Hello,
My partner is wondering if there is any advice for the cheapest way to move her belongings, she is looking to move back this year and when she previously moved it cost almost 6k.
Any advice would be great 
Thank you!+
Sorry to take so long to answer you. I hope the following information may be helpful.
We used Rainier Overseas Movers in the past, and they have proven to be the least expensive option that didn't involve putting our goods in cardboard boxes on a pallet to ship.
I contacted the company a few months ago for a quote from the USA to the west coast of France this fall based on 900Cf. They said that with that volume a 20’ container would be the most cost effective method of shipping & that consolidated service (shared container) is typically only cost effective for volumes at 600Cf or less. The quote was $8,815.00 for three lift-vans door-to-door in a consolidated container. For the big 20 ft container, it was $11,100.00 plus $675 shuttle service, and included:
*Pre-packing at your residence (Professional packing & export wrapping furniture - Includes all labor and materials)
*Professional loading and securing goods into a dedicated ocean container
*Delivery of loaded/sealed container to port of exit
*Assistance with preparation of normal US Export and Customs documents
*Payment of all normal ocean freight charges and normal terminal fees
*Custom Clearance at destination - Including normal Terminal Handling Charges (THC) (excluding duties and taxes, if any)
*Delivery into residence (up to 1st floor delivery), setup basic furniture, place boxes in desired rooms and removal of debris (day of delivery)
PRICE EXCLUDES: Import customs taxes or duties if any, any charges relating to customs inspection, port strike/congestion, port storage/demurrage, Natural Disasters, Acts of War, etc. PRICE EXCLUDES UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED AS EXTRA SERVICES: At Destination - Difficult access, shuttle, long carry, parking permit, services above 1st floor, external elevator, new furniture or kit/IKEA type furniture assembly, any third-party fees, charges incurred by storage, insurance.
The advantage of the lift-vans was that there is no weight restriction - if you can get it into the box, it goes for the same rate if it is heavy or if it is light. Note that there can be some extra liabilities if you use a cargo container over a lift-van in cases of port-stoppage, acts of war, etc. You'd want to be sure you understand all the potential charges associated with whatever option you choose.
When I last spoke to the shipper they did warn that shipping was volatile (and getting more so) and the quotes were only good for 15 days. That was before open war began. I would assume that volatile does not begin to describe the situation for shipping now, or any differences in cost going to a non-EU version of the UK than for the EU-UK that was the situation when we first moved to the UK. The company has been happy to provide free quotes to us several times as we've explored our options, and I can recommend them as having treated us very well during our prior moves with them.
My contact at Rainier was:
David Wiviott
International Relocation Manager :: Rainier Overseas Movers, Inc.
T: 206.462.3628 (direct) | 800.422.5440
F: 425.643.0448
7003 132nd PL SE, #200, Newcastle, WA 98059
DaveW@RainierOS.com | newcomer link:
http://www.RainierOS.com [nofollow] [nonactive]
Good luck!
