Issues with UPakWeShip?

So...

We're thinking of using UPakWeShip, the 100 cubic feet option. I have a priceless, irreplaceable desk stripped & refinished by my late father. It's almost literally the only thing I have left of him. It's just 8 inches too wide for the 50 cubic feet option (53 inches wide and would have to look up the height and depth measurements).

I don't NEED to ship 100 cubic feet worth of stuff, but it would be lovely if I could. And the desk, well, I'm losing so much of my life and identity and past here in the US that I need this bit of my old life. I don't have any family or friends who will keep things for me, and this move is permanent.

I've seen quite a few recommendations for UPak here, but I know Nan D. had a bad experience.

So, questions if you have used UPak:

1. If you use the 100 cubic foot container, do you still have to get a moving ramp to lift the pallet into the truck?

2. Can they take the container from inside a U-haul van? Or does it have to be on the ground?

3. How well were you satisfied with the condition of contents upon arrival?

4. Did you have any issues with contents getting wet, crushed, etc.? Boxes split open? Items broken? Etc.?

5. Was the 2-hour window (from dropping off truck until pickup) enough time to load? Did you do everything yourself, or did you need help?

6. Did you have any problems (customs-wise) with shipping unopened items that genuinely were older than 12 months? Example: I buy in bulk, so I truly have had toilet paper ( ) that long. Since it's free now, I might as well use it for shock absorber material. Or unopened new clothing that's been sitting in my drawer/closet for months.

Any other recommendations or advice about using UPak?

I'm following this thread ... I have a bunch of records to ship, and since turntables are rather expensive I'm going to bring mine too & get a power converter. (To buy new would be almost the same as shipping costs!) Was hoping to do the 100cu ft u-crate door to door since then I could load it on my time & not worry about running out of space.


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I only shipped a pallet, but I dropped off at a delivery site and they dropped off at our English flat. Not one thing broke and I had tons of valuables. They did a really nice job of wrapping in plastic to keep water out.

I had zero issues with customs and I had brand new items in there, but I cut tags off just to be safe. In fact, my stuff arrived before I did

I would say if my pallet of boxes arrived safe, a shipping container probably will too. I was really pleased with customer service.


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I only shipped a pallet, but I dropped off at a delivery site and they dropped off at our English flat. Not one thing broke and I had tons of valuables. They did a really nice job of wrapping in plastic to keep water out.

I had zero issues with customs and I had brand new items in there, but I cut tags off just to be safe. In fact, my stuff arrived before I did

I would say if my pallet of boxes arrived safe, a shipping container probably will too. I was really pleased with customer service.


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Was looking into sending just a pallet as I have a coffee table and books (which obviously are heavy) that I wanted to take over but didn't want to send a massive container but didn't end up doing it in the end. Curious to know what it looks like in case I change my mind (as this stuff is still at my parent's house and I'm seeing more and more positive things about the company). Any pictures of what the pallet or containers looked like once packed??

I'm following this thread ... I have a bunch of records to ship, and since turntables are rather expensive I'm going to bring mine too & get a power converter. (To buy new would be almost the same as shipping costs!) Was hoping to do the 100cu ft u-crate door to door since then I could load it on my time & not worry about running out of space.


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How are you able to get a power converter that works? Since UK is different voltage AND hertz? If you've checked it out and found a converter that will do hertz and voltage, PLEASE let me know. It's going to cost a fortune to get a new rice cooker (I have a VERY good one, and as far as I can tell the UK doesn't do good rice cookers).

Was looking into sending just a pallet as I have a coffee table and books (which obviously are heavy) that I wanted to take over but didn't want to send a massive container but didn't end up doing it in the end. Curious to know what it looks like in case I change my mind (as this stuff is still at my parent's house and I'm seeing more and more positive things about the company). Any pictures of what the pallet or containers looked like once packed??

For what it's worth, here's their FAQ: http://upakweship.com/moving-tips/faq/

Also, anyone thinking of shipping stuff should submit your Transfer of Residence form NOW. It takes about 30 days to get approved (2 weeks if you're really lucky), and it will be valid for 12 months. Poor Katoo had to pay £100 per day for her stuff to be stored by UK customs until her ToR went through.

Here is a slideshow of what the 100 foot cubic container looks like when it's shipped/prepared. Not sure about the smaller pallets.

https://www.slideshare.net/marknash22/the-u-crate-100-by-upakweship

For what it's worth, here's their FAQ: http://upakweship.com/moving-tips/faq/

Also, anyone thinking of shipping stuff should submit your Transfer of Residence form NOW. It takes about 30 days to get approved (2 weeks if you're really lucky), and it will be valid for 12 months. Poor Katoo had to pay £100 per day for her stuff to be stored by UK customs until her ToR went through.

I started a google doc today of all the things that need to be done for moving! I'm not submitting my visa til July-ish (priority) so I plan on submitting the TOR at about the same time!

I'll search the boards, I know I saw one that was appropriate for use with power tools so I was thinking it would work well enough for the turntables. I did forget about the Hz difference so I'll need to check the power requirements again. There is a conversion kit for technic 1200's too (my model was the last before they added in a switch for euro power), and I have some friends that are soldering masters.

Was looking into sending just a pallet as I have a coffee table and books (which obviously are heavy) that I wanted to take over but didn't want to send a massive container but didn't end up doing it in the end. Curious to know what it looks like in case I change my mind (as this stuff is still at my parent's house and I'm seeing more and more positive things about the company). Any pictures of what the pallet or containers looked like once packed??

I wish I had a pic for you, but I got a load of espresso boxes from Starbucks I think they were roughly 12X16.

I used masking tape on the floor to measure the pallet. I then played with the boxes until they fit just right in the dimensions. I think I ended up using 22 boxes and two under the bed containers.

There was a drop of place near me so I did thar instead of them picking it up. My dad and I took all the boxes there, they helped me put them on the pallet and wrapped it all up with loads of plastic. None of my boxes were even damaged.


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I started a google doc today of all the things that need to be done for moving! I'm not submitting my visa til July-ish (priority) so I plan on submitting the TOR at about the same time!

I'll search the boards, I know I saw one that was appropriate for use with power tools so I was thinking it would work well enough for the turntables. I did forget about the Hz difference so I'll need to check the power requirements again. There is a conversion kit for technic 1200's too (my model was the last before they added in a switch for euro power), and I have some friends that are soldering masters.

I asked my wife, and she thought that you might be okay with the turntable as it doesn't have any heating element. But yeah, do check into it before spending all the money on shipping.

Hindsight 20/20, I would have applied for the ToR well before submitting the visa application. It will last for 12 months, and it doesn't have to be exact.

I asked my wife, and she thought that you might be okay with the turntable as it doesn't have any heating element. But yeah, do check into it before spending all the money on shipping.

Hindsight 20/20, I would have applied for the ToR well before submitting the visa application. It will last for 12 months, and it doesn't have to be exact.

Oh wow, I hadn't done my reading on it yet so it's good to know it can be used for 12 months. I'm slightly worried about finances atm and may need to put things in storage at my mom's for a bit! This is why I started my checklist, I did my visa research but there's still so much more that has to be done.

Oh wow, I hadn't done my reading on it yet so it's good to know it can be used for 12 months. I'm slightly worried about finances atm and may need to put things in storage at my mom's for a bit! This is why I started my checklist, I did my visa research but there's still so much more that has to be done.

I'm kicking myself that I didn't do the ToR ages ago, but it was brand-new last month and no one told me to get on it early. Plus, submitting the visa itself was so traumatic that I could barely cope with anything else. The hits keep coming...now if the visa comes as quickly as we hope, it may come well before I get a ToR number.

If I were you, I'd apply for the ToR now. That and $5 will get you coffee at Starbucks.

I used masking tape on the floor to measure the pallet. I then played with the boxes until they fit just right in the dimensions. I think I ended up using 22 boxes and two under the bed containers.

That is an insanely genius idea!

Oh wow, I hadn't done my reading on it yet so it's good to know it can be used for 12 months. I'm slightly worried about finances atm and may need to put things in storage at my mom's for a bit! This is why I started my checklist, I did my visa research but there's still so much more that has to be done.

This might be a crazy idea or something that you're not interested in at all, but how often do you plan on going back to visit? Only asking because if you intend on going back within the next year or something, perhaps you could leave anything you won't need in the immediate future with your mum, and sort out the shipment of new things for when you go back to visit? Only if you think there will be problems with getting everything coordinated to be ready at the same time.

My husband flew over to fly back with me (I was veryyy lucky he could afford this because I HATE flying) and he barely brought anything so we could fill his suitcase up. I ended up taking over 10 (you heard that right) bags (this included carry-ons) because I didn't have the money to pay for international shipping (we had spent nearly all our wedding money on visa and flights). It was a ballache getting our 10 suitcases transported from US to UK and I didn't even get all my belongings in there so it doesn't even feel like it was worth the hassle! If I could go back and do it again, I would maybe take ONE extra suitcase each and have sorted out a shipping method for everything else AFTER I got settled in and knew what I needed and didn't need. But I go back to the US yearly so for me it wouldn't have been too much extra work. I just panicked thinking I would miss my stuff enough to justify moving a heck of a lot of bags through the airport (finding a taxi to take us back was hilarious as well).

This might be a crazy idea or something that you're not interested in at all, but how often do you plan on going back to visit? Only asking because if you intend on going back within the next year or something, perhaps you could leave anything you won't need in the immediate future with your mum, and sort out the shipment of new things for when you go back to visit? Only if you think there will be problems with getting everything coordinated to be ready at the same time.

My husband flew over to fly back with me (I was veryyy lucky he could afford this because I HATE flying) and he barely brought anything so we could fill his suitcase up. I ended up taking over 10 (you heard that right) bags (this included carry-ons) because I didn't have the money to pay for international shipping (we had spent nearly all our wedding money on visa and flights). It was a ballache getting our 10 suitcases transported from US to UK and I didn't even get all my belongings in there so it doesn't even feel like it was worth the hassle! If I could go back and do it again, I would maybe take ONE extra suitcase each and have sorted out a shipping method for everything else AFTER I got settled in and knew what I needed and didn't need. But I go back to the US yearly so for me it wouldn't have been too much extra work. I just panicked thinking I would miss my stuff enough to justify moving a heck of a lot of bags through the airport (finding a taxi to take us back was hilarious as well).

I only wish. No family, or at least no family who would help.