Here is the truth from The International Moving Doctor.

If you use good quality rubber tubs like the ones in this picture above, then you will be fine. They have the strength to be stacked up on each other so they will travel great with no issues or damage. Always stack the heaviest tubs at the bottom though.

The trouble happens when you use the cheaper plastic ones, often semi see through which are fine for your Christmas decorations to be stored in your attic or garage but not so good when you are using them to move overseas. The trouble happens when you stack four , five or six on top of each other. The one at the bottom can not support that much weight on top of it and starts to crack and split open. It might even crush and cause the ones above it to start leaning or falling which can make the whole pallet or U Crate to be unstable. On top of this (pardon the pun) the split open tub contents will get damaged and if there is anything liquid in there, it might leak which can then  cause damage to other things in your shipment, such as clothes or bedding.

If you are using a U Crate, the crate sides should support the load, even if the bottom is crushing but on a pallet you could end up with some serious damage as the load is only covered with shrink wrap and sharp pieces of plastic tub could tear the cover and loose items spill out from the pallet.

So, if using plastic tubs or crates, use good quality ones that are not cheap but they will ship just fine and be good for storage in your garage, shed or attic for years to come at your overseas destination. Cardboard moving boxes are great, and cheaper if you pack them full so they can not crush and you plan on unpacking everything soon after you arrive at the destination but if items might be staying stored then definitely invest in the tubs.

I hope that helps and don’t forget to ask the International Moving Doctor at UPakWeShip if you have any questions. If you are not sure what service you need, take a look at this You Tube video which explains all the different services we offer.

All our U Crate and pallet rates are online at www.upakweship.com so if you want to know how much it costs to move overseas, have a look at our international moving cost calculator.

If you need a personalized international moving quote, just click here.

Happy Packing folks

Cheers Mark Nash, aka The International Moving Doctor, UPakWeShip, your trusted International Mover.

The post Rub a dub dub, can we ship stuff in tubs? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

As of now, March 30th 2026, our online prices are still good but there is pressure on the horizon for rates to increase. This is partly due to the shipping lines adding “FSC” fuel surcharges and also the truckers hauling our shipping containers to and from the ports in the USA as well as our operations at UPakWeShip UK and UPakWeShip Europe are all paying more to fill their tanks and are passing on the extra costs to us.

While our weekly services across the Atlantic have not been effected with the Middle East situation, our Dubai service as been temporarily suspended and all the shipments that were heading to Dubai are safe in our UPakWeShip warehouse near Rotterdam waiting to see what happens.

We always honor quotes for 30 days from quote to pick up so if you are moving soon, I suggest locking into your rate and booking as soon as possible. If you are thinking of shipping in the next 60 days it is probably worth booking and shipping earlier if you can.

If not, please be prepared for increases, as gas and oil prices go up. and everything else has to follow unfortunately.

I am hoping everything goes back to normal again soon, if you have any questions, you can always contact me on email move@upakweship.com

I do not wish to alarm or pressure anyone, just giving honest advice as always….

Stay safe everyone.

Cheers,

The International Moving Doctor

Mark Nash

UPakWeShip International Movers

The post Fuel Surcharges on the horizon if moving overseas in 2026? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

We know we are by no means the only good company in the international moving world, but we also know there are quite a few less than desirable moving and shipping companies that will get your things and then hold it hostage for more money. Hopefully the notes below will help you choose a great company.

1/ In the USA, all companies performing international moves must be licensed by the Federal Maritime Commission and have a FMC license number.  To check to see if a company is licensed click here. https://www2.fmc.gov/oti/  We are licensed as EuroUSA Shipping Inc and UPakWeShip. It is important to use a licensed professional in case anything went wrong you can contact the FMC dispute and resolution committee to help and advise you.

2/ Google reviews. No one in a service industry has perfect reviews but check that the company has more than 4 out of 5 stars.

3/ Do they sound like they know where you are going? Do they seem knowledgeable, are they aware of customs procedures and can answer questions?

4/ Can they email you a picture of your shipment when it arrives at the terminal? OK rubbing it in a little here as I am not sure anyone else apart from UPakWeShip sends you a picture, but we think it’s important to show you that we care and put your mind at ease.

5/ Do they have their own office at the destination to take care of you when you and your shipment arrives? Having your own office is a great plus as it maintains service levels and shipping costs and stops other companies or agents charging you more money at the destination for made up extra charges before delivery. If they use an agent and don’t have their own office overseas, Google the name of the agent and check the reviews. Sometimes there can be financial disputes between companies and your shipment is placed on hold until they get it sorted out. This will not happen if you are using the same company both ends!

6/ Do they specialize in the area you are moving to?  We specialize in UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Others might specialize in Mexico, Canada, Asia, Africa etc. but there is no point in going with a great company that specializes in Asia if you are moving to London!

7/ Do they answer the phone? Is there more than one person working at this company? We are OK with supporting small businesses, but you don’t want your precious belongings sitting in the middle of the Atlantic when the owner operator has an argument with a bus!

8/ How many years have they been in business? It takes time to get established, build credit, become stable. Don’t book with a new company, why take the risk when there are plenty of established businesses. I know we are showing our age, but we started up in 1988!

9/ We know price plays an important part of the decision but if you are not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling about the people with the best price, don’t do it! Your personal things deserve better! Make sure you ask for all inclusive pricing. You don’t want any extra surprises. Customs exams and x rays would always be extra as no one knows what these costs would be if any, but pretty much everything else should be included. Insurance is always an extra and anyone that says insurance is included in your quote means the insurance is worthless.

10/ If you want to pack your things yourself you can, don’t let some moving and packing company talk you into believing that you won’t get through customs at destination if you pack it yourself. If that was the truth we wouldn’t be in business. There is no more risk if you pack it yourself, but the mover makes a lot of money charging you to pack your things.

The post Questions to ask your mover when moving overseas. appeared first on UPakWeShip.

UPakWeShip Moving Doctor

This is a good question and hopefully a decent answer by the International Moving Doctor so I thought I would post it for everyone else to see.

Hello,

I’m moving from Los Angeles to London in mid-July and the U-Crate 100 seems like the perfect option for me.

I do not yet have a permanent residence overseas and am wondering if it’s possible to book the pick-up date without a delivery address? I would be able to provide one after arriving and securing a flat in London.

Surely I can’t be the first person with this dilemma, does UPakWeShip have any standard procedure for such instances or is it up to me to figure out? Any info is appreciated, thank you!

The simple answer is yes you can ship without an address, just let us know when you have found a place so we can update your information. Don’t fret if you haven’t found a place by the time its ready for delivery as we can easily store your U Crate or pallet for about 25 Pounds or Euros per week until you need delivery.

Some other points though that should be mentioned are as follows: Wherever you are moving to in the world, there is normally a rule that stipulates that you need to be in the Country in order for local customs to clear your shipment into that country tax and duty free.

In order to obtain tax free entry of your household goods into the UK, you will need to complete a Transfer of Residence form online. ( More details on our web site) For this form you need an address but you can complete it with your work, hotel, family member or friend that you might be staying with temporarily before you find your own home.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have other questions.

The post Shipping without a destination address? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

The post Can I courier prescription drugs over to Europe from the USA? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

For an example: say your moving estimate is $12 per cubic foot for moving from New York to London. A large mattress at 40 cubic feet once protected and loaded into a mattress carton would cost 40x$12 = $480

A new one vacuum packed in a box is at most 8 cubic feet x $12 = $96 and costs to buy a mattress is about $300.00

Therefore, seeing its cheaper to buy a new mattress and ship it, rather than shipping your old bed bugged stained bulky mattress, you are technically  shipping it for free!

 Alternatively don’t ship a mattress at all and buy a new one when you get there.

Sweet Dreams, The International Moving Doctor

Any international moving questions, please let me know. Click Here.

How much does it cost to move overseas? Click here to see all out international moving rates and options online 24/7

The post International Moving Tip. How to technically ship a Mattress for FREE with UPakWeShip. appeared first on UPakWeShip.

You can download the free international moving guide and learn everything you need to know about moving overseas and how to choose an international moving company.

The post How do I move Overseas? appeared first on UPakWeShip.

  When the truck comes to collect your for example 650lb loaded U Crate or Pallet, it comes with 3 important features.

Number 1 is the driver who is also responsible for loading the U Crate or Pallet into the truck.

Second is the tail lift fitted to the truck that will actually lift your shipment up and into the truck.

The third integral part of this operation is the Pallet Jack or sometimes referred to as a pump truck. The pallet jack which is on roller wheels, slides through the spacing on the pallet and once in place you can pump the handle a few     times which jacks up the pallet a few inches off the ground allowing the pallet jack to be pulled (by the driver) along  the pavement and onto the trucks tail lift. Now obviously if that pallet jack was to be pulled by the driver or even a worlds strongest man contestant, trying to move this over rough ground, soft grass, mud or gravel would just about be impossible.

So please make sure all pallets and U Crates are loaded and ready for collection on pavements please.

Any other International Moving Questions, don’t forget to ask the international moving doctor.

Don’t forget our international moving prices and services are always available online 24/7 with our international household goods cost calculator giving you up to date all inclusive door to door intl moving rates from the USA to Europe, UK, Australia and New Zealand.

The post Pallet and U Crate Collection and deliveries appeared first on UPakWeShip.

Thanks for the info, looking forward to speaking with someone about it.
   Got another question for you.
Is it true, that owner packed containers are more difficult to get through customs than containers packed by moving companies? I’ve got the feeling it’s a sales pitch by movers here to get you to purchase the packing service. Any thoughts?
Cheers

THE ANSWER

A very good question Christoph! Customs overseas, anywhere in the world require a packing list so they can look at it and see what is in the container. The only way Customs overseas would know if you have packed it yourself would be if they were presented with a scruffy piece of paper saying something like 55 pieces of my stuff etc. The other way would be if you packed the items yourself and then paid a mover to load the container and make the packing list for you. If that is the case the mover would create a big red flag packing list saying item 1/ PBO, item 2 PBO, item 3 PBO which stands for “packed By Owner and doesn’t explain what the item really is and therefore triggering customs into asking more questions or inspecting the shipment. However at UPakWeShip we have our own packing list creator app that allows you to complete a professional packing list where you complete all the items online using your phone, I pad, tablet or PC saving it as you go and then when you are ready, you click submit and you and UPakWeShip get emailed a very professional looking packing list all typed out in a PDF format to give to customs. This packing list is as good and professional if not better than any moving companies packing list which is often hand written on a carbon copy form that is so feint its hard to decipher!
I hope this helps and makes sense. Bottom line yes a mover wants to charge you a fortune for packing and scare you into it but I think you can pack a lot better and safer than a $10-$12 an hour mover and customs overseas wont know who packed and loaded it.
Cheers and happy packing, The Moving Doctor.

The post A very good International Moving question answered appeared first on UPakWeShip.

Its easy moving to the UK with UPakWeShip.

The UK Government has recently updated the transfer of residence rules known as ToR as well as duty free relief on certain items.
If you are choosing to move to the UK and want to bring your things with you, you will be entitled to duty and tax-free entry for your items as long as you have lived outside of Europe for the last

12 months and all your items are your belongings and are over 6 months old. You can find out more information about completing your ToR application here.
If you are selling a holiday home and shipping items to the UK then you are going to have to pay duties and taxes on the value of the items plus the cost of shipping and insuring them. You do not need to complete the ToR but you will have to provide UPakWeShip with a valued packing list. (Obviously keep valuations low like you were selling the items at a yard sale)
If you are shipping inherited goods then you need to complete the government inheritance form (C1421) and if all paperwork is submitted, you should not be paying duties and taxes.
If you are a student coming to the UK to study and are shipping some items to the UK then you will not have to pay duty or taxes if you supple us with a copy of the school’s letter of acceptance to us. You do not need to complete the ToR.
If you are sending wedding presents, they can enter the UK duty and tax-free as long as you provide us with a copy of the marriage certificate and you ship them within 4 months of the wedding.
If you are shipping office items such as desks and furniture then you will need to provide UPakWeShip with a valued list of the items and you will be charged vat currently 20%. You can list office files at a nominal value and they are duty and tax-free but we still need to enter a value for customs.
If you are purchasing new items of furniture overseas and would like UPakWeShip to ship it to the UK, you will need the original invoice from the store that you bought it from and customs will charge you duties and taxes.
Please note all items that are deemed to be charged duties and taxes by customs should be based on the value of the items plus the cost of shipping and the cost of the insurance policy of the international move.

If you need further help or explanation, feel free to post a question on “ask the moving doctor” on UPakWeShip’s blog or for more information about international moving, read my free book about moving overseas and the joys of international shipping of household goods and personal effects. …

Of course if you need the best international moving rates to the UK, look at our international moving cost calculator where you can see online all our all inclusive prices for moving to England or anywhere else in the UK or Europe.

The post New UK Customs regulations; please read if moving or shipping to the UK. appeared first on UPakWeShip.