Packing to ship - any tips?

Teresa:

Bubble warp is the best for glassware. Given the high cost of moving/ shipping anything to the VI the incremental expense is small.

Use the bubble wrap on your glassware and electronics. Your china probably can survive wrapped in paper/tissue. Do consider double boxing the china with a layer of peanuts between the boxes acting as a shock absorber.

Good luck.

Jim

Teresa,

I agree -- Bubble Wrap ROCKS.. We used it on everything we packed and were happy to pay for the cost of hjaving it. Our "professional" movers used brown paper to wrap the rest of our stuff. Every item packed in bubble wrap made it in the same condition it started in. We can't say that for all of the items wrapped in paper before being boxed up.

The container does need to be packed tight, so I also recommend trying to put some kind of protection around everything, especially items that aren't squared off like boxes or are oddly shaped. While items like office chairs seem like they should be okay to go as is, tape cardboard around the bottom of the chair to protect the casters, prevent damage to the control levers, etc. then wrap clear plastic wrap around the top to protect the upholstry (UHaul sells 500' rolls of plastic wrap that comes on handle so you can put it on with one hand, and it can also be used instead of tape to hold drawers/doors closed without damage because it sticks to itself. It's protectiev qualities are second only to bubble wrap.) Same goes for plant stands/shelving, floor fans, etc. -- we had several items like this get damaged as they were put in/taken ouit of/bounced around in the cargo container.

It's sure getting close -- how excited are you??

HC

Hey HC and Jim,

Thanks for the advice. I have been going crazy back and forth between excitement and uncertainty. I know I won't completely relax or believe what is happening until I am unpacking on the island. This has been very surreal for us. I mean, I don't know one person from Missouri that packed up and moved to the Carribean. We tend to get 'stuck' here. 😉 My husband has traveled the world and has lived all over the map, so he pretty much has been calm this whole time. My biggest challenge right now is to get rid of more stuff that we just don't need to take. I have to admit, I have thought about getting rid of everything and starting over, but with three kids I don't think we could get by very easily. So off to pack I go. Chris, my husband, has found us a home, we have the movers, a date, and really have nothing left to do but pack and get there. Time is flying and going so slow at the same time. Now if I could just get all my friends out of my suitcases, maybe things would go more smoothly... 😉

Teresa

Hello Teresa,

If you are shipping cloths, towels and sheets; use them as packing in the boxes!!

--Islander

Teresa,

I grew up in the Kansas City, MO area, but have lived in Or, Az, and now Ga. We've got plans to move to St Croix as well, if our business plans work out. Things are moving really slow, but maybe one day you will know of someone else from MO who moved to STX. Good luck with the move. Wish we were moving with you.

to all of u that have moved or to all u that are moving i have a question what shiping company are or did u use and did you ship from s. fl or from your home state i am moving to stt from oklahoma in oct. and dont know if it would be cheaper to ship from here or to move everything to south florida and move from there any help would help
thanks
mallory

Mallory,

It will probably cost around the same (if not more) if you actually move your furniture yourself to South Florida and then deliver it to the shipping company. I'm about to move my wife Teresa and our kids down here next month from Kansas City. It would have cost us over a $1000 (and that doesn't include the gas for the U-Haul truck!!!!) for a one way rental with U-Haul to go from KC to Fla. For the shipping company to take a 20 ft container from KC to Fla, it was only an additional $800. Well worth it. Hope this helps.

Chris

thank you island chris but what shiping company are u using and if u dont mind me asking how much the shipping will be from fla. to stt and are u brining a car or are u buying on the island thank again for your help

Mallory,

Contact Lee at Managed Freight. His email address is info@managedfreight.com. He will be able to give you the quotes you need to make your decision. We are also bringing our vehicle. To save cost on both vehicle shipment and airfare cost, we're driving to drop our vehicle off at Palm Beach for shipment and flying out of Ft. Lauderdale (via San Juan) to STT. I was able to get one way fares for $244 per person.

Hope this helps!

Chris

thanks chris
that helps a bunch and i will contact lee in the morning
mallory

Mallory,
Where in Oklahoma are you from? I'm from Tulsa and my mom and dad and I are visiting ST. croix, St. John, and St. Thomas in August for 2 weeks. We went to St Croix2 years ago and loved it. I had no allergies all week . It was ausome. In tulsa they never let up. People think I'm crying all the time. But were just checking out each Island this time to see if we really could move to the USVI. Or was we just too excited to be on vacation away from home. We'll see!

krystal,
wow my husband and i are both from tulsa ok
my husband is going to transfer out with his job to st tomas the date is now up in the air because my husbands job might want him down there sooner then we have planed and you are right about the allergies but as soon as we get a sure date i will post it hear to let u know
ps have fun

Hi Island Chris,

After you drop your vehicle off at Managed Freight in Palm Beach, how will you get to the airport in Fort Lauderdale? I'm not that familiar with Florida, so I don't know how far apart these two locations are. Is the cost of a taxi from the freight company to the airport real expensive?

Thanks for any information you can give me,

MsKinsey

MsKinsey,

Since I'll be dropping the vehicle off the day before our flight, I've decided to rent a vehicle for transportation. I've been told that a taxi would cost anywhere between $40 - $60 for a trip from Tropical to the FLL airport. For that price I can rent a vehicle for a day.

Maybe someone else on the board who's done this can be more specific.

Chris

Thanks, Island Chris, for responding to my post. I figured that a taxi would be pretty high. A former student of mine is working on a master's in Miami now, and we planned to get together for dinner when I drive down. Maybe I can get him to drive me from Tropical to FLL or MIA or wherever I can get the cheapest flight to Puerto Rico. Here's hoping!!

Hi Teresa--
I just had a 40 foot container arrive from SF w/ everything intact. I was able to get bubble wrap for free at a camera store that was throwing it away after unpacking their weekly shipment.
I also used throw rugs, clothing, sheets, towels, and just about anything else to pad things. I think I will be a mover in my next lifetime.
Have not read thru the threads and hope this is not in repetition of what you already know. Feel free to email me w/ any questions.
deb

MsKinsey,

Here's the address of Tropical:

4 East Port road
Riviera Beach, FL 33404

I checked and it is 55 miles from the Ft Lauderdale Airport. I also noticed that there is an airport closer in West Palm Beach, but there are no direct flights to San Juan from there.

Hope this helps...

Chris