container's docked--and we're not ready!

Much as I hoped it would take the slow boat around the cape, our container has arrived in less than 4 weeks! Now we have to figure out where to store the stuff. We're buying a house, and the word from the estate agent is if all goes well we might expect to take possession around Aug. 10. If all goes not so well--and any number of things could happen--we could end up waiting a lot longer. It looks like our choices are: a) storing the whole lot with the shippers and having them deliver it when the house is ours, or b) having them deliver it to a storage unit near us and then arranging to move it all ourselves with the help of local movers.  The first option, which is the most covenient, would cost us 900 pounds upfront and an additional 95 pounds per week. Ouch! I haven't looked into the other option yet, but we'd be paying the storage place and movers.  Has anyone else been in this quandry?

It bugs the heck out of me knowing all our stuff is here and that there's no point in touching any of it until we have room for it. Patience was never my strong suit. 

We stored our things after they arrived but we didn't have that huge up front payment (ouch!). We just paid a monthly fee (about £50) and additional insurance premiums. It was not fun knowing our things were not here and not having them, but it was worth it to us not to have to deal with all the boxes twice. Plus, check your insurance policy. Ours only gave us 30 or 45 days after receipt of the shipment to make claims. If your stuff is in a personal storage unit, it will be difficult if not impossible to check everything out. If it were me I'd make the decision based on the insurance considerations. Is it at all possible to have the items delivered (and unpacked) at your current accomodation? And then just pay a local mover to pack and move you to your new house?

I hope there wasn't a complaint in that post. 

I had stuff shipped via slow boat and it took 8  months to arrive. It became a joke that my stuff was lost forever.

Ah, well I am sure you are just happy it is here!!

Much as I hoped it would take the slow boat around the cape, our container has arrived in less than 4 weeks!

Happens all the time, our stuff travelled via Antwerp from Boston (the closest port to Felixstowe, why Antwerp I have no idea and it was almost a month earlier than we expected)) and we were'nt ready for it either but if you can secure a lock-up or storage closer to where you are now and have them deliver it there you won't pay those kind of prices, the reason for that is #1 they can get away with it and #2 storage down by the docks is at a premium because they soak the shipping companies and that expense gets passed on to you.