APEX GLOBAL LOGISTICS (AGL)

APEX GLOBAL LOGISTICS CARGO LLC - YOUR RELIABLE MOVING PARTNER

TEL : +971 25556399 sales@apexglc.com www.apexglc.com

Economic Shipping from the Dubai & Abu Dhabi

Moving overseas can be an exciting and exhilarating experience, but it is becoming increasingly expensive. The good news is there are some key areas for you to focus on which will ensure affordable shipping of your goods is achievable.

Below we highlight the areas and elaborate with tips and advice.

Timeframe

If you are fortunate enough to know about your move ahead of time, this provides the opportunity to plan and save money in a number of areas. For a start you can invest more time in obtaining and comparing quotes from various international moving companies. 4-5 is an ideal number; it allows you to review a wide range of services prices without the process becoming overwhelming.

Avoid Peak Season

The busiest time for international movers is the summer. Avoid moving at anytime when children are on holiday, Christmas, Easter, half-term etc. Also, if you can, move around the middle of the month, (beginning and end of month is generally a busy time due to leases expiring). Most international moving companies will work on a supply and demand basis and if the demand is high – prices go up. Book early and avoid the peak season.

Volume & Weight

Volume and, to a lesser extent, weight will dictate the cost of your move. Put simply – if you don’t need it, don’t pay to ship it. Many people end up shipping items/contents, which are never unpacked at destination, and then of course these unused items end up being shipped again, either back home or on to the next destination! Start to purge items as early as you can, 2-3 months prior to the move if possible.

Start with larger furniture items, and then move onto contents. Get the kids to do the same with their toys (use some of the money you save to buy them a few new toys at destination). Organise a garage sale or start photographing items and post them onto Ebay or Dubizzle. You may be surprised how much money you can raise not to mention the sense of well being you may feel. Keep your selected international moving company informed, and they will work with you on moving options.

Shipping Mode

Assuming you are moving more than a few suitcases to a new continent, then shipment by sea your only option. Once your volume exceeds around 13-15 cubic meters / 460-530 cubic feet then it is possibly most cost effective to take your own shipping container, however, if you are willing to be flexible on the door to door transit times, discuss the option of shared containers. There are two types of shared container services LCL and Groupage.

Storage considerations

If the duration of your relocation is likely to be 1-2 years, storing your main items with an international moving company may be a cost effective option to consider. Any longer than 2 years and certainly if the move is for an indefinite period, avoid storage. Sell the items, donate, or give them away to friends.

Avoid expensive hotels at origin

Assuming you are moving most contents from your home, it is likely the packing and loading will take more than a day, in some cases 3 or 4 days. It is possible to stay in your home until the final day. The moving company will be happy to leave your master bedroom relatively untouched as well as leaving you some basic essentials like a kettle and a stove, however it is likely the refrigerator and freezer will need to be unplugged the night before the final day. Nevertheless a little forward planning and organisation can save the cost of a few nights in a hotel.

Other tips, which are indirectly part of the moving process but which will save you money;

Booking flights and hotels as far in advance as possible – Unless you are incredibly fortunate, the longer you leave it the higher the prices will become. Price comparison websites can allow you to find incredible deals should you have some flexibility with your flight dates.

Researching airlines’ baggage allowance terms and conditions – an extra 5-10 kgs per person for a family of 4 means you can carry a lot more essential items with you in order to tide you over until the main shipment arrives at destination.

Take a break whilst the shipment is in transit – If your goods are being sent by sea, it is likely the transit time could be 20, 30 or even 40 days. This provides you with an ideal opportunity to take a break/vacation. You may find if you are travelling to your destination you can stop en route for example if you are moving from Europe to Australia, you can book your flights via Dubai, Bangkok or Singapore allowing you to take a vacation where essentially the air-tickets are free.

Renting furnished accommodation – If you are in a position to rent a home, which is already furnished, or partially furnished, this can drastically reduce the volume of goods you need to bring with you. It may be you can take some excess baggage or make do with a relatively small airfreight shipment, which you should receive in days rather than months.

Buy second hand furniture when you arrive – In most cities countries, there are likely to be just as many people leaving as there are arriving. It is amazing the bargains you can find especially bulky items like appliances and furniture. In countries where much of the population is transient such as the UAE, Singapore, Hong Kong much of the furniture and household goods sale are only a few years old and in some cases barely used. Again this can drastically reduce the volume of goods you need to send from origin.