Moving companies, Singapore to Australia

[jpatokal]

Looks like I'll be dipping over to Down Under for a one-year assignment and the package includes a relocation allowance, so I've been asking around for rough quotations and getting quite a range. For "10 cubic metres, door-to-door, Singapore to Melbourne", here's what I've got so far, from cheapest to expensive:

Interswift
S$2860 in a shared container (~4 weeks)
S$4850 with immediate shipment
Optional insurance 1.5% of value (min $150)

Relocasia
S$3764 in a shared container
Optional insurance 3.5% of value (min $200)

Orient Express
S$4950
Insurance dunno

Move Management Australia
~S$4850 (A$3768) for 6.5 m3 via "LCL" (less than container load)
Optional insurance 3.5% of value (no minimum?)

Everybody seems to exclude AQIS (customs/quarantine), which is apparently a minimum of A$375 and more if they decide to go through everything with the proverbial comb.

So what do I get if I pay twice as much? Our belongings are fairly limited (eg. we're taking only around two-three pieces of furniture) and none of it is exactly irreplaceable, but it's a little too much to pack into square boxes and ship by Speedpost...

[jpatokal]

Bumpity? Surely someone else has moved from Sing to Oz or even the other way around...?

[Meridian]

hi there, have u had any feedback so far or chosen a mover? i am also looking into movers right now with some of the companies listed and it would be great if u could pm me about how it went.
thks!

[sierra2469alpha]

JP - we were very happy with Move Management Australia. They boxed everything up carefully, and even though there was some slight damage to our new lounge suite - caused by the local unpacking crew putting a box cutter "nick" in the side of a couch, there was no drama in having it repaired and all the insurance taken care of.

We've used them for relocating our other staff and also, no issues.

Still, we obviously have used only them, so I hope some other people can comment on the other organisations.

Enjoy your relocation! Which city, out of interest?

[jpatokal]

JP - we were very happy with Move Management Australia. They boxed everything up carefully, and even though there was some slight damage to our new lounge suite - caused by the local unpacking crew putting a box cutter "nick" in the side of a couch, there was no drama in having it repaired and all the insurance taken care of.

Yup, saw your recommendation and that's why I asked them for a quote, but as you can see they were the most expensive by a long shot

Another quote to add to the list:

Oxford Van Lines
S$2,980.00 in a shared container + Melbourne "terminal handling charges" (est. A$280)
Optional insurance 3% + admin fee $90

These guys appear to have an Australian operation as well, which is always a plus. I'm having a hard time finding any data at all on Interswift, so I'm currently leaning towards either Oxford or Relocasia, but still waiting for a few more quotes.

[adenhertog]

hi jp,

I'm in the middle of moving with Crown Relocations from Sydney to Singapore. They have both and Australian and Singapore/Malaysian branch and are doing the full door-to-door with both sea & air freight.

Can't give you any quotes as these were all borne by my employer, but they have been very easy to deal with and would recommend them.

[jpatokal]

I'm in the middle of moving with Crown Relocations from Sydney to Singapore. They have both and Australian and Singapore/Malaysian branch and are doing the full door-to-door with both sea & air freight.

Thanks for the recommendation. I've already talked to Crown, but apparently it will take them 3-5 days to come up with even a rough estimate

[Meridian]

hi jp,

i have also been looking into movers & have met up with couple of the ones u mentioned.
i have met up interswift's guy and asked for a reference list of their clientele which he will be emailing me, i can past it to u if u want.
he mentioned they will be opening a branch in perth for their aust. off too.

there is also Panther international moving PL. which was recommended to me by my friends who moved over to australia, n they were pretty happy with their rates n service. The guy i met was Sunny and i am neg. with the qoutes right now.

let me know if u want more details, vice versa.

[Boyd]

JP - the rate that we quoted you includes everything, (origin, ocean freight, all port charges, AQIS and destination costs) except insurance door to door. Some of the rates you are comparing are shared container rates which are cheaper than LCL as it is a slower service with more risk.

[jpatokal]

JP - the rate that we quoted you includes everything, (origin, ocean freight, all port charges, AQIS and destination costs) except insurance door to door. Some of the rates you are comparing are shared container rates which are cheaper than LCL as it is a slower service with more risk.

Mr. Michael Boyd, General Manager of Move Management Australia Pty Ltd, I presume? A pleasure to have you on board.

Now, I was under the impression that LCL (less than container load) was the same thing as shared container: because your cargo first sits around for a while waiting for a buddy, but the shipping costs are then shared. Can you explain the difference?

And oh, all the rates quoted above claim to include "everything", but I'll be using MMA's list as the checklist when I grill the other vendors about what is included

[jpatokal]

let me know if u want more details, vice versa.

Post the details right here on the board, that's what it's here for -- and the moving companies absolutely hate it when their quotes are published for easy comparison

[Boyd]

There are 4 ways to ship personal effects...
1) Air is the fastest and most expensive
2) Sole use ocean container - once the container is loaded at the home it is sent directly to the wharf for export. Best way to ship when you are shipping around 15cbm or more.
3) LCL - goods p/u for the home and taken back to the warehouse to be crated. The wooden box(s) are then delivered to the freight forwarder to be commingled with other cargo having the same destination. This mode of transport usually departs within a week of packing.
4) Groupage - items are p/u from the home and returned to the warehouse to wait for other shipments with the same destination. Departure is based on when there is enough shipments/volume that will fill an ocean container. This may take a couple of weeks or months before departing hence why it is the cheapest mode of transport.

[jpatokal]

Thanks for the explanation, Mr. Boyd! And I'm happy to tell you that yours is no longer the most expensive quote I've received, as these guys just topped it:

Crown Relocation
S$ 5,189.10 ("S$14.70 per cu. ft., subject to a minimum volume of 325 cu. ft" = 9.2 m3) via LCL, weekly sailings, est. 19-21 days in transit plus 10-14 days in Customs
Insurance 3.50%-4.00% depending on cover, min S$105
Storage max 60 days, AQIS charges +S$350, fumigation +S$200

Impressively detailed quote too. Unique selling point: online tracking!

[sierra2469alpha]

Well you get what you pay for, JP. We've moved a few people using MMA and not one complaint, so I guess if it's solely a cost comparison for you, then I do hope you aren't disappointed.

And you can do online tracking with any ship, btw.

HTH, P

[jpatokal]

Well you get what you pay for, JP. We've moved a few people using MMA and not one complaint, so I guess if it's solely a cost comparison for you, then I do hope you aren't disappointed.

The thing is, the stuff we've moving isn't actually worth all that much: almost no furniture, a couple of cheap bits of electronics, books, clothing, random decorative crap. For S$6000, we could probably throw most of it away and buy it new in Australia, and if the company wasn't giving us a relocation allowance, that's probably exactly what we would be doing...