Any use this shipping company?

Good Evening,
I would be very skeptical of anyone giving an estimate that far in advance.
No one know what fuel will be costing then.
You will find many low ball offers.
I have used Crowley, Seastar, Tropical, Vi cargo, Paradise & Fleming.
You can trust Vi cargo, Paradise, and Fleming.
Fleming is my favorite by far. Barry makes everything so easy.
Fleming will handle all details and paperwork, and the price they give you is what it is.
No unpleasant surprises.
Good Luck!

2nd the Flemings recommendation.

One thing to consider on your Toyota, you will have to pay an import tax on any vehicle manufactured outside the US. If you bring a US car ( Ford, GM, Jeep, Dodge etc ) there is no extra tax. All cars pay a "road tax" of 6 cents per pound ( based on weight listed on your title ).

Also, if you don't already, get USAA auto insurance. They don't accept mainland insurance policies here, and USAA is ridiculously cheaper than anything local!!!

Good Evening,
I would be very skeptical of anyone giving an estimate that far in advance.
No one know what fuel will be costing then.
You will find many low ball offers.
I have used Crowley, Seastar, Tropical, Vi cargo, Paradise & Fleming.
You can trust Vi cargo, Paradise, and Fleming.
Fleming is my favorite by far. Barry makes everything so easy.
Fleming will handle all details and paperwork, and the price they give you is what it is.
No unpleasant surprises.
Good Luck!

I realize prices will change over time. Right now, I am just trying to get estimated numbers for planning since I have no idea just how much it costs to ship household goods to an island. This is only for planning purposes.

Thanks for the recommendations on other shipping companies. I will have to check them out.

2nd the Flemings recommendation.

One thing to consider on your Toyota, you will have to pay an import tax on any vehicle manufactured outside the US. If you bring a US car ( Ford, GM, Jeep, Dodge etc ) there is no extra tax. All cars pay a "road tax" of 6 cents per pound ( based on weight listed on your title ).

Also, if you don't already, get USAA auto insurance. They don't accept mainland insurance policies here, and USAA is ridiculously cheaper than anything local!!!

We already use USAA for all our banking. I love USAA! By far the best bank I have ever used. We will keep our USAA account forever!

I checked the VIN number on our Toyota. Although we bought the car in Kentucky, it does have a VIN starting with the letter "J", meaning is was made in Japan and later shipped to the U.S. From what I have read online, and please correct me if I am wrong, we will have to pay a 3.5% duty on our car based on the blue book value. We are prepared to pay this cost, we love our 4runner!

Again, I recommend International Logistics that advertises on this site. Meme is execellant and the only shipper who will actually allow you to fill your vehicle up with household goods! She can also give estimates for the costs. Easy transition from Jacksonville or Miami.

optimus, i had a ford and had parts manufactured outside us so there was additional tax for that. not all cars made in the us are wholly made in the us. parts made outside the us on us made cars you will have to pay tax for

we used vi cargo. are you shipping all of your furniture? to me that seems like a lot to ship stuff

I highly recommend that you store the majority of your household items instead of shipping them here right away. I would come down with personal items (clothing, toiletries, personal hobby items, etc) and live here for a few months. It may make a big difference on what you decide needs to be shipped. I realize you stated you have lived all over and on other islands, however, every island if different. Many rentals here are furnished so you may not need all of the things you intend to ship.

I came with clothing, golf clubs and SCUBA gear and stored my furniture & household items. I had culled out about 70% of my stuff before moving down (big garage sale - helped with moving expenses!) and stored the rest. Once I lived here for awhile (in my case about 2 years) I decided that much of what I had stored wasn't necessary so about 40% of what I had stored was sold or given away before I shipped the rest.

It may surprise you the things you do without and realize you don't really miss at all! Just my 2 cents....

optimus, i had a ford and had parts manufactured outside us so there was additional tax for that. not all cars made in the us are wholly made in the us. parts made outside the us on us made cars you will have to pay tax for

we used vi cargo. are you shipping all of your furniture? to me that seems like a lot to ship stuff

That's true, if parts of a US car are made or assembled in Mexico, for instance, then there will be Customs Duty on it as the USA has a Trade Agreement with Mexico but it does not extend to the USVI.

Customs can tell by the VIN so if you have that info you can call them to see if there shall be any duty on your vehicle and what rate is. Vehicles not made in the USA have different percentage rates they are charged. It's a different % rate for each country, Japan, Germany, Mexico, etc. and believe the % amount charged is based on value of vehicle. If you have a very recent bill of sale you can use that or think they go with Blue Book value. If a vehicle is completely made and assembled in USA, then no duty but you do have to pay the road tax prior to taking paperwork thru Customs. Get an early start to do all this as you'll still have to get it registered and MVD closes at 2:30. Don't forget to get that moving permit from the dock to MVD. Good Luck.

As I recall the process:
Pick up the paperwork and pay for vehicle at shipper's.
Head to VIBIR to pay road tax (on other side of town in STT)
Head back to go thru Customs and pay duty.
Get Moving permit from MVD
Go back to shipper to get car
Go back to MVD to take vehicle thru inspection lane (unless brand new) - Make sure you have a valid driver's license and registration, all your paperwork, etc.
Once that's done, park up at MVD and go inside to get new plate or sticker.
Wait in a couple of lines and pay.

Best to have lots of cash as many places do not take checks and especially no stateside checks.
This may have changed but better to be safe than sorry and have to run off to the bank or ATM and have to come back the next day.
I may have missed something as it's been a long time since I've had to do this but it makes for an interesting day and usually all steps involve some waiting in line so take water, food and something to read. Be patient and pleasant. This is your world now!

Most government offices are currently taking Visa and MasterCard payments
VI Cargo will handle the road tax and customs for you. Otherwise you have to take shipping manifest and title to Revenue office behind Kmart at Sunny Isle. Your road tax will get you through customs ( near the airport) , then you just drive to MVD and get inspection (lights, horn, emergency brake & wipers) then pay for plates and registration tag. You will need your title, road tax payment form, shipping documents, proof of island insurance and drivers license.

You forgot this step, Alana33...

You will need your title, road tax payment form, shipping documents, proof of island insurance and drivers license.

we used vi cargo. are you shipping all of your furniture? to me that seems like a lot to ship stuff

I just got a quote for the worst case scenario. We will more than likely sell most of our furniture and travel to the island with most of the smaller items.

You forgot this step, Alana33...

You will need your title, road tax payment form, shipping documents, proof of island insurance and drivers license.

Knew I didn't remember everything! CRS strikes, again! 😉

When we arrived back on island, I went to the shipping office, once with proof of insurance and notarized paper allowing them to do whatever, and returned a couple of days later and picked up our already tagged vehicles at the the shipper's port office. Painless for sure. International Logistics.

Again, I recommend International Logistics that advertises on this site. Meme is execellant and the only shipper who will actually allow you to fill your vehicle up with household goods! She can also give estimates for the costs. Easy transition from Jacksonville or Miami.

Curious Rosesisland
How is that Meme can allow you to load your vehicle with household goods and personal possessions when it is the shipping lines rules that all vehicles be empty?

I have not come across anyone who allows you to put anything in a vehicle being shipped unless the vehicle is itself in a container.
Just curious as to how she is able to get around this restriction by the carriers?

Meme told me that I could build a wooden box onto the back of my pickup truck as long as the top was no higher than the cab of the truck and the sides had to be flush with the sides of the truck as well as tailgate. BUT I COULD NOT have personal items stored inside the cab of the vehicle. Also, this would only apply if I were delivering my vehicle to the shipping port myself, but if I had them transport it for me from my home to the port, I could not have any personal items in the vehicle.

I think they go by weight anyway when trasporting your vehicle. So if you have personal items inside, it will add to the weight and you will have to pay extra. I assume, but don't know this for a fact.

i have used top of the line and they are credible.

In the extended cab of our F-150 we packed framed paintings, a TV and many many other personal items. This was in Nov. 2012. Also, we put an accordion style bed cover and packed all my husband's tools and tons of other personal items like kitchen stuff, flatware, dishes, etc.

I cannot tell you why the other companies will not allow that, but, my guess is they don't want the extra customs hassle. My SUV was filled in the back. Both vehicles were empty in the front seat.

I even packed all my linens and towels in nooks and crannies, under the seat and even in the wheel well area. Believe me, our vehicles were packed!

I only used Meme after several posted here that the company, International Logistics DID allow personal items to be shipped in vehicles.

Guess you'll need to call Meme and ask her why her company allows this option and no other company does.

But, like poster above stated, we did drop off our vehicles n Jacksonville, FL. And, you must make a detailed list of what is in each box.

Thanks, I wonder if they use their own ships for the journey? I contacted her but no response yet.

Do you know if she also handles shipment in the opposite direction?

Meme is a freight forwarder just like ViCargo and Paradise Freight. She buys space on the ship.

Question optimusPrime....I have Geico in NJ and we are moving to STX, ,is that insurance is not good in St Croix? Do I have to Shop for Usaa?

geico is NOT available here

FYI to those of you still quoting Meme at ILS. She told me the same thing last year, booked my truck on Sea Star, and we loaded up and drove from Colorado to Miami. Sea Star would not accept the truck. They stopped accepting vehicles with goods inside in May of 2013.

I would NOT use Flemings. I used them to ship my stuff when I moved off island and had the worst service and was ripped off. They refused to give me an itemized bill, jacked me around with giving a quote when they came to my house, said I didn't ave a lot of stuff to ship to Florida so it wouldn't be that much. Then once they had my stuff said I had a lot of stuff and changed me a fortune. My stuff was weeks late and my car barely showed up. The truckers who picked my stuff up said they had little communication from Fleming. Fleming rarely returned my calls. It is the worst. Hire some other company for sure.

I appreciate the comments. The information posted here is certainly educational for me. Thanks.