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ADVANCED CHARGES: These are additional charges invoiced by other than the movers. They could be paid to insurance companies, storage units or craftsmen, to help ensure the safe shipping and delivery of your items. When the moving company arranges for these services, they are billed as Advanced Charges and must be paid for at the time of shipping.

CARRIER: International moving companies are officially known as carriers.

DECLARED VALUE: The value you assign to the items for insurance purposes. Most companies have a limit to which some objects can be insured, but it’s still up to you to come up with a value that you consider fair.

FULL SERVICE MOVE: Moving service in which the company is in charge of the actual packing, moving and delivery of all the items. You don’t need to pay for packing boxes or do any of the work yourself when you hire this type of service.

HIGH VALUE ARTICLE: Any item that you want to value at more than $100. Depending on the company, you may need to prove the value/price of such item by showing paperwork or an official appraisal.

PEAK SEASON RATES: Moving is usually more expensive in summer, especially if you don’t book well in advance.

SHUTTLE SERVICE: If your home is situated on a street large vehicles cannot reach, the company may need to use an additional, smaller van to move items from your home to the larger van. In this case, you will be charged an additional fee known as shuttle service fee.

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When packing for a move, you may be tempted to throw everything you own into moving boxes and just ship it to your new home. Unfortunately, moving companies have strict guidelines regarding what can and cannot be packed and sent. These items are basically divided into three major categories:

Hazardous materials

Anything that has a risk of exploding, causing fires or burning/corroding the surfaces they come into contact with. Obvious items such as kerosene and propane tanks are included here, but there are also lots of other items you wouldn’t necessarily consider dangerous, such as darkroom chemicals, motor oil, charcoal and nail polish. Even matches and household batteries are usually in the forbidden list.

Perishables

Most foods cannot be shipped, not matter their present condition. This is especially true of anything that needs to be refrigerated or can spoil during transit (such as fresh produce). Many companies have rules regarding live plants, and most won’t carry open packages of food, even if it is dried.

Items of Sentimental Value

Anything that doesn’t have a real money value should usually not be packed and shipped. This is because companies need a real number to attach to items in order to be able to provide you with insurance. Papers that cannot be replaced easily, such as airline tickets or insurance policies should be kept out of moving boxes. More surprising, however, is the list of items that are considered “personal valuables” and are not subject of insurance, including cell phones, jewelry, laptop computers, family photographs and even CDs and DVDs.

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When it comes to moving, the earlier you start preparing your things, the less trouble you are likely to run into. Moving is more than just putting things away in packing boxes, which is why having a specific time line in mind will help you streamline the process and make the most out of every minute.

The best time to get started is about a month before you actually move. This is the time to research the basics, including finding out about your new neighborhood, how and when you will need to turn the utilities on in your new place and whether you should be looking into opening new bank accounts or renting a P.O.Box there. This is also the time to look into pet-friendly hotels, in case you need to sleep overnight somewhere before the movers get home. If you are hiring a full-service moving company, which will pack and move everything for you, you should also create a detailed inventory of everything you’re shipping. Taking pictures of your most valuable items would also help.

Two weeks before the move is the right time to make all needed reservations, confirm with the moving company and start packing boxes. Fifteen days may seem like a long time to spend putting moving boxes together, but you probably need that much time if you want organized cardboard boxes that will be easy to unpack once you get to your new home. This is also the right time to verify your insurance and see if you need any additional coverage for special collectibles or valuable objects.

Seven to five days before you move, make sure your moving boxes are all packed and ready to go. Start putting together a bag or smaller box to take along with you, packed with all the essentials you need to survive a few days in your new home (you probably won’t feel like unpacking as soon as you get there). Also, check with the electric and phone company and have your utilities turned on. Don’t wait until the day of the move to do this –If you run into a problem or something fails, you’ll be stuck in the dark.

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You need packing supplies and boxes from Direct Moving Boxes for your next move.

Shipping your possessions internationally requires a little bit more planning than it would just to fill moving boxes and send them across the country. Finding the right moving company is key in an international move, as you need somebody who knows international laws and regulations, as well as has all the necessary permits and insurance coverage to guarantee the safety of your items.

International moving usually requires lots of paperwork in order to ensure that your items do not get stopped at customs. Depending on the type of items you are shipping and their final destination, this may mean taking lots of photographs, providing pricing estimates and signing lots of paperwork.

One important thing to keep in mind when shipping overseas is that some things are better left behind. A good example is appliances, which probably won’t work in other countries because of electricity differences. You could, in theory, buy adapters, but they don’t work on all appliances and they end up putting a lot of strain on the items themselves, which means they are likely to burn out faster or work at a lower capacity. Furniture or other heavy items may cost too much to ship as well, in which case it also makes more sense to simply sell them and buy new ones once you get to your final destination.

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