Shipping Your Belongings Overseas - "If I pack myself, will I get a discount?"

I'll start from the end, a discount (if any) will be given only on the cost of packaging materials. 
Why?  
For the most part labor cost components do not change at all.

Clients who come to me with this question are usually trying to cut costs. 
Of course, transportation costs can be thousands of dollars or more and we'd all love to save costs.

It is important to state up front, an International move is completely different than a local move.   
Naturally, an international move includes many parameters in the equation of added risk. 
For example; loading and unloading contents more than once, transferring the container from one vehicle to another or to a train or onto a vessel, use of the crane at the port and other operational aspects that may cause your household goods to be damaged.

Therefore, professional packaging, done by highly skilled teams is preferable in most cases to maintain and protect your possessions, especially when compared to self-packaging. 
No one would want to get his shipping carton crushed, torn or cut
.
As part of that effort, a trained packer will adapt packaging material to pack and protect (carton certain size, thickness, Dupont corners of furniture, etc.). 
Even the location of each object in a carton has a meaning and consequently also the location of cartons inside the container.
Of course, a professional packing team from shipping company arrives with new export quality packaging materials.

Another aspect worth considering is cargo insurance depending on the packing (independent versus professional).

There are two main types of insurance; "Total loss " or "all risks".
“Total Loss” insurance is the cheapest of the two.  
This insurance will cover only the full loss of the entire shipment (fell into the sea, lost etc.). 
"All risk" Insurance cover almost any type of damage - including even a single item in the shipment – this is the most common coverage in household moves.

Insurance companies that issue marine policies for household goods, will generally not insure client packed boxes with  "all risk” insurance. 
“All risk” insurance is issued only for goods that have been professionally packed, by shipping companies.

To sum up, sending the contents of your home across the ocean? It is recommended to require professional packaging by a recognized and well established company in the field. 
Such packaging will ensure the arrival of your belongings intact and as close to their original condition as possible and allow comprehensive insurance coverage…just in case ..

Shipping From Israel to the United States

Few adventures match the stress of moving around the world. 
The excitement of starting a new life in the United States can compensate for the myriad details that go in to moving from Israel to the United States.

While Israel offers many opportunities for advancement and success, the United States by virtue of its vast size and openness oftentimes presents opportunities that will allow one to make an even better contribution to Israel upon one’s return.

Of course, when moving, it is important to find a shipping company that will provide you with a complete door to door move.
This means the moving company will send a packing crew to pack all your goods. 
After packing your things, they will make a numbered packing list and give you a copy for your records.

When your shipment arrives in the United States, you will use this same packing list to check off all your boxes to make sure all has been safely delivered. 
If you see any damage during delivery, you should make a note next to the number of the box or item that was damaged. 

This will help when filing a claim with your insurance company at a later date if necessary.

After you finish unpacking, you will hopefully be able to look back on an experience that could have been stressful, but because you picked a moving company that cared about you and for you, was not stressful at all.

International Shipping – Why is the cost of international shipping for Household Goods higher than for international shipping of commercial goods?

When it comes time to get pricing for international shipping, one of the first questions most international shipping companies will ask is “What is the commodity” or “Are you shipping Household goods and Moving, or is this commercial”.
There are many reasons for this, and all of them have an effect on the cost.

First and foremost, not all companies know how to deal with Household Goods.
Not only are there usually special requirements for packing and loading the container (something which is almost NEVER done for international shipments of commercial goods); The procedures for customs release are different; the rules for what can be shipped as Household Goods are different; and the services required in the destination country (such as sending a crew to unload the goods into a home and unwrap furniture) are different.
As such, these extra services require the use of companies that are capable of packing and wrapping; loading into a container or wooden crates; and unloading the container into a home.
Most international shipping jobs of commercial goods require NONE of these services.

Of course, most homes don’t have a loading dock capable of parking a truck the size which is often required for international shipping.

Next, the cost of Ocean Freight for international shipping is based on the commodity being shipped.
It is pretty obvious why a shipment of dangerous goods would be more expensive than a shipment of non-dangerous goods; however it may not be so clear that a shipment of new washing machines for resale would cost less than a shipment of used household goods for personal use.
The reasons why this is aren't important – the fact is that Household Goods are always the highest price for ocean freight.
(Household goods are also the lowest priority for ship lines as far as loading order).

Another reason that international shipping of Household Goods is more expensive is simply that most people who ship Household Goods require more time and attention from the shipping company involved.
The typical commercial shipper knows how to fill out the forms, and in many countries the process for release of commercial goods is simplified.

As you can see, even in the event that you plan on packing and loading the container yourself and unloading and unpacking the container yourself at destination, the costs will still be more than your neighborhood factory who is shipping the same size container of new clothing for resale to the same destination.