The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have reached a tentative agreement on a new six-year master contract. The agreement will replace the expiring contract which had been extended after a short strike in October 2024. 

The two groups issued saying “the two sides agreed to continue to operate under the current contract until the union can meet with its full Wage Scale Committee and schedule a ratification vote, and USMX members can ratify the terms of the final contract.”

The post The USA Port strike is off for Jan 2025 appeared first on UPakWeShip.

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Having our own offices in the UK and the USA allows us to ship peoples belongings seamlessly across the pond in both directions. You can see the U Crates being unloaded into our warehouse in South Carolina in perfect shape and just as the customer loaded them. No loose boxes put in the container, nothing not labelled, no boxes getting mixed in with another persons shipment.

Everything safe and secure as you would expect from UPakWeShip.

One company door to door. Great rates and a ship load of know how!

The post UK to USA Shipping appeared first on UPakWeShip.

If you are not sure what our U Crate 100 service is…… here goes!

We send the U Crate out to you flat packed. You can practice loading things in it in your garage or in your house or apartment so on collection day you know where everything is going to fit.

You need to have everything packed in boxes or wrapped in bubble wrap to keep everything safe.

On your scheduled loading day, load everything up on your driveway or garage. The U Crate comes with a pallet bottom, two sides and a top plus loading straps, tape and a plastic cover.

The driver will collect it with a pallet jack and with the truck tail lift it gets loaded into the truck and transported to our shipping terminal which in this case will be our UPakWeShip facility in Walterboro SC. From there it gets loaded into a shipping container and put on a container ship headed to Rotterdam.

Once the ship arrives roughly 10-14 days later, the container gets unloaded of the ship and we unload the shipping container with all the pallets and U Crates into out customs bonded warehouse where we arrange to have it cleared through customs. After that our UPakWeShip EU office will contact you to arrange delivery in this case from Netherlands to your door in Portugal.

The U Crate 100 will be unloaded the same way with a pallet jack and tail lift truck and placed outside your new residence for you to unload. Everything inside the U Crate is exactly as you loaded it. Its a simple system but it works. You get an all inclusive lump sum price that includes the cost of the U Crate and the door to door shipping.

No hassle, no strangers in your house, no worries, no huge expense. Just UPakWeShip door to door, doing what it knows best!

Ship one or multiple U Crates safely from the USA to Europe via our weekly shipping service from Charleston port to Rotterdam.

Take a look at our all inclusive lump sum international moving rates on our web site for you view without even having to log in and give any personal information away. Its just there for everyone to see!

You wont regret it!

The post From Pennsylvania to Portugal appeared first on UPakWeShip.

I have fond memories of celebrating our first Kings Day when we lived near Rotterdam. Day time raves, orange everywhere, very happy Duchies and some, drinking a little too much Heineken.

I know the Dutch are brilliant in Logistics but not sure of the logic behind having the biggest party day of the year being on a Wednesday? My tip of the day is making it a Friday every year or better still be like the Americans with Thanksgiving and make it a Thursday and everyone takes off Friday to recover!

Either way enjoy and be safe celebrating your special day.

The post UPakWeShip Netherlands: Closed for Kings Day appeared first on UPakWeShip.

The ToR, or Transfer of Residence form, was introduced to the UK to allow you to ship your items into the country duty-free and tax-free. It should be one of the number one things on your to-do list, as we need your ToR number in order to ship your belongings.

However, to obtain duty and tax-free entry of your used household items there is a criteria:

• You must be shipping your own belongings within 12 months of your personal arrival to the UK.
• You must have lived outside of the UK for the past 12 months.
• You must declare all of your items that you are going to ship have been used for more than 6 months and that you are not going to sell them within the next 12 months.

You can find the full terms and conditions of the ToR on the UK Government’s website, however, before you start the process it’s important to have prepared:

• Your packing list
• A photocopy of your passport page
• Proof of your UK address
• Proof of your current address
• Details of any vehicle you’re bringing with you (yes, we ship vehicles too!)

We know it sounds daunting, and nobody likes paperwork, but don’t worry, when you ship with us, your shipping coordinator will know all of the ins and outs and will talk you through the process…

…Which has just become significantly shorter, thanks to the UK finally getting with the times!

From the 1st of January, the once email-in ToR system has become digitised – you simply submit your ToR via this online application, smoothing about the whole process tenfold!

If you know you’re ineligible for the ToR tax and duty-free relief, for example, all your items are less than 6 months old or you’re sending items to somebody else, then you will need to provide a packing list with used values and a letter explaining the circumstances why you are shipping these items as well as completing the ToR form. UK Customs may then charge duties and taxes if you do not qualify for duty-free entry.

Are you looking at moving to the UK? UPakWeShip has instant, all-inclusive prices for your move available on our website.

The post Do you need a ToR? The new UK online system appeared first on UPakWeShip.

This is resulting in overcapacity and/ or equipment shortages. While affecting ports worldwide, it is especially being felt in Southampton, Felixstowe, New York, and Los Angeles.

The shutdowns due to coronavirus mean that some vessels may not be able to enter or choose not to enter certain ports as the loading and discharging of goods grows. Shortages of 20-foot and 40-foot shipping containers have also been a side effect of the Coronavirus and ships that are running as scheduled are at maximum capacity.

Please be patient, flexible, and allow for possible delays in container availability at the time of loading. The more notice we have, the better!

Due to these issues, there is a possibility of extra charges incurred and freight cost fluctuations are a possibility.

Your shipment may need to remain in storage at origin until containers become available. Continuous planning and pro-active measures are taking place to mitigate any delays for smooth movements by us, however, delays in transit times are possible. We expect this to continue through early 2021.

UPakWeShip will do everything in its power to maintain your existing quote and transit times and will keep you updated via our automatic tracking system and by our coordinators. Please be patient during these difficult times and know that everyone at EuroUSA and UPakWeShip are doing everything possible to keep your shipment on schedule.

At the time of writing, this is not affecting our U-Crate and pallet services but is affecting some of our self-load 20 and 40-foot shipping container routes.

The post Important Information Regarding Shipping: Covid-19 and Brexit appeared first on UPakWeShip.

So, this is how you can ensure safety is your priority, without compromising on a happy move.

1. Follow the updates on travel advice and guidance

Despite wanting everything to be normal, things aren’t, and every country is dealing with the pandemic in different ways. The best thing you can do for your peace of mind and your move is to be prepared. Governments are constantly updating their official websites with advice for travel and those coming into and out of the country. Take a look at the local news from your destination and ensure you’re aware of any guidelines or quarantining rules you might need to follow. Every country differs with precautions, laws, and rules, and things are changing all the time, so stay up informed.

Here are some useful websites which may be of use:
UK Foreign Travel Advice
USA Foreign Travel Advice
European Foreign Travel Advice

2. Use a reliable curbside mover that prioritizes safety

UPakWeShip is a curbside moving company, which specializes in collecting and delivering on your door-step. This means, nobody has to go into your home, nobody is using your toilet, nobody is touching your belongings, and you know exactly where everything is and what needs prioritizing. By packing yourself, not only do you minimize the impact of your move, but you can also save yourself a lot of money. Curbside moving is the perfect option for those who want to move safely and affordably. You can receive an instant quote for your move, right now.

3. Fly in comfort using the money you’ve saved on moving

Not only is moving with UPakWeShip safe, it’s also affordable. We’ve laid out how using UPakWeShip’s moving services are socially distant, but the impact of moving with us goes further than that. Moving without packers means you’ll save the money usually spent on people coming in and packing your belongings. Why not use this extra budget to upgrade your flight and ensure you can have a bit more room and be less likely to sit near others in cramped economy seating.

If you’re looking to move overseas safely and affordably, you can find out your moving price right now with our instant rates calculator. We are looking forward to another fall/winter season of moving people to their new destinations.

The post 3 Steps for a Safe Overseas Move in 2020 appeared first on UPakWeShip.

If you own a business, you’ll know that one bad review is enough to put some people off. This can be hugely detrimental to a company, as people are far more likely to write and review a negative experience than a positive one. However, even if you are doing everything you can to meet the needs of your customers, the chances are, you’re going to have somebody writing a negative comment. The reality is, things can go wrong, exceptional circumstances happen and, occasionally, the customer has caused delays which has then impacted their experience.

Unfortunately, due to the growth of technology in the last decade, it’s not uncommon to see fake reviews and comments from ‘bots’. If a service looks too good to be true, it probably is.



So what should you be looking for when looking for moving company reviews?

Obviously, you still want to find a company that has a majority of positive, four, or five-star reviews. Read through them, make sure they sound like real customers who have had real experiences. Do these people genuinely sound as if they’re customers? Are they generic, one or two-word reviews?

 If you can find reviews with names of particular employees or references to places and warehouses, you’re on the right track.

For instance, we met Phillip in our South Carolina terminal ahead of his move to Germany – he wrote on our reviews page how happy he was with our service. Similarly, Erik had nothing but great things to say about his experience with our FCL Manager, Natalie, who was on hand throughout his move.

Genuine reviews are a fantastic reflection on any company, as they demonstrate that the service is so good, it needs to be congratulated.

At UPakWeShip, we’re hugely proud of our transparent approach. Our customers come to us with honest feedback and have gone out of their way to write reviews, something we hugely value as we know how important they are.

Have you moved with UPakWeShip and want to write a review for us? Head to our Review page where you can submit your own comments. Our favorite reviews are often put into graphics for our social media!




The post How to use reviews to find the best international moving company for you appeared first on UPakWeShip.

Our website has never been more user friendly. We listened to our customer feedback, and we are confident to say that we have delivered.

So, what’s changed?

Well to start with, we’ve changed up the design to maximize efficiency and offer a better online experience for all of our customers – everything is displayed in your dashboard as seen below.

We now have the option to book insurance directly through the hub, rather than by reaching out to your shipping coordinator. You set the value of the insurance, and our insurance policy costs 2.5% of the values you put on your items and only 2% if the value is over $30,000.

Unsure of your customs forms? Don’t worry, simply select which applies to you and your move through our Customs Forms page.

Need to reach out to the UPakWeShip team? We’re right on hand with our Customer Support forms – you can even secure your collection date online.

And if you’re looking to transfer your USD into a foreign currency, our friends at CurrenciesDirect can help.

Our new Customer Hub was designed for you – our customers. We want your moving experience to be as smooth as possible, which is why it’s important your online experience is too.

You can access the new dashboard here. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

The post Introducing the New UPakWeShip Customer Hub! appeared first on UPakWeShip.