A quote for an intercontinental removal consists of several elements, such as packing, disassembling, loading, transport, storage, unloading and insurance. All of these will be addressed below.
Packing and disassembling
Packing and disassembling cost a lot of time and consequently also a lot of money. Despite the cost you will spare yourself a lot of work, time and possible damage. We recommend that you leave the packing of fragile and valuable goods to professional movers. Especially in case of a removal whereby transport in a container on a ship is more prone to movement than in a removal van. This also holds good for the disassembling of large items of furniture. By allowing your mover to do this the risk of damage is minimised. It is of course cheaper to do it yourself (see moving tips). The cost of packing and disassembling are based on an hourly rate.
Loading
The loading of your household goods into the removal van or crates takes a lot of time. In some circumstances a removal-lift is needed. The cost of loading is made up by the number of hours required, the accessibility of your house, the number of floors in your house, special circumstances and of course the number of cubic meters involved.
Transport
The transport to the storage facilities will be by removal van. At the storage site your move will be loaded into crates or a special (international) removal van. Often multiple removals go into one van. Sometimes up to five or six removals to different destinations. Experienced international movers ensure that these moves remain separate, by marking them and making detailed inventory lists. Of course you will pay more the farther away the destination is and if there are multiple unloading sites. Loading goods into sea- or airworthy crates is most often done at the storage site. If a specially created crate is required for your removal then it will be charged separately. The cost of intercontinental transport is largely determined by the cost of shipping. This cost differs per shipping company and shipping schedule. Make sure to ask for these prices. Transport by air is the most expensive factor. By combining removals an experienced international mover should be able to offer you the best price. For an international removal the number of cubic meters, the distance and the possibilities for combining removals are the most important. Because the prices for shipping are in dollars, the exchange rate is also important.
Storage
It is possible to make use of temporary storage at the facilities of the international mover. This can save you a lot of time and money. For storage you pay storage fee, handling fee and probably insurance. Cost for storage is based on the number of cubic meters and length of period of storage. Handling is based on number of cubic meters. Insurance fee is based on the value you specify to your mover.
Unloading
The unloading is most often done by a local mover in country of destination. The international mover will use his contacts, to make sure you get the best quality mover. During unloading the distance from airfield or harbour is constitutes part of the cost. Also important is the way in which your place of residence can be reached. (driveway, narrow streets, elevator, etc.)
Insurance
Your household goods are always covered by the movers own legal liability insurance. You don’t have to pay for that. We advise you to upgrade this insurance to all-risk. The cost of this are a fixed amount and a percentage of the worth of your move (see insurance).
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