Shipping your goods to Australia

Making the decision to migrate to Australia is probably one of the hardest things you’ll do, but once you get the wheels into motion, potentially the most stressful thing — apart from stepping on the plane — is shipping your possessions to your destination in Australia.

Not only do you need to get a number of quotes from various freight and shipping companies, but you need to pack your possessions into boxes (usually provided by the company, together with rolls of bubble-wrap and tape!), make a list of what’s in the boxes for insurance purposes (advisable to do this before sealing the boxes!), and then arrange for the company to collect them.

Deciding what to keep, what to throw and what to send to the charity shop is not easy so it is recommended you don’t leave this to the last minute!

Remember, you will also need to work out what to keep with you for your last few weeks and take with you on the flight as checked-in luggage (it might be worth paying extra to go on an airline that has higher weight limits).

Depending on the company, the average shipping time is 70 days from collection to delivery, door-to-door. When obtaining the quote, also be sure to ask what days they usually ship boxes as some companies only send containers once a week and you might miss the boat…literally!

Also see: Move to Australia planning checklist

IMAGE: Courtesy Anglo Pacific World Movers

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