Just Stuff It In A Container and Ship It, Please
Contain me, baby, please. Sometimes I get an idea for an article here and I just can’t contain myself. Prepare to learn a lot about containers, road, rail and ocean shipping and how they all apply to moving to the Philippines.
Definitions and Terms
First of all I think we should make it clear what we are talking about. When I say “container” here, I’m talking about an Intermodal Shipping container that is commonly used in the rail, road and maritime industry. There’s an interesting definition/discussion here on Wikipedia, including the exact dimensions, inside and out, of the many different sizes available.
Different Sizes Can Lead To Confusion
In the USA, the common sizes seen are both 20 feet and 40 feet long. Makes quite a difference when you are determining how much you can load in one, so always be sure you are talking the same size as the company your are dealing with is.
The bigger the company and the more international the dealings are, the more chance that they are talking a “twenty-footer”, because a 20 foot “Sea Box” is the size of the International Trailer Equivalent Unit (TEU). Many specifications, rates and figures in this business are defined in TEU’s, so remember you can only compare costs correctly if both sides are talking about the same size product.
Where Do You Get a Container to Ship Things In?
This is either a no-brainer, or a real pitfall, depending on how savvy you are, and how much you let price dictate your decisions. In the USA there are hundreds of companies who deal in used shipping containers. They will be happy to sell you one, or even, for a fee, deliver one to your door and drop it. A friend did this, because he found out that a big part of the normal cost of shipping is a lease or usage charge for the shipping company’s container, so he bought a “good used” forty-footer, packed it (commonly known as “stuffing” in the trade) himself and hired a trucking company to deliver it to the terminal of the ocean shipping company he was using, in Los Angeles. “I’m going to save lots of money”, he told me, “and when my shipment gets to the Philippines, I’m going to use the empty container as part of the house I am going to build”.
Sounded pretty smart until he found out that the reason the used container was sold cheap was, it had already been condemned for maritime shipping use and the container ship company refused to lad it on their vessels.
There my friend sat, on his way to the Philippines, all his possessions in a box in Los Angels and, (of course) running up storage charges every day. Eventually he hired a company who actually knew how to ship containers to the Philippines and had to pay them to bring a seaworthy container to the shipping terminal and transfer, by hand, the precious cargo and then get it loaded onto a ship bound for Manila. Took several weeks overall and incurred thousands of dollars he wouldn’t have had to pay if he hadn’t tried to “do it himself”. (and oh, yeah, he had to pay to have the rejected container moved from the shipping terminal to a scrap yard … where it probably got sold again as a “cheap, do it yourself” container to some other bargain hunter. My advice? Pay enough money to get the job done right the first time … it’s cheaper in the long run.
Options For Shipping
Most shipping companies offer three basic options. In order of descending price and convenience they look like this:
Door to Door with Loading: They will show up with a container at your door and a crew of workers who will “stuff” your goods into the container and drive off towards the Philippines. A big factor in the cost of this option is how good you are at getting all your goods packed in cartons and otherwise broken down and ready for shipment. If the kid’s swing set is still assembled in the back yard, well they will be happy to tear it down … at an astronomical hourly rate. But this is certainly the most convenient option.
Door to Door With Owner Self Loading:
Many people choose this option and it is very often both the easiest and cheapest way to go. If you know how to pack and are willing to do the work, it can actually be enjoyable … and smart too.
Despite the general advice to pretty much take everything, if you have lived in your current home even a few years I guarantee you have a certain amount of “crap” hidden away and undoubtedly some family treasures you don’t want to ship. You may even find things you borrowed and forgot to return, or things like snow blowers, tires chains, extra snow tires and all sorts of winter gear I guarantee you don’t want to ship, even if it were free.
Ever so much better to get all that extraneous stuff dealt with before you start “stuffing” instead of trying to make decisions on the fly. Plus you won’t be left with a pile of stuff that has to be dealt with after your container ships.
A Few things you DO NOT want to ship:
Almost anything you have that requires 110 Volt power only. You’ll probably have to run it off a transformer here in the Philippines and that wastes power and will lead, almost inevitably to blowing up the 110 only stuff by having it plugged into Philippine 220 by mistake.
“Tube Type” televisions or computer monitors. These are huge power wasters in a land where power is at least 20% higher in cost. Replace them with modern LED devices (in the States before you ship, t’s cheaper).
Anything with a incandescent light bulb. Lamps and such are fine, they will work fine on 220, but replace the bulbs with modern LED bulbs (110/220 LED bulbs are readily available in the States now, or else buy LED replacements here. You think LED bulbs are expensive? Ha, wait until you get your first Philippine electric bill.
Anything with rechargeable batteries .. like that handy-dandy 18 Volt battery drill/screw driver? The batteries will stop taking a charge in less than a year, guaranteed and with many of those tools you have to use a transformer to charge it anyway while the batteries are still working. Give it away or sell it at a yard sale because it will only be a thorn in your side if you ship it to the Philippines.
These recommendations are, of course, my opinion only but they are based on direct, disappointing experience. YMMV.
Two Cautions if you Chose Self-Loading:
1. You will only have a small window of time (typically two hors) to get the container loaded. Also, in almost all cases the truck driver has no responsibility to help. So make sure, well in advance that you have some strong bodies on hand to help. A container can be stuffed in two hours easily … but the “easily” part depends a lot upon how many workers are doing the job.
2. Remember that while it’s sitting on it’s road chassis, the floor of the container will be about 48 inches (4 full feet) above the ground. They don’t come with built-in “Easy Load” ramps like a U-haul truck does. You want to perhaps lift your double-door refrigerator up four feet high to slide it in the “box”? Can you “bench press” a washing machine or your wife’s treasured heirloom china cabinet four feet in the air without breaking something? (perhaps your own back). Plan ahead.
Bring Your Goods to the Container:
This is the method I used. It’s absolutely the cheapest way to go, and it can be done easily, if you want to invest the time and pre-planning.
I arranged a date to bring my LCL (Less than Container Load) household good to the shipper’s warehouse facility in Los Angeles. I reserved a U-Haul truck, one-way from Colorado to California a few days in advance of my container packing date. I also booked our one-way tickets to the Philippines leaving that night to the Philippines. (One way because we were using my wife’s balik bayan Privilege to both ship the house hold good duty free and to fly with no follow-on travel required.)
My wife and I cleaned out the hose, tossing out junk, giving some of the family heirlooms and winter gear to my son who lived in a neighboring city. We packed everything we want to send to the Philippines into decent packing cartons and put shipping blankets over large furniture and other items that wouldn’t go into a box or carton.
Everything that wasn’t trash and was possibly useful we called the Salvation Army to come and pick up on our last day in the Colorado house.
On the appointed day I went to the U-Haul center, picked up my rental truck and turned my car over to the pre-arranged buyer. Drove the truck to our house, backed up to my front porch and loaded everything except our bed.
A quick nights sleep, and early wakeup, load the bed and our pre-packed luggage into the truck and we were off to California.
We stopped overnight halfway to California in Arizona and then drove most of the next day to Needles, California where we stopped for the night again. We washed all the dirty clothes in the motel’s Laundromat facilities and got an early start to Los Angeles the next morning, or last in the USA.
Arriving at the shippers warehouse, we only had to wait a short time before our container was ready. There were plenty of helpers there on the shipper’s staff, and I helped transfer the stuff from our truck into the container as well. In an hour or two we were ready to hit the road for LAX.
I had intended to drive the truck to the closest U-Haul dealer to LAX (it’s actually in sight of the airport terminals) and then take a very short taxi ride to the airport, but my shipper had a better idea (I told you it makes more sense to use a specialist in Philippine shipping than to just search blindly for price). The shipping company owner, who lived not far from his base of operations, had a beautiful little “guest house” in his back yard and we had nearly 12 hours to go before our flight left. So we turned the rental truck in at a different U-Haul dealer just down the street (you can turn in a U-Haul at _ay_ U-Haul dealer, don’t let anyone tell you different), and our shipping agent drove us to his rest house for a very welcome shower and well-earned nap while we waited for our flight.
Later he drove us to the International Terminal at LAX, and we checked in in ample time for out flight. Bye bye, US of A, and Manny? maraming salamat po, my friend.
The Other End of Our Trip.
After our arrival in Marilao, Bulacan (just outside the actual boundaries of Metro Manila, we moved into our comfortable little rental house and bought a few plastic chairs and a bed (we didn’t ship one) and some air cons and such. Plenty to keep us busy making a house into a home.
Our household goods had been estimated to arrive on the 30th day after shipment. On a Saturday, the 28th day, I received an email from the shipper’s LA office. “Sir, the ship with your container arrives in Manila today>”
Good, thought I. A couple days for processing, re-packing in a truck, etc., and we might be getting our shipment delivered within the next week. Went to bed that Saturday evening feeling great.
Woke up with a heck of a start the next morning, Sunday, at 0500. there was someone rattling and pounding on our locked front gate. “Who the heck could that be?’ thought I as I pulled aside the drapes to see what I could see in the pre-dawn darkness. Hmmm. Seems there was a large truck parked outside. I pulled on my pants, got the key to the gate and went outside.
There were fur helpers and a foreman and the truck was open and a few boxes were already pulled out ready to carry in the house. It was our stuff, all of it, at our front door on the 29th day since I had helped pack it in a container back in LA.
“You’re so early”, I remarked to the foreman.
He replied, “Actually sir we have been here since about 3 am, but we didn’t want to wake you then. Our company finds there is almost never and theft or loss if we back up to the containers and load immediately into our trucks, the minute Customs releases the container.”
In two hours everything was in the house. 100% of every bit I had shipped was there, and virtually zero damage to anything.
Needless to say I was happy and impressed at the level of service and their concern for our valuables. Also needless to say the drew lest happy with P500 to buy themselves a long-delayed breakfast.
Happy ending. See also: http://philfaqs.com/get-there/the-move/
So, Bob I can move some of my household stuffs now from MI directly to PH?
Great info. and links.TKS.
Excellent – came just at the right time
Dave – you seem to have found a good forwarder in LA. I was looking at the same company, but our stuff is in Seattle. Any thoughts on whether or not it would be worth the trouble to have everything trucked down to LA vs working with a local shipper out of Seattle (also a major port)? We are on the fence.
I am not trying to step on Dave’s toes, but everybody has different experiences. I just want to say that I have had very negative experience dealing with that same company. I would not send anything through them again. Dave’s experience is different, so maybe they are OK and just dropped the ball with me, but it is something to consider.
But Bob, you moved here so long ago…things have changed. The container ships don’t use sails anymore 😉
Hi Scott, the negative experience that I had was not when I moved here. It was about 4 years ago, in some dealings I had with the owner of Manila Forwarder. We had an agreement where I would provide advertising for his company here on LiP, in exchange he would ship things to me here in the Philippines. I held up my end of the bargain… he didn’t. Enough said…
Your a tough crowd Bob, that was a feeble attempt at humor and a back handed complement to you because you have been here so long lololol
Ha ha.. yes, I understand that you were making a joke. I just wanted to make it clear because hopefully a few more people than just you and I will read this post and your comment! 😉 So, I thought it would be best to explain that it was a “more recent” incident, not something that happened way back when I moved here! 🙂
Howdy Bob,
I had some dealings with the same company you mentioned, and low and behold had the same results as you. Needless to say I took my business elsewhere and have never had a problem since. It pays to shop around and not just go with a company who’s web site is so cluttered with eveything from money exchange to sending boxes with so called resident experts, but no one seems to be able to provide a straight answer to any questions.
John D
Hi John D – Sorry to hear that your experience was similar to mine!
To be honest, we are considering leaving our things in storage there. We just don’t know for sure if we’ll stay over the three years we have committed to. I’d personally like to stay, but you never know with Asawa ko (hey, that rhymed!). Appreciate the input.
If you are unsure, then you really haven’t “committed” to the 3 years.. di ba? 😉
You guys are funny.
No, we’ve committed to being here AT LEAST three years with the option to revisit our feelings again after that time. I think we are “ok” with living in the Philippines in general. But other questions about our children’s schooling and my wife’s career, are still open and we will look at our options again when that time comes.
The lower cost of living here allows us to send a son to college in the States and we have two young girls who are benefiting from the extra help at home. Once both our girls are school age and our son is done with college, the landscape changes for us. We’ll review our situation and weigh our options again at that time. I’m not retired either and who knows what business opportunities I will want to pursue down the road. So it’s all perhaps a bit more of a complex question for us than for your other readers.
The costs of keeping our things in storage aren’t insignificant, so we may ship our things after all. If so, and we do decide to go back to the US, we’ll likely sell or give away most of it. Life is an adventure – and we’re living it.
Commitment is a relative thing and we are committed to getting the most out of our time here – however long that may be! It’s all good though and I appreciate the advice all the same.
I am sorry, I think I misunderstood your previous comment, John. I thought you meant that you committed to 3 years, but we’re really not sure you would actually stay that long. I think I just misunderstood what you wrote.
@ John Weeks,
I you aren’t sure, why ship? I have met with and tried to help many people over the past 8 years who got themselevs “pot committed” and moved to the Philippines “come Hell or high water”. Almost as if that were on some sort of Death march.
Then living here did not live up to their expectations and they desperately wanted to move back to the USA. The Philippines is NOT for everyone.
If you pout your goods in storage for a couple years there will be a cost. But you can get them out of storage and resume living in the US at any time for minimal costs.
If you live here in the Philippines for three years and become sure you want to stay, you can still ship them to the Philippines later.
Consider the costs of storage as a form of “insurance”. One thing for certain is, if you are living in the Philippines and staying here because you feel “trapped”, it will not be enjoyable. Don’t “stack the deck against yourself”.
The issue in my mind is not where the shipper is but what the shipper knows about Philippine visas, the Balik Bayan program, etc. ANYONE can ship a container, point being, will it then sit on the docks in Manila rusting and incurring costs, or will it get to your Philippine residence.
That being said, quite likely there are shippers in Seattle who know their stuff, I just don’t know any. If you are considering a local guy, then call or visit and ask the people who are going to handle your shipment what they know about the Philippines, more importantly, how many shipments they have made, the names of satisfied customers, etc.
The Internet is a marvelous tool but it is certainly impersonal, it can’t replace your own due diligence. EVERYONE in the business is going to tell you they can do it, it’s up to you to separate the wheat from the chaff.
Also, regarding Bob’s experience. I am 100% certain his experience is true (although it had nothing to do with household goods shipping). I am also 100% certain my experiences are true. And if a third party chimes in here with experience with the same company there’s a strong chance his experience may sound different from Bob’s and different from mine, but they will be no less true. That’s the way life is, especially with shipping to the Philippines … YMMV.
I agree with you Dave. I know you have had good experience with Manila Forwarder, and I know I have had terrible experiences with them. It is just the nature of things. I have no problem with that, or with you. I just thought I’d share my experience as well.
I had a bad experience with Manila Forwarders on shipping some boxes of goods. It arrived to their warehouse in Manila but they would not deliver to my residence cause they said their truck was broken. After 4 weeks, I finally drove to the warehouse, which isnt easy to find, and picked it up myself. PIA.
Just to be totally fair… “Manila Forwarders” and “Manila Forwarder” are two different companies. So, if you did deal with Manila Forwarders, we are talking about two different operations.
Bob, Glad you cleared that part up, of it being 2 different companies I mean, I had no idea. On the East coast I have sent some boxes, using Manila Forewarders, who also operate out of California. I had read you had problems with Manila Forwarder before, but til this article didnt know the nature of it, but I also did not notice the difference in the 2 names til just now either.
Check out Ranier Shipping in the Seatac area. They were the overseas consignee assigned by Allied Movers, our company. From Ranier, it was delivered to our Philippine consignee GOETZ Moving and Stroage in Panaraque (Metro Manila) who handled all paperwork and Customs release, and delivery to our door in Samar.
@ RandyL
Exactly. I really erred in mentioning my experience w=ith (that MF company). There are MANY forwarders to choose from. Choose widely, not just by price and if you pick a company who knows what they are doing in the Philippines, you should have no problem.
Especially if you do as I suggest and just ask them to supply satisfied customer references. Any reputable company will do so, if they can’t/won’t, cross them off the list and proceed to the next candidate.
The ocean shipping part is the easy part, it is what happens at the Philippine end which counts. with a good forwarder you will fil yup a declaration at the beginning of the shipment and you will have no further dealings with Phil Customs.
Thanks Randy – Will do!
Reply to John Weeks….Check out Ranier Shipping in the Seatac area. They were the overseas consignee assigned by Allied Movers, our company. From Ranier, it was delivered to our Philippine consignee GOETZ Moving and Stroage in Panaraque (Metro Manila) who handled all paperwork and Customs release, and delivery to our door in Samar.
Yes, Tootsie Bina Sonia, since you are a Balikbayan you should be able to do it without the need to pay any taxes on the stuff too!
Thanks, Tim Torres, glad you found it helpful.
That’s great, Della, happy that it will be helpful to you.
Bob, have you been to Puerto Princesa City, Palawan ?
No, Steven, I have not been there.
Thanks for response Bob.
No problem, Steven.
(One way because we were using my wife’s balik bayan Privilege to both ship the house hold good duty free and to fly with no follow-on travel required.) I was under the impression that even though I will be using this visa also that I needed a ticket out of the country. Please clarify.
@ Terry Allen
In my experience (entering 5 times under the Balik Bayan Privilege program, your “impression” is wrong. Onward travel is _not_ required for family members entering the Philippines in the company of a returning Filipino/former Filipino who is entitled to avail of the BB Privilege. This is one of the “selling points” of the BB Priviledge Program.
See:
Why I Left The Philippines Again — Visit the USA, RT Air Fare, $350 USD, Flight Time ~3 hours Each Way
See also:
Did I Say That?
I don’t know how much more I can say to “clarify”. It’s a non-issue. Godspeed.
That’s awesome Bob, thank you!
You are welcome, Tootsie.
Great info for those preparing for the move Dave. Before our move I remember researching all options and asking lots of questions of those who went before. We settled on an international Door – Door well know and reviewed company. Like you said they packed all (including wrapping drinking glasses in newspaper) and unpacked and assembled anything we wanted assembled here in the Philippines.
The only surprise that occurred that I didn’t see mentioned is customs fees. Our container was “chosen” by U.S. customs for random inspection. Naturally we had to pay for the privilege, including the gas that the forklift used to move the container to the inspection area. The Manila end would not release our container until this bill was paid naturally.
@ Scott H.
Yes that is an issue I didn’t cover. To clarify, you are talking about US Customs fees I think. This can happen with BB boxes as well.
In order to “protect America”, the almighty US Department of Homeland Security has decided that inspecting “outbound” shipments is a good thing to do. The logic escapes me, but hey, what do I know.
Your shipper/freight forwarder has no control over this … to even make a complaint might be considered an act or terrorism under the “US Patriot Act” which effectively suspends the US Constitution.
So indeed, it could happen and you know if the US government “does something for you” … as in delaying your shipment, then they are going to charge for it. Just like when you board a plane, hidden in your ticket price is a fee to pay for the “protective” fondling of our illustrious TSA.
Welcome to what used to be the land of the free and the home of the brave *sigh*
Everyones situation is different of course, but reading of the details and the cost, plus possible unforseen cost involved makes me wonder if moving a lot of stuff there is really worth it. At least for some, the money saved by not using a container, leaving most of your stuff behind ( storage, sell it, give stuff away etc. ) . I wonder how much of the money saved could be applied to just replacing everything once you get there. In some situations like real furniture the quality you desire may or may not be available in retail shops or malls. If you want higher quality it might just be worthwhile having it custom made. There are name brand appliances available in PH that I have seen, purchased and used myself. Those would be satisfactory to me. I am beginning to think, why pay to move a bunch of stuff half way around the world which could be quite costly, save the money and replace with new. I know some exceptions might apply like quality tools, sentimental items etc. Do you really need a half or full container just for that and the possible costs that go with it. For some, I don’t think so.
I was thinking about the same thing, Bob New York. None of these (container packing, shipping, dealing with Philippine customs) apply to me, but if it did, chances are I would probably sell everything and buy new when I get to the Philippines. In my mind, those sentimental stuff that you never want to part with and hard-to-get-stuff, they can just be shipped balikbayan. I have a question: if a person just recently retired from the military, is he not entitled to one free shipping of all his household goods and a car outside of CONUS?
As you were on the free shipping of household goods and car outside CONUS by the military. I think this is only true if your home of record is overseas; i.e., if you were Filipino who enlisted in the U.S. Navy in the Philippines, the military will ship your household goods and a car to the Philippines upon your retirement from the service. Free and no customs duties.
So glad someone finally wrote this article, I have asked a few times, but because I usually get here late , the question was never answered about shipping a container. In fact I asked about it in your last article Dave, but I was the last one to post a reply.
Can anyone recommend a shipper they used from the Virginia area, and were happy with the service.
One other question I cant really find an answer too is this. It says that $7,000.00 worth of personal belongings may be sent there using the Balik Bayan privilege, without being taxed. Who sets the value on the goods being sent, and how does a person determine the value of used goods. I want to send a few used woodworking machines to use for a hobby, since I cant find hardly anything available there, but I dont want to get the stuff there and find I will owe a huge tax bill either.
@ Bill S.
There is no real problem here. You, as the property owner, declare the value. $7000 USD is more than enough in all cases I am aware of.
Your household good certainly are worth more in terms of what you paid for them, over the years. They are also worth more, way more in today’s prices as a replacement purchase.
But free market value? Think of a yard sale which yields more than $7000 USD. Think of what you possessions would be worth if you toted them to a flea market or consignment store. It’s not a problem in my experience.
As far as your wood working machines? If they are used and clearly for personal use I see no problem.
You list the contents of your shipment and you assign the value … let your conscience be your guide. Of course don’t declare the value as $7000 USD and purchase insurance for $50,000 USD as one guy I know did. That might certainly wake someone up in the Phil Customs office.
As I mentioned earlier if you use a Philippine forwarding company who knows their business you will never deal with Philippine Customs at all. God speed
Interesting article! now I know what to do. Get rid of EVERYTHING I own except for keepsakes which I will ship in LBC boxes and I will arrive there with the clothes on my back and another change of clothes in my luggage. Rest I can always purchase there! Problem Solved!!!!
Heinz,
I would bring as many clothes and shoes as possible because it can be hard to find bigger sizes here.
Amen to that, Papaduck. That’s one of the reasons I make an annual shopping trip to the base exchanges (both Navy and Air Force) on Guam.
Dave,
When I moved here last year I shipped 14 boxes out of Jacksonville, Fl via a company called UMAC. They have an office in Marakina. I have used them twice and never a problem.
I know UMAc well, many in my family use them often.
Yes Heinz Schirmaier I was thinking about the same thing.
Several years ago I started getting rid of stuff using my 6 month rule. If I haven’t played with it, used it, or enjoyed possessing it in the last 6 months I got rid of it. House is looking pretty empty now.
most of what I kept will still get discarded in my next couple of purges.
Most of my families keepsakes would be more enjoyed on other family members walls.
Don’t think Blue Boy, The Pink Lady, or Queen Ann would like the move much anyway.