Nuts and Bolts: Shipping the Car, and our stuff (a.k.a. Car Trouble Part 2)

So, we have decided to ship the car using a company that will ship the car in a huge crate, with our personal belongings stuffed inside. Think of a turducken. If you have never seen a turducken, then make it your goal for 2012, you have lots of time left. (Here's a hint: google it. Done. You're welcome.)

If you do happen to google it, then you may also come across this...

A *bacon-wrapped* Turducken...My first Thanksgiving in Poland may or may not include this little beauty right here. (Doesn't that just make your mouth water and your heart hurt at the same time?)  4. Count them. 4 different animals killed to remind us to be thankful for our lives.

The rest of this post has nothing to do with Turducken's or Thanksgiving or bacon...unfortunately.

Our car will be shipped in somethign like this...

and hopefully nothing like this happens...

.. that would be horrible.

After many, many, many emails back and forth w have decided to go with Schumacher Cargo Logistics as our shipping company.  

Why we chose what we chose and what YOU might do if you were in our situation:

There are only a couple options for shipping your car to Poland (and possibly most other foreign countries that are not connected by land).

#1  Roll On Roll Off-  this is just as it sounds. You drive the car to the port where the boat is waiting to take it overseas. You cover the inside with sheets and other protection form mold and mildew. You empty it of all personal belongings that you don't want stolen and you leave it completely unlocked. It is driven into the bay of a huge ship along with hundereds of other cars and unloaded in 6 weeks time at the port of your choosing. Car companies ship their cars this way.

Pros:  

- cheaper - as the price is for moving ONLY the car, and nothing else... up to 25% cheaper than your other option
- possibly a faster shipping method

Cons:
- can't use your car to transport stuff
- generally more prone to damage of the car or pieces missing from the car
- (in theory) a little more exposed to the elements (humidity,etc.)


#2 Container Shipping - this is the method where your rent room in a container (as pictured above) and can store personal belongings in the car. You can rent the whole container for your car and whatever else you want to go in there or you can simply rent room for just the size of your car. You package the items in convenient and easy to open containers, fully labeled as to contents* (for customs).You get your car full of stuff to the port. They load it up and it gets sent. Takes about 6 weeks.


Pros:
- You get to ship your stuff in your car, if you aren't taking much, it cuts down on the cost of shipping your personal items separately... cheaper for "total move" costs


Cons:
- more expensive
- possibly a longer shipping time if the other half of the container you rent doesn't get filled in a timely fashion. They don't ship half empty containers. Not a problem if you don't need your stuff by a certain date.




Let me start by saying that we do have stuff we are taking to Poland that does not fit in our carry on and checked luggage...obviously. Our airline allows you to check up to 10 bags per ticket. TEN. BAGS. For about a week or two, this was what we were gonna do. The price turned out to be cheaper than shipping it  through an international moving company or international shipping company ($1.25 per lb  vs.  $1.50 per lb). So our plan was to load up our 50 bags (5 tickets x 10 bags a ticket, 5 bags for free) pay the "extra baggage fee" and just make it work. Logistically, pretty crazy, transporting to and from the airport, checking it in and out at customs.. ugh...but doable...if we have to we have to. We asked the check-in lady at Air Berlin if this is something people do. Se said... "oh yes, all the time... when they are moving from country to country."  Hey! That's us! 


A couple weeks passed, Martin looked into shipping our car in a container and loading it with our stuff, and decided on that instead. No big light bulb moment, just a bunch of emails back and forth with the Roll On, Roll Off people and not liking them one bit, and stumbled across our guys at Schumacher.


Thank Goodness! - 50 bags, each weighing in at 50 lbs. each? Can you imagine?! 


So there you go. There are lots of companies, lots of options, but Martin always does his homework and chooses the best company for the job, as far as he can see. It's working out so far. 


So, in a couple weeks time, my car and all the possessions we will be taking to Poland, will be on a ship in the middle of the ocean.






* I plan on boxing everything in see through bins, which I already own. I plan on labeling each bin with a colored sticker and a corresponding sheet that that explains what is contained in each box by color (the company requires a list, the color coding is for their convenience). So a color coding system. My mother-in-law suggested getting those bags where you can suck out the air so you can fit more. A good idea but I have a feeling that at some point some guy (or girl) is going to open them and not have a vacuum cleaner handy to deflate the dang things again. So, bins and boxes and a color coded system. Here. we. go...



P.S. Check back in a couple months after this whole ordeal is over, we have our car , and all our stuff is safe and sound and NOT at the bottom of the ocean. I'll let you know then how we feel about it. Fingers crossed!


P.P.S. Also, I don't even know if our stuff is going to all fit in the car. BOOKS! Homeschooling and books go together like fungus and feet. So many books. 


USPS "book rate" or "media mail" (same thing apparently)


- within U.S. - 70 lb. box of books = $27.00----- pretty awesome I must say
- internationally - 70 lb. box of books = $700.00-----that's us...no way.


I called the Post Office just to make sure I didn't read wrong on the website. It's true.


UPS- 70 lb. box of books- $ = an entire plane ticket-----------who do they think they're dealing with here?




I hope there's not a weight limit on that boat!