Shipping boxes from London to BsAs

[thebookcellar]

I need to ship a few boxes of personal things from London to Buenos Aires - can anybody recommend any shipping companies? By air or by sea.
Is there anything else i should know about customs here before i send my belongings?
thanks in advance

 

[AuntJarrmann]

My employers arranged and paid for my shipping stuff here from the UK so I have no idea how much it costs, but they used this agency http://www.mylocalservices.co.uk/Kent/Freight_Forwarders/407457/South_American_Agency_Ltd.html and I found them very helpful. There was a list of prohibited items, obvious stuff like drugs and guns, and nothing too surprising (paint, textiles, food...). My stuff took about 4 weeks to get here, I don't know how it travelled, but it was all fine and not squashed or stolen. I packed it in strong cardboard boxes I bought from Safestore in the UK.
That is the extent of my shipping knowledge, good luck with it

 

[AuntJarrmann]

Oh and I was shipping stuff from Manchester, and there was no problem with the Kent-based agency picking it up from there.

 

[thebookcellar]

My employers arranged and paid for my shipping stuff here from the UK so I have no idea how much it costs, but they used this agency http://www.mylocalservices.co.uk/Kent/Freight_Forwarders/407457/South_American_Agency_Ltd.html and I found them very helpful. There was a list of prohibited items, obvious stuff like drugs and guns, and nothing too surprising (paint, textiles, food...). My stuff took about 4 weeks to get here, I don't know how it travelled, but it was all fine and not squashed or stolen. I packed it in strong cardboard boxes I bought from Safestore in the UK.
That is the extent of my shipping knowledge, good luck with it

thanks for your reply - how are the costs?

 

[syngirl]

My employers arranged and paid for my shipping stuff here from the UK so I have no idea how much it costs,

If you read her post carefully you'll see she states she has no idea how much it costs since her company paid for the service.

 

[sarl1]

Hi,

One company I would suggest you DON´T use is AngloPacific- appalling service and boxes were totally destroyed on arrival and many items broken. My stuff was shipped over the Christmas/NY period by air freight and took about 2 weeks door to door when you deduct the bank holidays. You should expect to pay GBP3-3.50 per kilo base rate, but then don´t forget to add on any other charges (such as pick-up/delivery fees, airline handling fees, customs etc.). Sea freight can be slightly cheaper, but takes longer. The shipping company should provide you with all the boxes you need.

Just bear in mind you can not just ship personal items to Argentina and expect an easy customs clearance- I believe you need a permit in place to authorise you to bring such items into the country. Without the permit your possessions may be seized/rejected at customs!

In my opinion, for the cost and hassle of shipping personal posessions, I wouldn´t bother! You can usually purchase extra baggage allowance with the airline you travel here with so I would recommend doing that- the cost is not much different to shipping, but at least you don´t have to worry about all the other factors involved with shipping.

If you are still considering shipping your belongings, if you contact several shipping companies (I found them all through Google) and they should be able to advise you of the process and costs better.

Good luck!

 

[sarl1]

Oh, just realised you already live here, so won´t be flying...maybe on your next return to the UK or visiting relatives...???