# Ship a few boxes from USA to Singapore



## timwkho

Dear Friends in Singapore,

My name is Tim Kho and I am moving from USA to Singapore.
I want to ship 10 boxes (each of them is around 20 in * 20 in * 20 in and 50 lbs) back to Singapore via ocean freight.
I have briefly searched online but most shipping companies (US Post Office, DHL, etc.) offer air shipping only.
Can anyone tell me the cheapest way to send my personal belongings to Singapore?
I prefer port-to-port (I've got time) but can also accept door-to-door.
I sincerely thank you all for your sharing.

Regards,
Tim


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## lorgnette

*Hope it helps*

Recommendable to go with a reliable mover not the cheapest (usually with hidden costs to make up the difference) with offices at both ends instead of a small organization transferring to sub contractors. In case anything happens, they will be fully accountable for entire passage.

If you go with dock to dock, major transoceanic shippers might have agreements to unload and store in Malaysia or Thailand before trucked to Singapore. 

Yes, a larger mover will have higher quote. 

e.g., our stuff appeared safely without breakages or losses. We had 12 big to mid sized heavy duty boxes with a digital piano, stand and an odd sized heavy pack. They trimmed empty space and taped them to fit into a massive A07 larger box before slotting them into the container bound for Singapore. As such, we bought exact space for shipping without paying extras. We had it delivered door to door without storage charges for 2 weeks- shipment arrived earlier. 

Advisable to have a competitive international mover- pay a little extra upfront and receive goods intact at destination.

A small detail-do you have a job ready with terms 1-2 years? You might be eligible for duty exemption on your goods. If applicable (rules might change), apply for it with employment details or the local shipper will complete the docs. If they don't, remind them it or else you will have to itemize personal goods and pay tax. 

Enjoy your stay in Singapore


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## sgporc

Hi, when I moved from US to France slightly more than a year ago I used Seven Seas Shipping (Home - Seven Seas Worldwide - Shipping Excess Baggage Door-to-Door Around the World). In fact the actual one I used was a "student" site of the same company but they never asked me to show any proof. The quotations from both sites were also similar so I didn't know why they had 2 differentiated sites... 

Anyway, the shipping took 2 months and went without any problems. Their modus operandi is like this... We contact them by email or phone. They sent us the boxes and packing material and international customs form etc. by UPS, and also shipping labels to ship the boxes to their warehouse somewhere else in the US. We packed our stuff into the boxes ourselves. We arranged for collection by email/phone with the company. UPS came to pick up the boxes like any normal package courier service. The package was sent to their warehouse, after which they probably consolidated everything to be sent out by ship. Meanwhile we flew to France. A month went by... We then contacted them to change the final delivery address. No problems with that. When the shipment finally arrived, it was also delivered by UPS, with a "from" address in the UK. So basically for our shipment, it was a combination of local ground couriers plus sea shipping from US to UK.... We paid USD$200 for the first box and USD$100 for every subsequent box (probably different pricing now). I think it was their large box 51x41x61cm with a 30kg limit. The shipping insurance only included loss reimbursements and not item damages, but we only had clothes, household stuff and other non-valuable non-fragile stuff (roller blades, toolboxes etc), so we weren't too concerned about serious damages. Some of our larger glass photo frames did break, but we didn't pack them too well either so I wouldn't really fault the shippers. 

Just to share my experience. Hope it helps...


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## dvdlin

I believe it depends where you are in US. In major cities like NY, LA, you can easily find freight forwarders and they might offer pallets shipping by sea. Or check on the expat community forums to see any expat has some extra room in their container for you to ship your boxes.


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## mummysarah

Good day All,

I totally agree that getting a competitive mover company is good so that we know it reaches safely especially if your good are your precious things.

I suggest you get your quotations and then decide. 

Guess now the popular mover in Singapore beside DHL,Crown Worldwide, Shalom Movers.


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## Cshfxc

*Shipping things back to Singapore from us*

I'm in a similiar situation...shipping boxes and maybe furniture from Chico, California to Singapore. Any advice of shipping company, methods appreciated. Thank you.


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