Personal effects

Are you looking to transport your personal effects? Then you are in the right place!

One of the biggest concerns for those who have decided to relocate is how they will manage to move their belongings. Some people may consider getting a removal company involved, which will help with the packing process, but some may decide to do it by themselves to save money.

It is very important to understand what a removal company means, what services they put on the table, and what are the costs involved. First of all, they would come to your house and pack all your personal belongings, and they can also handle the shipment process. This situation may sound ideal, however, you must know that the big downside is the price. The cost involved to transport your personal belongings through a removal company, and to receive the service described above, it can cost you roughly five to eight times more than a standard freight service.

You can choose to save some thousands of pounds by going for the standard freight service, however, you must understand very well what it implies. The main advantage is the lower cost, but in the same time, there are a few things to consider. The main aspect is that you will be responsible for the packing process. The carrier you would transport your personal belongings with, would only collect your items already packed, and they will deliver it to the destination point. Also, please be advised that both the collection and delivery are kerbside-to-kerbside and the driver will not enter your premises to collect the consignment.

Also, if you book a pallet service, please be advised that it must be already packed and secured when the collection is attempted. Also, the pallets must be placed on a hard surface, such as tarmac or concrete so the driver can pick them up using a pump-truck. Please consider the collection will not be completed if your pallets are placed inside the house, inside a shed, in your backyard, or placed on gravel, uneven surfaces or grass. The driver can collect your goods only if they are already packed and placed in an easy-accessible place, on a hard surface, as per the instructions above.

Packing process

Let’s take it step by step. In terms of the packing process, there is one thing we have to decide upon first: the volume of freight that needs to be shipped. Depending on the volume of your freight, you can ship your personal effects as parcels, or, if you are looking to send larger items, a pallet delivery service is the safest and most cost effective solution for you.

The best way to pack your items if you are shipping them via a pallet delivery service, is to place the goods into new boxes, made of heavy duty cardboard. Also, you must insure that the goods do not move inside the boxes, and they have to be properly secured on a pallet. To secure the boxes down on the pallet, please use shrink-wrap, and wrap your consignment from the bottom to the top, making sure the shrink-wrap catches both the pallet and the boxes. For extra protection, we recommend you to use straps, in this way you avoid the goods falling off the pallet and sustaining any damages.

We know that it may sound complicated, but it’s really not. Many people use our pallet delivery services to ship their personal effects on a weekly basis. Please check the instructional video we have prepared for you, and then you will be able to properly pack your personal effects.

Where are you moving to?

When it comes to shipping personal effects, the collection and destination points are extremely important as these factors will determine the transit-time, cost, and bureaucratic requirements.

If you are moving to a different city, but still within the UK, everything is pretty straight forward. Most of our carriers handle personal effects shipments, and you can choose the service that best suits your needs at the time of the booking. The most important thing is to make sure your goods are properly packed, according to our guidelines.

UK to UK

• Wide choice of carriers
• The lowest possible costs
• Quick transit time
• No bureaucratic requirements

If you are shipping your belongings from the UK to any other country in Europe, or vice-versa, please be advised that your freight will be subject to customs clearance, and special documentation is required. Unfortunately, after Brexit, most of the international carrier who used to ship personal effects, have stopped due to the new bureaucratic changes. View our Brexit guide for more information about impact of Brexit on imports and Exports.

UK to Europe (Including Northern Ireland and Rep. of Ireland)/ Europe (Including Rep. of Ireland) to the UK

• The only available carrier is DHL
• Documentation is needed to detail all the goods you are shipping, their value, their commodity codes, proof of residence is required and so on.
• The freight is subject to customs clearance
• Depending on the volume of freight you want to ship, you can choose between air freight and road freight.

However, if you are shipping personal effects to other continents, the situation is slightly different in terms of choice. At this point you would have two options: to ship them via sea freight, or via air freight. There are important aspects to be considered such as your budget, the urgency of your consignment, and the place of the delivery.

UK to other continents/ other continents to the UK

• You can choose between sea freight and air freight services
• There are bureaucratic requirements, similar to the EU
• The freight is subject to customs clearance

Shipping personal effects by sea freight would be the most convenient and cost-effective solution for larger, palletized fright. The only option available to export personal effects from the UK via sea freight, is the door-to-port option. We can collect the consignment from your door, however, the delivery will be to the nearest port and the consignee is responsible to take the goods from there. Nevertheless, when it comes to sending the goods to the USA, there are some inland cities we can deliver to, such as Austin or Atlanta, you can choose them on the website from the drop-down menu available under USA.

If your delivery is urgent, then shipping your personal effects via air freight is a very good option. The air freight service can handle both parcels and pallets, but please keep in mind that the height limit for pallets is 160cm. If you have one or two small pallets to be shipped, the air freight service may be the most convenient option for you. Also, the air freight service is door-to-door and includes customs clearance in the costs.

Documents required

There are only a few situations when special documentation is not required for shipping personal effects: within the UK, between Northern Ireland and UK, between Rep. of Ireland and EU and vice versa, or between Northern Ireland and Rep. of Ireland and vice versa.Apart from the above situations, all personal effects imports/exports would automatically require a Proforma Invoice. An EORI or VAT number are obviously not necessary, as the goods are not subject to a sale, however, there are other details that you should pay attention to, such as commodity codes and Incoterms. You will have to complete the Proforma Invoice once you have booked in your shipment using our online system. Another important document we will need is the Packing list. The Packing list must itemize all the items in your consignment (parcel or pallet), and their estimated individual value.

After completing the documents and the booking on our website, please make sure you attach four copies of the Proforma Invoice and one copy of the Packing list on your consignment.

At present, our insurance underwriters do not offer coverage on consignment containing personal effects. There are a few reasons for this, the main being the difficulty on placing a value on used personal goods. However, if you had home contents insurance on the property you are moving from, they’ll often cover your household goods for the move.

We understand how challenging can be to organize a personal effects shipment, especially if it’s the first time you are doing so, however we do everything we can to make things easier. You can always get in touch with us by email, or phone, or using the online chat form available on the website, and our customer service team is always ready to assist you with all the queries you may have.

We are here to help, and are dedicated to finding the best solution for you. Please get in touch!