# Shipping Costs for 20FT container USA to AU



## cletus (Jul 23, 2010)

Hi,

I am negotiating an employment contract with an employer in AU and wanted to check for the estimated shipping costs of a 20FT container from USA to AU for personal effects. Does anyone have an idea on total costs including customs in AU? 

I am trying to understand if it is better for me to just buy furniture etc. vs. having a container shipped, all depending on how much the employer will be willing to cover for relocation.

Thanks


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi cletus

search the forum, from what i remember it is approximately 5-6k$.. Not sure though. Most people prefer shipping just the things they can not part with. It depends on how old or how new your furniture is. The relocation cost paid by the company and the cost you would incur if you buy everything afresh in Australia. I suggest having a look at the sticky threads, it has links to furniture shops etc, that can give you a vague idea about cost of things in Australia if purchased new or rented, compare it with the cost of shipping stuff, whatever is cheaper go for that. But remember, since oyu are on sponsored visa, if at all you ship the stuff, everything would have to be sent back as and when and if at all you plan to go back to miami


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## Johnfromoz (Oct 20, 2010)

Hanjin and Maersk would probably be the cheapest. I used to ship agricultural equipment from Europe to Australia and an open-top 40ft container cost me about $2500. Of course, this was about a decade back but a standard 40 footer cost a mere $1200 at the time. Open top costs so much more, coz nothing can be loaded on top of it. So, I suggest checking brokers who handle these companies.


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