# 20ft/40ft container costs to melbourne oz



## ian fin (Feb 12, 2013)

Hi All , Our family are considering immigrating to melbourne australia and are looking at the costs to move all the furniture or not. Does anyone have any recent experience of the costs involved in sending a container to melbourne from the uk ? and are there other hidden costs? thanks Ian.


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

Hi,

We paid £5500 for a 40ft container (Pickfords) because we brought our car.....then you have to pay for customs inspection in Oz....Think it was about $400...
We also had insurance ....don't go with what your shipping company advises...they are a rip off....we got a reason quote from Letton Percival, (google them) who where excellent when we had to make a claim.
Hope this helps.Regards Judy


----------



## ian fin (Feb 12, 2013)

*20ft/40ft containers*

thanks Judy , Are there any uk household items you would advise, not to bother taking out to oz ? Are cars that much more expensive in oz ?


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

ian fin said:


> thanks Judy , Are there any uk household items you would advise, not to bother taking out to oz ? Are cars that much more expensive in oz ?
> 
> Hi Ian
> I would ship everything.Furniture is much better quality in the Uk...you can get lovely stuff here frm places like Eureeka street furnishings....bt pay top $....
> ...


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

**** because we couldnt see it!!! tht sent before I completed it....

But I would definitely bring all you can.
Kind Regards Judy


----------



## ian fin (Feb 12, 2013)

thanks Judy very helpful info !!!!! i believe uk washing machines are a no go, due to using too much water. is that correct ???


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

ian fin said:


> thanks Judy very helpful info !!!!! i believe uk washing machines are a no go, due to using too much water. is that correct ???


Hi Ian
we brought ours...wrks perfectly.
Alot of the Oz ones are top loaders -american style...but they are getting front load ones in the shops.
Our flat screen tvs wrk perfect...everything doez...If you need anymore info jst ask.

Also make sure you send your stuff at least 6-8wks before coming here...we borrowed things frm neighbours etc..pots n pans back in the uk...r you could arrange to stay with friends/family if possible....Its best to be without in the Uk...unless your staying with relatives in Oz...Because it takes 6ish weeks on the boat...and customs in Oz are very slow,it took two weeks for them to check and release our container of furniture and car.

Fortunately we was housesitting so it wasnt a big deal...the ppl who we was housesitting for let us stay on for a few weeks till our furniture was cleared-which we was so greatful for.
Kind Regards .Judy


----------



## Jennifer Smith (Feb 12, 2013)

ian fin said:


> Hi All , Our family are considering immigrating to melbourne australia and are looking at the costs to move all the furniture or not. Does anyone have any recent experience of the costs involved in sending a container to melbourne from the uk ? and are there other hidden costs? thanks Ian.


Yes. To avoid being slugged for "groupage" costs, just go for the 40ft container. 
The available spare space will be filled by the groupage mugs like me & you will never know about this.

Get the container loaded out at your door. Don't fall for the trick that there is no room for the lorry & the container at your door step.


----------



## ian fin (Feb 12, 2013)

thanks Jennifer, Sounds as though you didn't have a great experience with removals firm.


----------



## ian fin (Feb 12, 2013)

Hi Judy thats great info ......


----------



## Jennifer Smith (Feb 12, 2013)

Definatly horse meat !!!

Good luck with your move.


----------



## Devs4858 (Oct 20, 2013)

Judy&Rob said:


> Hi,
> 
> We paid £5500 for a 40ft container (Pickfords) because we brought our car.....then you have to pay for customs inspection in Oz....Think it was about $400...
> We also had insurance ....don't go with what your shipping company advises...they are a rip off....we got a reason quote from Letton Percival, (google them) who where excellent when we had to make a claim.
> Hope this helps.Regards Judy


Hi, what are the costs when importing a car other than the container costs? Planning to ship furniture and car to Melbourne on 457 visa whoch is two year contract.

Also will my car then be registered in Australia and could i sell it there before i left to come home? If i do!!

Thanks for any help


----------



## Guest (Oct 20, 2013)

Cars are expensive to bring in usually. Lots of additional taxes on top of shipping and registration. Yes you would register it there and could sell it if you wish but personally unless it was brand new I'd be selling or storing and getting a car in AU.


----------



## Devs4858 (Oct 20, 2013)

Yes i saw the taxes on imports. They say that its calculated on the price paid when purchased but we purchased four years ago so what value would they then use? Aren't second hand cars expensive in Australia?


----------



## Guest (Oct 20, 2013)

They can be but the taxes would be lot more! They value it themselves based on price paid & current resale so if its well looked after you could pay a small fortune.


----------



## yamahaneo (Mar 23, 2013)

_shel said:


> They can be but the taxes would be lot more! They value it themselves based on price paid & current resale so if its well looked after you could pay a small fortune.


Hi I was wondering if there are any set limitations on the type of home appliances I would be sending using this method I was hoping to ship my refrigerator washing machine general furniture home theatre systems cooking range etc.

Can I get some info on that


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

Hi,

I brought my beetle convertible from the uk....it cost an extra £1500 to get a 40ft container....I did apply for the import permit etc, which was straight fwd...
To put my car n the road in Oz... Paid about $900 that was tax and to check the container which everyone has to pay for....the reason why I brought mine....it wouldn't sell, I'd had it from practically new, so knew its history...and as it turns out its valued alt more here ....3 times as much... Then obviously you have road tax (Rego) to drive your car on the road,mans you flly comp insurance on top...
I don't think I would buy a second hand car here.....Ozzies have to be the worst drivers I've come across....more so in QLD...I would opt for a new one on 0% finance.....
Here's a couple of links...

http://www.carsguide.com.au/buy-a-car?makes=490&bodyTypes=791

http://www.toyota.com.au/home

http://www.ford.com.au/


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

yamahaneo said:


> Hi I was wondering if there are any set limitations on the type of home appliances I would be sending using this method I was hoping to ship my refrigerator washing machine general furniture home theatre systems cooking range etc.
> 
> Can I get some info on that


Hi.....

I brought the whole ...entire contents of our home...we bought a new fridge freezer the American type that does ice &water at source, best idea we had...it has been a god send....well worth it.
We brought absolutely everything, tools, white goods, furniture..... Things are more expensive here, but if you shop around you can get white goods at reasonable prices, from places like ...Aldi...Coles..
I've seen front loading washers for about $500....from RT Edwards.....
But bring everything you possibly can, that's my advice


----------



## yamahaneo (Mar 23, 2013)

Judy&Rob said:


> Hi.....
> 
> I brought the whole ...entire contents of our home...we bought a new fridge freezer the American type that does ice &water at source, best idea we had...it has been a god send....well worth it.
> We brought absolutely everything, tools, white goods, furniture..... Things are more expensive here, but if you shop around you can get white goods at reasonable prices, from places like ...Aldi...Coles..
> ...


Wow. Thanks for the info.

Wat sorry of additional expenses did you go through though..?

How.much did it cost in approximate percentage for clearances and additional taxes for your goods?

Even I was thinking of getting all my stuff from here but whenever I consult with some friends here they always discourage me from taking this decision.


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

I suppose it depends where you are moving frm....we came frm the UK....I think our 40ft container with Pickfords was abt £4300...then it needs to be checked at.the port in Aus...because we had a car too think our total fr checking the container &Tax was abt $900....
You also definitely need to insure the container....list absolutely everything....my hubby underinsured us...we had quite alot of things broken.or missing...
But the assessor came out and they paid very quickly
Also dont insure with however your removal company advises they charge way over the odds,we insured with Letton Percival...just google them...they were a fraction of the price...


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

yamahaneo said:


> Wow. Thanks for the info.
> 
> Wat sorry of additional expenses did you go through though..?
> 
> ...


Ps....definitly bring everything...if you are paying fr the container...you may aswell fill it...
Also when you get in your house in Australia,and you receive all your goods...it makes you feel more at home with all your personel possessions around you


----------



## yamahaneo (Mar 23, 2013)

Judy&Rob said:


> Ps....definitly bring everything...if you are paying fr the container...you may aswell fill it...
> Also when you get in your house in Australia,and you receive all your goods...it makes you feel more at home with all your personel possessions around you


 point noted thank you for the awesome advice..God bless


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

If I can help with anything else,just ask.....I know hw difficult it can be....also the invaluable advice I found on this forum...helped to make the journey alot easier


----------



## tuba (Sep 15, 2013)

Hello everyone,

Firstly thank you for all the great replies. I love this forum, it helps a lot in many ways! We are going through the immigration process, hopefully will be moving somewhere in March to Melbourne or Perth. We want to send our staff as well, maybe 1 or 2 weeks before we go, it takes 7 to 9 weeks from Turkey. 

I have some questions about "the common items of quarantine concern" as mentioned in DAFF website. According to the website anything in contact with water, food etc is a quarantine concern.

Did you have to do any special cleaning for you dishwahser or fridge? 

How about the shoes, is washing thoroughly enough?

"DAFF will be interested in any item originated from a plant (including timber). So, we can bring our wooden furniture but we have to declare it, correct?

In terms of climate, do you think it is advisable to bring an AC? We have 2, one is for a big room (1800), one is for a small room (900). Maybe Melbourne summers are not hot to need an AC, but what about for winter? Do unfurnished houses have ACs? 

My last question is "animal hair" is also a prohibited item. We have a dog, we cannot bring him into Australia though. But his hair can be on some of the furniture. Or on our clothes... Has any pet owner sent any staff to Australia, please tell me is you any problem with this? I will do my best to clean eveything, but you know...

And below is the link ot Australian Department of Forest and Fisheries, if anyone is interested. 

Thank you,


Moving to Australia or Importing Personal Effects/Household Goods - Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry


----------



## yamahaneo (Mar 23, 2013)

tuba said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> Firstly thank you for all the great replies. I love this forum, it helps a lot in many ways! We are going through the immigration process, hopefully will be moving somewhere in March to Melbourne or Perth. We want to send our staff as well, maybe 1 or 2 weeks before we go, it takes 7 to 9 weeks from Turkey.
> 
> ...


Hi buddy.

This is still unknown territory for most of us here.

I just started researching on this issue a few days back.

Will keep you posted on any developments that might arise


----------



## DuMigrant (Oct 29, 2013)

Hi Judy et all,
Please can you help out with this...we plan to bring in from the Middle East some brand new white goods and some old/used stuff. 
1.Our question is, do customs insist on seeing invoices/bills for all items, including the old ones?
2. We have heard that first time immigrants have access to certain duty waivers and this can be availed using certain forms issued by the customs. Do you know anything in this regards ie., if it is true and if yes, how does the system work?
3. Do you know if the customs guys will open out each box/item and check?
Thanks in advance.


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

Hi

We bought a new american style fridge freezer...and all other white goods....never provided any receipts
Be careful though with things like antiques....
Had a job getting an antique indian.inlaid table back from customs because it had ivory in...I wasnt told to fill a cities form in...

They will check all boxes...everyone of ours had been opened and checked against the itinery...
More so if you are packing yourself...i believe customs go through with a fine tooth comb...

Anything else just ask....
Good luck


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

Ps...just a thought....we had to pay extra to have our shoes cleaned....sounds ridiculous...our walking/cycling boots/shoes were already scrubbed clean....but we still ended up paying.!!!! Abt $200 ...


----------



## DuMigrant (Oct 29, 2013)

Hi Judy,

Thankyou. Did you have to pay any customs duty of brand new goods and a followon question-how did they determine the value of the goods to calculate customs duty for brand new white goods if they did not ask for reciepts? 

Thanks


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

Hi,
No we didn't pay any duty on any of our white goods/furniture.....
The only thing we had to pay duty on was my car we brought over....brought it because I've had it from new, brilliant car, and cheaper than buying the same one here..


----------



## DuMigrant (Oct 29, 2013)

Hi Judy,

Did you carry your new stuff with the original packing or was it stripped off and packed by the packers/removers? Our concern is that by keeping the original packing we might be inviting customs duty, although it is only for personal use. 

Many thanks for your prompt responses


----------



## Judy&Rob (May 31, 2011)

No ...everything was stripped of packing....packed by removal company, and listed


----------

