Shipping Panic

[appleblossoms]

Hi all, please help calm my nerves! We're moving to the states in three weeks, shippers are coming on Monday to pack up all our things. We have to fill in the inventory tonight to send to them tomorrow. We're almost there, having worked on it for the last week... but I'm getting to the point where I'm just putting "assorted baby toys - £50" and not actually saying how many etc. Has any one else done this? Also, I'm assuming that if we forget to put something on the list now but we decide next week we want it shipped they'll still take it, it just might not be insured? Out of the entire international move, this is the only bit that is causing me to stress!!! Oh wise mumsnet, please tell me your shipping experiences positive stories only

If you havca shopping package paid by the employer better overstate it slightly than the other way around. Wont make a huge difference in the overall premium unless its specified valuables.
Hang on! You're nearly there!

We moved to the US last year and like you I hated doing the shipping inventory! In hindsight I wished we'd over estimated the value of some things like furniture. And yes when it came to things like toys we just we lumped them all together.

Good luck with the move! And be prepared to see your house get packed up ridiculously quickly by the movers.

It is part of the package, so no cost to us which is good. urgh, it's so stressful! did you end up having to claim anything? am I being naive assuming everything will get there in one piece??

I'm genuinely looking forward to being there now, just wish I could skip the next three weeks!

Thank you!

I've done 2 int moves- one was pickfords and the other Santa Fe. No breakages apart from a small cat scratching post, so it can happen!!

We had some damage to a couple of bits of furniture. Deep scratch on the dining room table and a dent/hole in the back of one wardrobe. Both were from Ikea so not hugely expensive or family heirlooms!

Other than that everything made it in one piece which I was amazed at! My top tip is don't leave anything lying around that you don't want packed into your boxes for shipping. I'd put my just used breast pump down on the kitchen side to wash up, came back to find it had been whisked away into a box. It was delightful to unpack 7 weeks later.

Yes be careful what you leave around they really do pack everything. A friend of mine had her kitchen bin packed. It wasnt empty.

Is your shipping company not doing this for you? We had people come in and pack everything....even the full bins!

We were really lucky, had great and sensible packers - very little damage - if I recall correctly scratches on one sofa and a couple of very minor things - claims process no hassle. We took everything truely valuable with us (jewellery, laptops, cameras and backup hard drives).
I have also heard stories of bins and pot plants being packed!
Only other thing to bear in mind is that if your container is going through the tropics it will get very very hot inside - I discovered later that my walking boots basically fell apart after one wear in the new location as the glue had been destroyed by the heat - apparently this is a common problem with things that are glued!
The inventory was hell to make, I should probably update ours now just so I don't have to do it all at the end again!!

Gosh sorry can't help on the inventory as ours was done for us as they packed!! I have no idea how the insurance worked as it was all organised by the relocation agent.

Just to reassure you - we had a couple of things that were damaged a broken mug (but because it was part of a set we got four replaced!), our coffee machine, my daughter's bed was slightly scratched and a couple of other things. We estimated the values with some back up from websites showing costs of things and emailed it to the relocation agent - then just got a payment straight into our account - easy as that! Also sent photos where relevant.

If you have a relocation agent then don't worry about any damage etc as they will organise the insurance for you.

We've only ever had to write down values of items worth more than a certain amount ($300?) as they are insured separately. Everything else was "misc personal effects". Had a camera go missing and a Chinese statue broken on our last move, neither itemized, both covered and paid out for.

Make sure you keep your inventory for the next move!
And on the receivind end let THEM unpack ansolutely everything and sign off the inventory.
In my experience, more damage can be done by careless movers when they reassemble some furniture or unpack glass and china.
Its a goid idea to take possession of your new house a few days ahead so that you thoroughly clean storage inside out and figure out what goes where so they can unpack straight into the cupboards.
You can air/dust/ vacuum/bleach all over again for the next 2 weeks!
Ahhhh that nesting feeling! Compensates for the inventory headache.
I love how for everymove i rediscover so much crap hidden treasures I forgot i had packed 4 weeks before!

We had to do a spreadsheet with approximate values so I just lumped all the toys together and overestimated on everything! We had no damage at all luckily.

And like others they will pack every single thing they fine, even dirty mugs and bins as we found out!

Thank you all so much. I'm feeling a little calmer today. Inventory is done, but the shippers have said we can update it next week after they've packed if I notice anything has been missed off or we decide not to take something.

Next task is to try and separate the house into sections of what's going and what's being put into storage, a task we have been trying to complete for at least 2 months - this is not much fun with children moving anything and everything! I just keep repeating "nearly there. nearly there." to myself!