Shipping kit from England to Australia

Hey Folks,

Looking at shipping a vintage Premier kit back to Aus, from Manchester. I've fallen in love with this kit and know that I won't find anything of it's condition back home, when I get back to Aus later in the year. So, I've decided to look into the shipment of a 3 piece kit back to Aus. Thinking sea freight is probably the best approach.

I'm guessing it goes roughly by weight, it's only going to be shell's them selves. I'm planning on removing the skins and packing the shells in one another and putting the hardware to the side.

Any one got any advice? Any experiences? Would love to know how you went about boxing/packing the shells for a lengthy shipment.

Keen to hear what you think!

Much love,

Andy, A.K.A. (keep it simple) can help you for sure. He has recently shipped a kit from GB to to a forum member in Oz.

If you can get it all into one box, say a 24" x 24" x 24", wouldn't be cheaper to just pay the extra luggage fee and take it home with you on the plane? That could be an option, I had a guy pay extra to take a box that was 18x18x18 once with him on a trip and that would be a much better option than putting it on a boat for several weeks, no?

Bo Eder said:

If you can get it all into one box, say a 24" x 24" x 24", wouldn't be cheaper to just pay the extra luggage fee and take it home with you on the plane? That could be an option, I had a guy pay extra to take a box that was 18x18x18 once with him on a trip and that would be a much better option than putting it on a boat for several weeks, no?

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Have you seen airline luggage rates as of late?
Still, when you arrived in OZ you would have to wait in customs for your luggage to clear.

bobdadruma said:

Andy, A.K.A. (keep it simple) can help you for sure. He has recently shipped a kit from GB to to a forum member in Oz.

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Yes Bob

Brodiewd, I just got an online quote from the shipping consolidator we use, & based it on a 60cm cube x 25 Kilo. Drop off point in multiple UK postcodes delivered to the door in Australia. 4 day air service @ £165.

Shipping by sea is a bit of a bummer for small packages (in sea freight terms), as you need to find/use a service that books space on a container. Quite often, it's no cheaper than air freight.

If you're taking the flight yourself, use the estimate I've given you to compare with excess luggage charges on your flight. Certainly, in terms of customs clarity, it's a good option, & with less loss risk.

In all cases, pack the drums as if you were going to play football with the box, because believe me, they will. Imagine how your package would survive if dropped from 6ft onto a concrete floor & left out in the rain on a flooded compound for two days. Worst scenario, but it happens. Double corrugated box inside a double corrugated box with at least 2" of insulation between the boxes, then a further 2" of insulation (bubble wrap, etc) between the drums & the inside box. Protect the shell nesting as well. Wrap the whole package in pallet wrap or similar tough waterproof exterior. Use adhesive shipping label pockets for customs declarations, etc.

Taking the package as excess baggage makes the paperwork much easier & you can go a bit easier on waterproof wrap, etc.

Here's a link to the consolidator we use in case you need a quotation on a different size/weight. Use the online quote function. It's about 40% cheaper than DHL or Fedex direct, but actually uses those companies to ship the goods. We've never had an issue. Great service. http://www.parcelflight.co.uk/index.aspx

Hope this helps,

Andy.

Hey dudes,

Thanks for the responses. The reason I was considering sea freight is because after I leave Manchester I will be back packing through Europe to Asia, then flying back to Aus. Expecting to be back packing for a few months.

Keep It Simple, that's awesome! Such a good price. The quote I got back for Sea Freight was 185, and yep, waiting a couple months before it arrives. I'm definitely going to look into sending it via air. If I can drop it off, I have an address I can have it sent to back home, wonder if they'll do that? Thanks doing a rough quote for me.. appreciate it!

I'll keep you updated with how it all goes.

Much love,

brodiewd said:

Hey dudes,

Thanks for the responses. The reason I was considering sea freight is because after I leave Manchester I will be back packing through Europe to Asia, then flying back to Aus. Expecting to be back packing for a few months.

Keep It Simple, that's awesome! Such a good price. The quote I got back for Sea Freight was 185, and yep, waiting a couple months before it arrives. I'm definitely going to look into sending it via air. If I can drop it off, I have an address I can have it sent to back home, wonder if they'll do that? Thanks doing a rough quote for me.. appreciate it!

I'll keep you updated with how it all goes.

Much love,

Click to expand...

No problem. Coincidentally, that consolidator is based in Manchester. Beware though, that price is based on the dimensions & weight I estimated. Go bigger or heavier, & the price can change significantly. Calculation is by something known as volumetric weight. One aspect can considerably affect the overall sum.