# Shipping CONTAINER US to DUBAI



## roosterbooster20132013

Hello folks ...
Specifically this question is geared towards folks who have recently moved from US to DUbai and shippped household goods from the US to Dubai in a 20ft (or 40 ft ) container..
here is my situation. the agent in the US came to home and gave an estimate of 8000$ to pack and ship the stuff from US port to dubai... ($1.38 per lb rate)..
the actual weight finally was 3000 lb totaling to 4400$ (at the above $1.38/lb) rate...

yet he charged me 7800 saying that above the weight x $/lb rate there is a flat fee for shipping a 20ft container which makes if 4400$ + flat fee = 7800$..

is the agent trying to RIP ME OFF?? really. is there such a flat fee?
please advise. thanks


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## fcjb1970

There is normally a fixed minimum rate based on container size. So a 20 ft would be cheaper than a 40ft. Although some places may let you do 1/2 a container. If you think about it, it makes sense because the container takes the same space full of empty so they need to charge for the space.

I would expect someone to have told you the cost breakdown in advance. If he said by weight than it should be by weight. Otherwise they should have explained in their estimate the minimum cost. I would hope you got a written estimate before someone came to your house and started boxing things up.


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## persianfromtexas

Wow u got really taken... I shipped a 20ft container from Houston to dubai for about 2800$ in it I had my car and a bunch of other household items... Took a couple months to get here and when it did I paid about 1000$ for tax and registration for my car and about 200$ to have all my stuff delivered to my place... 7800 is way way way too much... I used maersk!!


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## roosterbooster20132013

persianfromtexas said:


> Wow u got really taken... I shipped a 20ft container from Houston to dubai for about 2800$ in it I had my car and a bunch of other household items... Took a couple months to get here and when it did I paid about 1000$ for tax and registration for my car and about 200$ to have all my stuff delivered to my place... 7800 is way way way too much... I used maersk!!



I had 5 different estimates all in the same range
your figure is unbelievable?
are we compare apple to apple?


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## persianfromtexas

I can try to find the name of the company I used in the US but I know the shipping line was maersk... I did however pack all of my own stuff into the container.


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## roosterbooster20132013

persianfromtexas said:


> I can try to find the name of the company I used in the US but I know the shipping line was maersk... I did however pack all of my own stuff into the container.



there you go... secret sauce: packed my own....
thats the difference...cheers
:fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed:


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## geraapol

Persianfromtexas can you tell me the steps on shipping to dubai i would like to bring my car over here in a 20 foot container.


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## mehranR

Following this thread. I have had quite a few quotes and they are all over, so I was thinking of sending the cars through a different carrier than the furniture.


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## geraapol

Persianfromtexas can you tell me how you did it and what company I have stuff in Houston and I also need to bring it to dubai


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## Matthew Winter

Hi there,

Maersk are a SHIPPING LINE. They own the boats that go from port to port. They will supply you with an empty container for you to pack and load.

The company you have received your quotation from will be a freight forwarder and/or international remover. They will be booking the container through a shipping line (which could be Maersk, or any of the other lines around the world) but will be charging you an additional fee for them to pack your goods and load them into a container (and then unload/unpack in Dubai).

I am not sure how US pricing compares to the UK, but the price paid seems a little high, even for a full packing and unpacking service.

I guess it's too late now, but for anyone stumbling across this in future, it's very important that your mover gives you a detailed quotation stating exactly what their price INCLUDES and EXCLUDES. It is entirely common for certain items to be excluded from a move quote, but it should always be very obvious what these are and the company should be able to provide estimates of what those charges might be if they occur.

If they have based their price on a certain volume or weight, then this too should be clearly stated right next to the price.

If any of the above aren't in your movers quote then alarm bells should be ringing, no matter what the price quoted.


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## Vesper007

Hello!
I'm considering moving from NYC to Dubai and figured I'd try kicking a dead horse by bumping this thread.
So Maersk is the best way to go? Or, as they are a shipping line, do I need to contact another service (even if I'm totally cool with packing/unpacking on my own)? 
As for container sizes, I take it it's 20ft or 40ft and no other choice? A 20foot will be more than enough in my case. 
Let me know.


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## Simey

Vesper007 said:


> Hello!
> I'm considering moving from NYC to Dubai and figured I'd try kicking a dead horse by bumping this thread.
> So Maersk is the best way to go? Or, as they are a shipping line, do I need to contact another service (even if I'm totally cool with packing/unpacking on my own)?
> As for container sizes, I take it it's 20ft or 40ft and no other choice? A 20foot will be more than enough in my case.
> Let me know.


Anecdotally, I have heard that one problem with packing yourself is you are much more likely to be the container that is randomly chosen to get a colonoscopy by the customs authorities. This makes sense if you think about it and while I am sure you would never pack anything that shouldn't be packed at the very least it could lead to delay. 

Also, I would think that it's much more likely that some of your breakables will arrive broken either because of customs rifling through it or just because you didn't pack it properly. Having watched my crew do it there is a bit of an art to packing goods. I was happy to have professionals do it. But then again, I wasn't paying the bill personally.


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## Desert_Fever

We just moved here from Washington, and the shipper helped us pack for a nominal fee. They will be the best judge of what size container will work for you. If you bring a car you can do a car + goods in a 40FT. The other major advantage is that they really know how to pack that thing where every inch is utilized. You can't do that on your own. As for the shipping line I'd go with a company that has several lines (as dates and times can vary) and you can get competitive rates. I can pass along the info of the guys I used if you need to get a quote.


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## Matthew Winter

Vesper007 said:


> Hello!
> I'm considering moving from NYC to Dubai and figured I'd try kicking a dead horse by bumping this thread.
> So Maersk is the best way to go? Or, as they are a shipping line, do I need to contact another service (even if I'm totally cool with packing/unpacking on my own)?
> As for container sizes, I take it it's 20ft or 40ft and no other choice? A 20foot will be more than enough in my case.
> Let me know.


You might be able to get a price from Maersk - but depending on their policy in the USA, they may or may not accept bookings from private individuals. Even if they do - they will treat you just like you were a freight forwarder. They will expect you to understand all their terminology and you will have to make sure you complete certain documents correctly without any assistance.

Regardless of whether they actually allow you to, you probably shouldn't engage the shipping line directly. You will almost certainly get a better price from a freight forwarder or international remover in your area. They will be booking lots of containers and will be able to get you the same container on the same Maersk boat for less than Maersk will charge you (and still leave a profit for themselves!) - shipping is a volume game. Furthermore, they will (or should!) be well used to dealing with private individuals and will act as a middle man between you and the shipping line, decoding all the mysterious lingo that they like to use and completing documentation on your behalf. (Disclaimer - I do work for an international removal company!)

As for packing & loading your own - lots of people do this and if you are a reasonably practical person and take time to prepare it's perfectly possible to do it yourself. If you want any tips on self-packing let me know...


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## Vesper007

Simey said:


> Anecdotally, I have heard that one problem with packing yourself is you are much more likely to be the container that is randomly chosen to get a colonoscopy by the customs authorities. This makes sense if you think about it and while I am sure you would never pack anything that shouldn't be packed at the very least it could lead to delay.
> 
> Also, I would think that it's much more likely that some of your breakables will arrive broken either because of customs rifling through it or just because you didn't pack it properly. Having watched my crew do it there is a bit of an art to packing goods. I was happy to have professionals do it. But then again, I wasn't paying the bill personally.


That actually makes a lot of sense regarding the random choosing if you pack it yourself. And yeah, I figured a few things may get destroyed but that's just the risk we all take. I know I had a few things broken when I moved from Philadelphia to NYC but that's just the name of the game.




Desert_Fever said:


> We just moved here from Washington, and the shipper helped us pack for a nominal fee. They will be the best judge of what size container will work for you. If you bring a car you can do a car + goods in a 40FT. The other major advantage is that they really know how to pack that thing where every inch is utilized. You can't do that on your own. As for the shipping line I'd go with a company that has several lines (as dates and times can vary) and you can get competitive rates. I can pass along the info of the guys I used if you need to get a quote.


Desert, I don't own a car so thankfully I won't need the 40ft option. But I would truly appreciate if you could pass along the info for the guys you used. It would be a huge help! 



Matthew Winter said:


> You might be able to get a price from Maersk - but depending on their policy in the USA, they may or may not accept bookings from private individuals. Even if they do - they will treat you just like you were a freight forwarder. They will expect you to understand all their terminology and you will have to make sure you complete certain documents correctly without any assistance.
> 
> Regardless of whether they actually allow you to, you probably shouldn't engage the shipping line directly. You will almost certainly get a better price from a freight forwarder or international remover in your area. They will be booking lots of containers and will be able to get you the same container on the same Maersk boat for less than Maersk will charge you (and still leave a profit for themselves!) - shipping is a volume game. Furthermore, they will (or should!) be well used to dealing with private individuals and will act as a middle man between you and the shipping line, decoding all the mysterious lingo that they like to use and completing documentation on your behalf. (Disclaimer - I do work for an international removal company!)
> 
> As for packing & loading your own - lots of people do this and if you are a reasonably practical person and take time to prepare it's perfectly possible to do it yourself. If you want any tips on self-packing let me know...


Great point about Maersk and doing it through a company that deals with them, finding it super ironic having a middle man costs less but I can totally see why now!

And any tips would be more than welcome.


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## mehranR

So here is what we were told,
90% of outbound shipments are subject to inspection in US.
And guess what, we were the lucky ones too,
$750 for X-ray, $1400 for inspection, travel to and from port to inspection site$150 cleaning charges and many other charges including the container waiting for inspection, we ended up paying $2700 more than the original quoted price.


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## Vesper007

mehranR said:


> So here is what we were told,
> 90% of outbound shipments are subject to inspection in US.
> And guess what, we were the lucky ones too,
> $750 for X-ray, $1400 for inspection, travel to and from port to inspection site$150 cleaning charges and many other charges including the container waiting for inspection, we ended up paying $2700 more than the original quoted price.


EWWWWW!!!! What was the original quoted price and how big was your shipment, if you don't mind me asking?


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## RandomDude

mehranR said:


> So here is what we were told,
> 90% of outbound shipments are subject to inspection in US.
> And guess what, we were the lucky ones too,
> $750 for X-ray, $1400 for inspection, travel to and from port to inspection site$150 cleaning charges and many other charges including the container waiting for inspection, we ended up paying $2700 more than the original quoted price.


I thought these sort of things only existed here, not the US

I never really understood why would a person ship things across the seas.


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## BadgerUSA

Desert_Fever said:


> We just moved here from Washington, and the shipper helped us pack for a nominal fee. They will be the best judge of what size container will work for you. If you bring a car you can do a car + goods in a 40FT. The other major advantage is that they really know how to pack that thing where every inch is utilized. You can't do that on your own. As for the shipping line I'd go with a company that has several lines (as dates and times can vary) and you can get competitive rates. I can pass along the info of the guys I used if you need to get a quote.


Do you mind sharing how much you paid? Trying to get an idea of how good the quotes I've received are.


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## mehranR

Vesper007 said:


> EWWWWW!!!! What was the original quoted price and how big was your shipment, if you don't mind me asking?


It was $2900 fee for a 20 ft container. And then add the extra money for inspection


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## mehranR

RandomDude said:


> I thought these sort of things only existed here, not the US I never really understood why would a person ship things across the seas.


Our household items were less than 5 years old and to sell in US and buy everything here it would have cost us a lot more. We brought everything with us.


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## Bigsoccermomma

*Shipping Company?*

Bump on this thread. Can anyone give the name of who they used when moving their belongings to Dubai from US. Getting some very high quotes! A lot to wade through

Thanks


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## Simey

Bigsoccermomma said:


> Bump on this thread. Can anyone give the name of who they used when moving their belongings to Dubai from US. Getting some very high quotes! A lot to wade through
> 
> Thanks


I used Brauns International. It was a door to door delivery including packing and unpacking. There are cheaper ways to do it but you get what you pay for I think.


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## Bigsoccermomma

*container ship*



Simey said:


> I used Brauns International. It was a door to door delivery including packing and unpacking. There are cheaper ways to do it but you get what you pay for I think.


Was that Us to Dubai? What were your charges? I have quotes from $6000 for a 40ft all the way up to 12350 USD.


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## Simey

Bigsoccermomma said:


> Was that Us to Dubai? What were your charges? I have quotes from $6000 for a 40ft all the way up to 12350 USD.


Yes, to Dubai from the US, per your question. 

I moved 2 years ago so the charges will be out of date but they were on the upper end of your scale.


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## BadgerUSA

We are using Atlas for a 40 foot high (taller) container. The movers packed everything at our house and will unpack everything when we arrive. The cost was at the high end of what you are listing. The final price is based on the weight of the goods shipped, however, not the volume of the container.


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## jgw99

if you have time to shop around, movingscamDOTCOM. left hand side, international shippers tab.


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## PalmaVirtuti

I just paid around $7,000 for 20ft container including door to door packing and unpacking and including insurance.


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## Bigsoccermomma

*Container*



PalmaVirtuti said:


> I just paid around $7,000 for 20ft container including door to door packing and unpacking and including insurance.


Who did you go with?


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## PalmaVirtuti

Company called Unipack Global. My shipment was from Harrisburg, PA to Dubai. My shipment hasn't yet arrived in Dubai, but service so far has been good.


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## Bigsoccermomma

PalmaVirtuti said:


> Company called Unipack Global. My shipment was from Harrisburg, PA to Dubai. My shipment hasn't yet arrived in Dubai, but service so far has been good.


Thanks for the recommendation. How long has your shipment been en route?


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## Bigsoccermomma

PalmaVirtuti said:


> Company called Unipack Global. My shipment was from Harrisburg, PA to Dubai. My shipment hasn't yet arrived in Dubai, but service so far has been good.


Did they charge you based on weight/volume or by container size?


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## PalmaVirtuti

If I recall, it was actually a combination of the two, there was a weight component and then fixed 20ft container component.


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## PalmaVirtuti

I worked with a lady called Susan Langston, I can provide you contact details. They came and did a no cost no obligation assessment of everything to be moved prior to quoting.


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## Bigsoccermomma

PalmaVirtuti said:


> I worked with a lady called Susan Langston, I can provide you contact details. They came and did a no cost no obligation assessment of everything to be moved prior to quoting.


That would be much appreciated!


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## PalmaVirtuti

[email protected]


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