DIY Sea Freight to USA?

[fotog]

Please excuse me if this topic has already been covered, I did search and found nothing.

If it has been covered, what is the link.

 

I want to move my household goods from Bangkok to USA via sea freight. Does anyone know how one can  arrange, without an agent, a 20’ container or LCL from the Bangkok port - arrange the shipping to U.S. - Pick it up in Long Beach, CA or whatever port on the West coast they deliver it to? There is no hurry to receive the shipment, so sharing a container, and waiting for it to be full, is ok too.

 

I have contacted several freight forwarder companies and have been given various estimates all between 256,000 THB - 320,000 THB ($8k-$10k) without insurance and not counting a possible and probable customs inspection in U.S which can add another 32,000 THB ($1k)

 

The way I read their  proposal / contracts is that it is ‘only an estimate’ and that final charges, if any, will be applied after I have already paid the full estimated charge and they have my goods.

Insurance will add about another 3.5% to the total but it doesn't cover everything and according to my neighbor they refused to pay for damages in her case.

 

My household goods are mostly sentimental things we want to have in the U.S., but if I can’t find a reasonable way to ship them, they will be sold before I depart.

 

It seems to me that the freight forwarder companies are only middle men contractors and then they subcontract the job out to others for the best bid. They arrange everything including a U.S receiver, and then collect their commission. Very convenient of course, however I am capable of doing my own packing, getting permits from the Ministry of Culture and delivering my household goods to the port in Bangkok and pick up the goods in the U.S.

 

I realise this will be a huge headache but unlike friends who have had their relocations subsidised entirely by the U.S Embassy Department of State or other large corporations, these forwarders deal mostly with the latter and don’t deal too much with peons like me. Companies I have estimates from include: Crown, JVK, Santa Fe, Siam, K-Line, Guru Transport.

 

Thank you for any useful information you may have in connection with this inquiry.

 

 

[Langsuan Man]

Go with the flow or abandon all your goods

 

You don't get a divorce without a lawyer

You don't get a operation without a doctor

You don't move household goods without a freight forwarder

 

Professionals want to deal with professionals and as you so aptly put it you are a peon

 

Good look pushing this particular noodle 

[fotog]

2 hours ago, Langsuan Man said:

Go with the flow or abandon all your goods

 

You don't get a divorce without a lawyer

You don't get a operation without a doctor

You don't move household goods without a freight forwarder

 

Professionals want to deal with professionals and as you so aptly put it you are a peon

 

Good look pushing this particular noodle 

Thank you Langsuan Man for the very thoughtful, helpful information.

[blackcab]

I've used icontainers to move full container loads from the US to Thailand. They are cheap but there is a lot that can go wrong if you don't know what your are doing.

 

I plugged in your details: 20 foot FCL, Bangkok port to Long Beach, California for personal effects and the prices were under 2,900 dollars for the sea freight portion only. You still will have to pay all the costs to get the container on the ship and off the ship.

 

However you have to understand there could be extras. For example you will be charged if you don't have a loading dock. You will be charged if the truck has to go to a non-commercial address. You will have a maximum of 2 hours to load the entire container. You will need your own bolt seal. You will have to prepare your own customs paperwork. (For Thailand that means paperless customs which you have to be previously registered for). You need to weigh the container. Also check if each pallet has to be individually weighed for a personal effects move, or whether the total SOLAS VGM can be used.

 

Any mistakes and you will incur time delays which you will be charged for on a daily basis. If your paperwork is not correct you will be charged container hire per day and dock storage per day.

 

I would at least use a Thai customs agent to clear your container this end. They cost a few thousand baht and they will talk to the truck driver, get your load into port, process the paperwork and pay any fees on your behalf. However you will still need to ask them about paperless customs and how to deal with that.

 

I would suggest you first move your goods to a storage unit which has good access, a loading dock and a forklift (if such a place exists). Palletize your goods, wrap and band the pallets and have your tie down straps and bolt seal ready.

 

Make arrangements to hire their forklift and driver on loading day as well as a few people to help load and tie down. You will have 2 hours to load.

 

Take photos of the load, bolt seal the door, take a photo of the bolt seal, take a photo of the container number.

 

If you haven't done this before you will be lucky to get it through without any problems.

 

A much easier option would be a LCL. I plugged in 1,000kg, 10cbm and 5 boxes of personal effects and got a price of about 1,100 dollars.

 

This way you could palletize, box and weigh your goods and have a forklift put them on a truck for you and then the rest is taken care of.

 

Understand that with LCL your goods must be stackable, meaning they must be boxed in a way that allows another pallet to sit on them, otherwise you will be charged extra because the shipper loses to ability to make money from the space on top of your pallet. Obviously for double height pallets (bulky but not heavy items) this will not apply.

 

Good luck, and understand you will need a Thai speaker who is used to dealing with Thai businesses or who is capable of doing so. The first thing you need to do is talk to a Thai customs agent about exactly what you have to provide them to clear the container onto the ship.

[GinBoy2]

I just checked what we paid.

 

We didn't ship major furniture, few side tables, personal effects, clothes, electronics, kitchenware with Asian Tigers. 

 

Door to door, it cost ฿160K inc VAT

 

They came, packed everything, transported it all from from Khon Kaen, arranged the clearances and it was delivered to our home in South Dakota. 

 

The timing depends on where you live, but to cut the cost on transportation in the US, they use the steamship line to transport it as a bonded shipment to your nearest port of entry, so ours went from Long Beach to Minneapolis, cleared customs there, then was trucked back West. 

 

I think all in all it took 6 weeks, but it was seamless, insured, and they dealt with all the paperwork.

 

And as for customs, they had me sign a form stating that it was all my personal property and I was a returning US citizen, so no fees or duties

 

I wouldn't have wanted to do it myself, too much can go wrong

Edited April 28, 2019 by GinBoy2

[fotog]

11 hours ago, blackcab said:

I've used icontainers to move full container loads from the US to Thailand. They are cheap but there is a lot that can go wrong if you don't know what your are doing.

 

I plugged in your details: 20 foot FCL, Bangkok port to Long Beach, California for personal effects and the prices were under 2,900 dollars for the sea freight portion only. You still will have to pay all the costs to get the container on the ship and off the ship.

 

However you have to understand there could be extras. For example you will be charged if you don't have a loading dock. You will be charged if the truck has to go to a non-commercial address. You will have a maximum of 2 hours to load the entire container. You will need your own bolt seal. You will have to prepare your own customs paperwork. (For Thailand that means paperless customs which you have to be previously registered for). You need to weigh the container. Also check if each pallet has to be individually weighed for a personal effects move, or whether the total SOLAS VGM can be used.

 

Any mistakes and you will incur time delays which you will be charged for on a daily basis. If your paperwork is not correct you will be charged container hire per day and dock storage per day.

 

"I would at least use a Thai customs agent to clear your container this end. They cost a few thousand baht and they will talk to the truck driver, get your load into port, process the paperwork and pay any fees on your behalf. However you will still need to ask them about paperless customs and how to deal with that."

 

I would suggest you first move your goods to a storage unit which has good access, a loading dock and a forklift (if such a place exists). Palletize your goods, wrap and band the pallets and have your tie down straps and bolt seal ready.

 

Make arrangements to hire their forklift and driver on loading day as well as a few people to help load and tie down. You will have 2 hours to load.

 

Take photos of the load, bolt seal the door, take a photo of the bolt seal, take a photo of the container number.

 

If you haven't done this before you will be lucky to get it through without any problems.

 

A much easier option would be a LCL. I plugged in 1,000kg, 10cbm and 5 boxes of personal effects and got a price of about 1,100 dollars.

 

This way you could palletize, box and weigh your goods and have a forklift put them on a truck for you and then the rest is taken care of.

 

Understand that with LCL your goods must be stackable, meaning they must be boxed in a way that allows another pallet to sit on them, otherwise you will be charged extra because the shipper loses to ability to make money from the space on top of your pallet. Obviously for double height pallets (bulky but not heavy items) this will not apply.

 

Good luck, and understand you will need a Thai speaker who is used to dealing with Thai businesses or who is capable of doing so. The first thing you need to do is talk to a Thai customs agent about exactly what you have to provide them to clear the container onto the ship.

Blackcab, This is very useful detailed information, thank you! Do you have any Thai or on the U.S. side, contacts and their contact details that you could share with me? In any regard I really appreciate your taking the time to reply. A PM is ok too if your not comfortable sharing publicly.

 

Having lived in Thailand since 2002, I have found that, unfortunately, you don't always get what you pay for when dealing with so-called 'professionals'. That is why early on I invested in my own tools and did my own maintenance, repairs and renovations. Even though the building I lived in, provided maintenance. Just found that if I wanted it done right, better to do it myself.

Thanks again!

 

"I would at least use a Thai customs agent to clear your container this end. They cost a few thousand baht and they will talk to the truck driver, get your load into port, process the paperwork and pay any fees on your behalf. However you will still need to ask them about paperless customs and how to deal with that."

 

[fotog]

7 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

I just checked what we paid.

 

We didn't ship major furniture, few side tables, personal effects, clothes, electronics, kitchenware with Asian Tigers. 

 

Door to door, it cost ฿160K inc VAT

 

They came, packed everything, transported it all from from Khon Kaen, arranged the clearances and it was delivered to our home in South Dakota. 

 

The timing depends on where you live, but to cut the cost on transportation in the US, they use the steamship line to transport it as a bonded shipment to your nearest port of entry, so ours went from Long Beach to Minneapolis, cleared customs there, then was trucked back West. 

 

I think all in all it took 6 weeks, but it was seamless, insured, and they dealt with all the paperwork.

 

And as for customs, they had me sign a form stating that it was all my personal property and I was a returning US citizen, so no fees or duties

 

I wouldn't have wanted to do it myself, too much can go wrong

GinBoy2, Thank you for your reply. I am not looking for the cheapest way to accomplish this, just a reliable way at a reasonable fee. What you shipped sounds pretty much like what I want to ship too, with a bit more furniture perhaps.

 

 Can you tell me which agent you used and their contact details? Did you take the optional insurance they offered? Any other information would be great too. 

 

I have friends who work and worked for the State Department who have told me stories, over the years, about shipments that have gone missing, partially lost or damaged, although rare, but it does happen.

Thank you!

[GinBoy2]

22 minutes ago, fotog said:

GinBoy2, Thank you for your reply. I am not looking for the cheapest way to accomplish this, just a reliable way at a reasonable fee. What you shipped sounds pretty much like what I want to ship too, with a bit more furniture perhaps.

 

 Can you tell me which agent you used and their contact details? Did you take the optional insurance they offered? Any other information would be great too. 

 

I have friends who work and worked for the State Department who have told me stories, over the years, about shipments that have gone missing, partially lost or damaged, although rare, but it does happen.

Thank you!

https://www.asiantigers-mobility.com/locations/thailand/

 

I was actually rather impressed with their service.

 

After living so long living in Thailand, I was sorta numb to mediocre service, but these guys were great, and certainly exceeded my expectations 

 

The lead guy who who came to our house, even though I spoke Thai, and obviously my wife, spoke and wrote good English.

 

They packed everything really well, and nothing got broken in transit. They provided all the packing materials, so we did nothing but watch them work!

 

They hand off to a final delivery agent, who at least for us was equally professional. They took over the final delivery and clearance from Minneapolis, but it was all part of the price we paid to Asian Tigers, so it was all inclusive.

 

I forget now who the initial contact was at the company, but he was a European 

 

Yes I took the additional insurance, that was part of the price I quoted before.

They are really good about packing everything with tons of dessicant, since that can be one of the major reasons stuff gets wrecked during long ocean crossings  

Edited April 28, 2019 by GinBoy2

[GinBoy2]

27 minutes ago, fotog said:

GinBoy2, Thank you for your reply. I am not looking for the cheapest way to accomplish this, just a reliable way at a reasonable fee. What you shipped sounds pretty much like what I want to ship too, with a bit more furniture perhaps.

 

 Can you tell me which agent you used and their contact details? Did you take the optional insurance they offered? Any other information would be great too. 

 

I have friends who work and worked for the State Department who have told me stories, over the years, about shipments that have gone missing, partially lost or damaged, although rare, but it does happen.

Thank you!

Actually I just found the original email from these guys, and this was the contact;

 

Dir: +662 687 7896 | Tel: +662 687 7888 | Fax: +662 687 7999 | Mobile : +669 2223 9529 |
[email protected] | www.asiantigers-mobility.com

[blackcab]

The company I work for use these agents. You will need a Thai speaker as I don't believe they have an English speaker:

 

https://www.dearborn.co.th/Contact.php

[fotog]

8 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Actually I just found the original email from these guys, and this was the contact;

 

Dir: +662 687 7896 | Tel: +662 687 7888 | Fax: +662 687 7999 | Mobile : +669 2223 9529 |
[email protected] | www.asiantigers-mobility.com

GinBoy2, Thank you for taking the time to find this information and replying to my topic. Very much appreciated! 

[fotog]

8 hours ago, blackcab said:

The company I work for use these agents. You will need a Thai speaker as I don't believe they have an English speaker:

 

https://www.dearborn.co.th/Contact.php

Blackcab, Thank you for taking the time to provide all of your very excellent detailed information, along with the contact details and replying to my topic. It sounds like quite a precise complex process and something that, in the long run, may be too involved for a novice. I will consider it further. I greatly appreciate all of your help!

[GinBoy2]

12 hours ago, fotog said:

GinBoy2, Thank you for taking the time to find this information and replying to my topic. Very much appreciated! 

I would have to say, doing it yourself is I'm sure possible.

 

But there are a lot of moving parts, and the possibility of something going wrong, is probably quite high.

 

You said in your OP you are shipping sentimental items.

 

We too shipped similar things. 'Stuff' can get replaced, personal things are irreplaceable, so maybe you might end up spending a little bit more than a DIY relo, but you need to ask, is it worth the risk?

 

When you use a professional mover they are tracking and monitoring the move from start to finish

 

We got emails from Asian Tigers when our stuff arrived in Bangkok.

They updated us when it was loaded onto the ship.

 

Then we were contacted from the agent in Minneapolis when the ship arrived in Long Beach, when it cleared customs and it's ultimate delivery date.

 

They also copied me on all the emails between Asian Tigers and the agents in Minneapolis so I knew what what was going on

 

That stuff is hard when you are doing it yourself

[fotog]

1 hour ago, GinBoy2 said:

I would have to say, doing it yourself is I'm sure possible.

 

But there are a lot of moving parts, and the possibility of something going wrong, is probably quite high.

 

You said in your OP you are shipping sentimental items.

 

We too shipped similar things. 'Stuff' can get replaced, personal things are irreplaceable, so maybe you might end up spending a little bit more than a DIY relo, but you need to ask, is it worth the risk?

 

When you use a professional mover they are tracking and monitoring the move from start to finish

 

We got emails from Asian Tigers when our stuff arrived in Bangkok.

They updated us when it was loaded onto the ship.

 

Then we were contacted from the agent in Minneapolis when the ship arrived in Long Beach, when it cleared customs and it's ultimate delivery date.

 

They also copied me on all the emails between Asian Tigers and the agents in Minneapolis so I knew what what was going on

 

That stuff is hard when you are doing it yourself

Yes all very good points you make and knowing that the freight forwarder is very reliable is comforting and worth their fee. Thanks again for your interest and recommendation! I can't tell you how many times professional contractors and their subs have come to my condo, only to borrow my tools, some not knowing how to do their work or telling me it can't be done and then me showing them how to do a particular job or task. Even showing the building maintenance engineer and his crew how to change a light in the swimming pool. It reached a point whereby I finally just did everything myself. Just because some call themselves a 'professional', does not make them so. In my business I would often hear; "I've been doing this for fifteen, twenty or thirty years', but they were doing things wrong or sloppy for thirty years too and were still hacks.

That said, I have seen rare cases of some excellent work too, in particular a cabinet maker for two bathrooms I renovated myself. But mostly never had much luck finding the latter, just pain and frustration.

 

Last year I sold all of my tools and many household items, some of what I want to keep and ship are high quality chinese furniture pieces, a couple of antique pieces from Tibet and some wall art, all of which would be difficult to find in the U.S. Oh, and a beautiful condo for sale too.

 

Again thank you GinBoy2 for your input, it has been very helpful!

[fotog]

6 hours ago, tammydfigueroas said:

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Homepage

Thank you, however I did not see the guide on your site.

Edited April 29, 2019 by fotog

[GinBoy2]

23 hours ago, fotog said:

Yes all very good points you make and knowing that the freight forwarder is very reliable is comforting and worth their fee. Thanks again for your interest and recommendation! I can't tell you how many times professional contractors and their subs have come to my condo, only to borrow my tools, some not knowing how to do their work or telling me it can't be done and then me showing them how to do a particular job or task. Even showing the building maintenance engineer and his crew how to change a light in the swimming pool. It reached a point whereby I finally just did everything myself. Just because some call themselves a 'professional', does not make them so. In my business I would often hear; "I've been doing this for fifteen, twenty or thirty years', but they were doing things wrong or sloppy for thirty years too and were still hacks.

That said, I have seen rare cases of some excellent work too, in particular a cabinet maker for two bathrooms I renovated myself. But mostly never had much luck finding the latter, just pain and frustration.

 

Last year I sold all of my tools and many household items, some of what I want to keep and ship are high quality chinese furniture pieces, a couple of antique pieces from Tibet and some wall art, all of which would be difficult to find in the U.S. Oh, and a beautiful condo for sale too.

 

Again thank you GinBoy2 for your input, it has been very helpful!

Between the house, which we still have, and our rental condos, trying to find maintenance guys who actually knew what they were doing was tough.

 

I have a guy who I trust to look after our house, and paradoxically he's probably the least educated of all my maintenance guys that I have had, but I know he'll get it done.

In my BKK condos I went through several until I found one that actually knew what he was doing!

 

When it comes to shipping your belongings you don't have the luxury of 'trying them out' that's why you have to rely on either gut, or recommendations

Edited April 30, 2019 by GinBoy2

[fotog]

It’s good that you have found a reliable handyman. I don’t think a formal education is as important compared to how he was trained and his personal work ethic. Someone who is a self starter and can think outside of the box and takes pride in his work.

We have considered renting out our place too, however living overseas would be a challenge. I think better to just sell. I have owned rental homes here in the U.S. with very few good tenants. Can’t imagine doing it long distance.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[GinBoy2]

3 hours ago, fotog said:

It’s good that you have found a reliable handyman. I don’t think a formal education is as important compared to how he was trained and his personal work ethic. Someone who is a self starter and can think outside of the box and takes pride in his work.

We have considered renting out our place too, however living overseas would be a challenge. I think better to just sell. I have owned rental homes here in the U.S. with very few good tenants. Can’t imagine doing it long distance.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I rented out our US house all the time I was in Thailand.

 

However I used a property management company who took care of everything, from finding tenants to maintenance, and collecting the rent

 

That doesn't really exist in Thailand, the best you get are realtors that will find you a tenant, then you are on your own.

 

That's why we decided to sell our rental condos in BKK and move the money back to the US and buy rental apartments here, since there was no way to manage them them.

Then there was the fact that the rent would be in THB and I'd have to repatriate it, and that's not easy either if you aren't in Thailand

Edited May 3, 2019 by GinBoy2

[fotog]

Do you happen to have the name of a reliable real estate agent in Bangkok, so far I have not found any. 

It is difficult trying to sell from overseas and am reluctant to leave the key with a so called agent.

My neighbor left their key with the front desk and that did not work out well for them.

 

[GinBoy2]

2 hours ago, fotog said:

Do you happen to have the name of a reliable real estate agent in Bangkok, so far I have not found any. 

It is difficult trying to sell from overseas and am reluctant to leave the key with a so called agent.

My neighbor left their key with the front desk and that did not work out well for them.

 

I sent you a PM with the realtor we used at CBRE.

 

Lot of shady realtors, CBRE as a major international real estate company, it's pretty sold

Edited May 3, 2019 by GinBoy2