing temperatures or as significant as plastic wrapping to protect against smells or unwanted bugs that are part of the mass transport containers.
• International Move Insurance
     Insurance covering items being moved can typically be arranged - if packing is done by the origin agent. There are still risks that insurance will not cover... items only under control of the shipping company. Proper packing, delivery and handling problems can be mitigated by insurance. Coverage details that require total loss or do not cover shipping and packing costs or present other exemptions can be problematic.
• Watch for Extra Charges
     Items not included in the original quote are the source of many extras. Those extra charges can be for packing, crating or surprise extra weight that might not exist if certified weight scales were used and not included in the original survey quoted, extra storage due to a importation quarantine requirement or port strike and even special delivery charges based on access for the container to be delivered all are potential sources of extra not included costs. Awareness is the best preparation.