Anyone know anything about container shipping?

[steve_earwig]

As title really, now I have permanent residence I'm looking to ship a few things from my house Hertfordshire to out here and I thought there's always a chance someone knows about it (getting nowhere fast with Google )

The problem is my dad and bro are thinking of buying a large house together so lots of stuff will have to go so I can rent my house out to a real person. My dad's spent his life collecting tools and small machines while my brother chucks stuff away if it stops moving And he informs me the clearance has started

From what I've come across I think it could be possible to get a container dropped at my house to be filled, then it's collected, transported and shipped to Rijeka down on the coast, then all I need is to borrow a truck and go empty it. Hopefully. The companies I've contacted so far say they don't do that though, it would all need to be individually crated and so far that's nearly a grand for just a bike and my generator

Any ideas?

Ta muchly

[DiscoPol]

I got all excited then Steve,

I thought I could regale you with my knowledge and experience, having brought over lots of gear from China on a commercial basis,

then you dashed my hopes with the revelation that you wanted "domestic" type shipping

I have a cousin who relocated back to the UK from some time living in S.A and he used a firm that "live loaded" his gear in S.A in 2 hours and he got the same to unload back in the U.K 8 weeks later, it was a killer 2 hours isnt long to unload a 20ft container let alone a 40, so if you manage to find someone that will, do bare in mind that 2 hours really isnt long unless you have at least 4 of you willing to go at it like loons

the same goes for loading, would your Father and Brother be able to load a full container in the time span? to ensure safe shipping it needs to be well packed otherwise as soon as they start transporting it all you worldly goods will smash themselves to bits, and finally if they offer insurance (as they should) take it for sure, light containers go on top of ships and the heavy ones go in the hold, if the weather is bad upto 0.09% of containers can be lost overboard on any one ship, doesnt sound a lot till you work out that the ships carry upto 15,000 containers so all of a sudden 0.09% is significant especially if its your 0.09% that goes overboard

other than that i have nothing for you mate, but if needed i can try find out who my cousin used, but it was a few years ago mind.

Disco

[steve_earwig]

Yeah, I was wondering about parking a 20 foot container outside my dad's house for a day or so... But then the alternative's them taking 3 or 4 trailers full down to Southampton, which just isn't viable. Packing stuff individually sounds like it's going to be expensive though.

I've got no idea about this so all contributions are most welcome!

[Welly]

To me, the easiest way would seem to be to rent as big-a-flipping-van (7.5tonn'er?) as you can and go for the long drive...........

You may not get everything in in one go (but you'd be amazed what you can pack in) but at least YOU control what, where and when with it all

Something like this........

[no2lurch]

you will not be able to have a container dropped odd at your house. simple reaosn is the trucks that transport them cannot take them off or put them on. you need a big crane for that.

[steve_earwig]

I've read that it's possible but I don't think it would have been viable anyway.

I'm preferring Welly's idea tbh, I had considered it but it's a week-plus of sodding around but I guess it's preferable to someone else taking & crating my stuff their own way so they can cram it into the smallest space possible and then the whole lot going overboard

Ok ok, I'm going

[Welly]

Just be mindful that if you hire a left-hooker from your end it'll be a bastard to drive over hear with our over-crowded roads

[steve_earwig]

They can't have got that much worse surely?

Just think I'm be able to sail past all the speed cameras with impunity There's one every 6 feet now isn't there?

Looks to be about 80 quid a day for a Boxer Plus whatever else they're not telling me in the ads ("You want a seat in it?! That'll be extra, kompa"), plus fuel and getting ripped off on toll roads, vinaigrette for Austria or Slovenija. And ferries...

[Welly]

It won't be cheap by any means

I just meant it's kinda tricky enough manoeuvring those things as it is without being sat on the 'wrong' side of it

[steve_earwig]

I drove a RHD Transit over here for quite a while and didn't have any real problems, ok there's less traffic here but what this place lacks in quantity it sure makes up for in quality

[TooT]

How about getting a courier company to do all the work/driving for you.

There must be a courier company in Hertfordshire like these guys http://www.jrcexpress.co.uk

[steve_earwig]

Ooh cheers, I'm liking these ideas I'll fire off yet another email and see what's cooking.

[FarmerPug]

ive a cousin how hauls livestock in a scania, with a big trailer but its bigger than most removal trucks ie a proper 40 foot, he brought back a car once in it allbeit from england to ni, but even so it suited him well because he dropped off the cattle to some place in england, then parked up the lorry at a stop, and got a taxi to get the car (i think a mk2 golf) drove the car back to the lorry stop, and drove it into the trailer and took it home, and it worked quite well. But its an option to ask someone who hauls livestock over on the continent to put your stuff in their trailer (although only once its been washed out obviously) might work, its another suggestion.

[steve_earwig]

It's a thought yes, I'll be at the main customs building in ZG next week talking to an exporter and I know stuff goes to GB from here (power station transformers for one) but I don't know of anything that comes this way (apart from escaping emigrants like me of course), so there must be an empty lorry or two.