moving company to Dubai
March 25, 2008 3:01 PM Subscribe
I have a friend that is moving to Dubai, and he is having alot of issues finding a moving company to move his stuff. Anyone have a good tip?
He Is moving from LA to Dubai at the end of this week ( yeah, really short notice). And he has 750-1000 pounds of stuff. It seems everyone wants to know exact weight and size of every box, vs just load up a pallet and srinkwrap it and pay whatever the weight is. Anyone have any ideas for him? Doesn't matter how long it takes.
He Is moving from LA to Dubai at the end of this week ( yeah, really short notice). And he has 750-1000 pounds of stuff. It seems everyone wants to know exact weight and size of every box, vs just load up a pallet and srinkwrap it and pay whatever the weight is. Anyone have any ideas for him? Doesn't matter how long it takes.
All his stuff will most likely be shipped via large transport ship, so it could be a while before it arrives in Dubai. I have no experience with travel time down to there, but a move from California to Germany took several weeks for items to arrive. When moving overseas, sometimes it is cheaper and less of a hassle to sell all items locally and re purchase whatever you need at your destination.
posted by ShootTheMoon at 3:26 PM on March 25, 2008
posted by ShootTheMoon at 3:26 PM on March 25, 2008
Here is a good international mover thread at movingscam.com
posted by sharkfu at 3:28 PM on March 25, 2008
posted by sharkfu at 3:28 PM on March 25, 2008
pakmail baby!
they crate up whatever, and ship it
posted by Salvatorparadise at 5:17 PM on March 25, 2008
they crate up whatever, and ship it
posted by Salvatorparadise at 5:17 PM on March 25, 2008
Has he already had a moving company representative do an estimate of his move? Or, how does your friend estimate the weight of his belongings? Many people do not estimate correctly. Also, it's unlikely that his belongings will be shrink-wrapped to a pallet. It will travel via air (1-2 weeks delivery) or by sea (4-6 weeks delivery) in containers for steamships or air freight boxes. The containers hold 1100 - 2400 cubic feet, depending on the size used. When it reaches the port, it may then be inspected before released to you. So, it's a bit more involved than shrink-wrap! Moving overseas always involves weight/volume.
If he is moving for business, I'd ask the company's Human Resources department if they have a standing relationship with moving company for corporate relocation services. If they do not, I'd make sure to go with a large company, fully insure the move, and have a representative of the moving company do an "in-house estimate" (walk through and visually see your things) so they can give you a "firm quote" - that is, quote the price to you, contingent on weight/volume not changing.
Most moving companies of this size also offer storage facilities (moving and storage), and so you can ask for quotes for storage of the same items at the same time. That will give you a point of comparison for the costs of shipping versus keeping it in the States.
I can't think of any reason why he would need to stay in the States after the move is decided upon, if he is having the movers pack his belongings. He'd only need someone to open the door for them in LA.
As a personal recommendation, I'd move with Bekins.
posted by Houstonian at 5:21 PM on March 25, 2008
If he is moving for business, I'd ask the company's Human Resources department if they have a standing relationship with moving company for corporate relocation services. If they do not, I'd make sure to go with a large company, fully insure the move, and have a representative of the moving company do an "in-house estimate" (walk through and visually see your things) so they can give you a "firm quote" - that is, quote the price to you, contingent on weight/volume not changing.
Most moving companies of this size also offer storage facilities (moving and storage), and so you can ask for quotes for storage of the same items at the same time. That will give you a point of comparison for the costs of shipping versus keeping it in the States.
I can't think of any reason why he would need to stay in the States after the move is decided upon, if he is having the movers pack his belongings. He'd only need someone to open the door for them in LA.
As a personal recommendation, I'd move with Bekins.
posted by Houstonian at 5:21 PM on March 25, 2008
I've done an overseas move to and from Europe, and on the balance, I wish I had left most of my stuff in storage until I was sure I was staying really long-term. If I had it to do over, I would only ship my essentials and plan on buying anything else there. If after a full year I was certain I was staying for at least another year, I would then arrange the full move.
That said, I had better luck skipping the moving companies altogether and worked with shipping companies directly. The cost was much less, the people seemed much more helpful, and generally it was less hassle. I worked with Shannon Shipping out of San Diego (Google isn't finding their website), but I found them by looking in the yellow pages so I'm guessing there are other similar companies out there. Your friend will have to box his items himself and possibly transport them to the shipping center, but most companies will package them for freightage if arranged in advance.
posted by ga$money at 5:46 PM on March 25, 2008
That said, I had better luck skipping the moving companies altogether and worked with shipping companies directly. The cost was much less, the people seemed much more helpful, and generally it was less hassle. I worked with Shannon Shipping out of San Diego (Google isn't finding their website), but I found them by looking in the yellow pages so I'm guessing there are other similar companies out there. Your friend will have to box his items himself and possibly transport them to the shipping center, but most companies will package them for freightage if arranged in advance.
posted by ga$money at 5:46 PM on March 25, 2008
I've done an Atlantic move, and my parents have done a couple of moves to and from the middle east. My recommendations are:
posted by lowlife at 6:05 AM on March 26, 2008
- Don't sweat the exact name of the group moving you, but make sure their part of a global affiliate network. It's been years since I last did this, so I can't remember names. However, if you hit up a bunch of mover websites, hopefully some key names will start to look familiar.
- Be proactive about getting rid of stuff that may be questionable in your target country. Nothing sucks more than having all your possessions rifled through because of the one thing you forgot to remove.
- Be present for the pack, and confirm everything that goes into the container; I failed to do this and was lucky to only lose a VCR.
- Be present at customs in Dubai and oversee their checks. My parents failed to do this the first time we moved out that way (Saudi Arabia), and a lot of their stuff 'disappeared'. My mom was devastated that she lost a huge number of recipe books she'd collected for years.
- Be specific about where you want stuff put during the unpack. You don't want to spend days moving things around.
posted by lowlife at 6:05 AM on March 26, 2008
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posted by sharkfu at 3:23 PM on March 25, 2008