Previously, using a self-packing moving company was largely used as a way to save money. Understandably, moving can be very expensive, and our mission has always been to make the overseas move as accessible as possible to those who want to.

Some people have a strict budget, whilst others would simply rather but in a bit of legwork during their move, and spend the money they saved elsewhere (flight upgrades, new car, new kitchen…).

However, the last year has seen a huge shift in the way people move. Unsurprisingly, people are starting to think twice about packers entering their home, touching their belongings, using their toilets, shaking hands and being in close proximity to one another.

So, what’s the solution?

A UPakWeShip move!

Whilst other movers are suddenly scrabbling to get together a smooth, uninterrupted self-packing service in a matter of weeks and months, we’ve been perfecting it for years.

The UPakWeShip service has always been contactless (otherwise we’d have to have a serious think about rebranding) and 2020 has proven just how invaluable it can be to have this option.

Packing yourself may feel like a bit of elbow grease, but the money it saves and the safety measures it guarantees will be invaluable in the long-term. If you have a couple of trustworthy friends (within your country’s restriction allowance, of course), why not get them involved? Offer coffee, beer or buy them dinner – it will STILL cost you less money than having the ‘real deal’ enter your home – and you’ve got a better idea of where they’ve been!

Our EU self-packing services come in two forms: Pallets and U-Crates.

Let’s go through the difference…

U-Crates

A U-Crate is a specially designed, UPakWeShip ‘box’ which comes in two sizes: 50 cubic feet and 100 cubic feet. Upon booking, you will organise a day with your shipping coordinator for the U-Crate to be delivered in a flatpack form. On the pre-arranged ‘collection day’ you simply take it onto the curb, set it up (instructions are included), and pack your boxes into it. Our U-Crates are a bespoke design, created specifically to maximise the safety and security of your shipment.

Everything will be pre-arranged with your shipping coordinator, who will have walked you through all of the steps necessary for your move. We will come and collect the fully packed U-Crate, and it will appear on your doorstep in 6-8 or 10-12 weeks time, dependent on it destination.

Pallets

Most of us are familiar with pallets – they’re found around most warehouses, garden centres of DIY stores. If you decide to go with our pallet service, it’s worth finding out where they are locally, often you can save money an old, used one for free.

On collection day, you pack your belongings in boxes onto the pallets, secure it safely using any mechanism you choose (we recommend strong plastic wrap and plenty of cable ties) and we will come and collect your pallet from your curb.

However you choose to move, our contactless moving service offers a safe alternative. A further bonus to not having packers come into your home, is that we are also able to offer extremely competitive prices. Our prices are available on our website, and are all-inclusive and determined by the service, not the weight – so you won’t have any nasty surprises on the other end of your move.

Wondering how much your move will cost? Why not take a look at our website right now. We also operate in the USA, Canada and the UK.

The post UPakWeShip: The New Normal for Moving Overseas appeared first on UPakWeShip.

Expat in Europe….. my perfect move from the USA except the kitchen mixing bowls.
Working for an international moving company does not offer a lot of extra benefits ( apart from, talking to and meeting very interesting people of course and the satisfaction of a happy customer and a job well done) but one of the few perks is that if you need to move overseas yourself, it’s not going to cost you!
With that being said, I decided to sample as many UPakWeShip services as I could.
We decided we were going to rent a furnished place when we arrived in Europe, so early on we chose to not ship our furniture. Well not all of it lol!
Knowing it was going to be cold in Holland when we arrived in December, and coming from Charleston SC which was still reasonably warm, the first thing we did was send a U Crate 50 way ahead of us with winter stuff so it was there to be picked up when we arrived. We loaded The U Crate 50 with suitcases and bags and had a good selection of sweaters, hats, scarves, coats and shoes which we collected from the warehouse within a few days of our arrival. This allowed us to travel with only one suitcase each which was great as we were stopping off along the way to visit friends and family.

The rest of our things, which was not a lot I had originally thought, like kitchenware, (except the kitchen mixing bowls apparently) pictures, photos, office things, files, more clothes and my keyboard and electronic drums managed to fill up Three U crate 100,s That plus a UPakWeShip Pallet service for a bed in pieces and a memory foam mattress still in its original box.
The day before we left for Europe, we sent a couple more suitcases on UPakWeShip’s air service with some last minute items. They arrived within a week of our arrival so all in all we had plenty of warm stuff and were surrounded in bags and suitcases in our little Air b and b.
Our U Crates and Pallet were all loaded in our UPakWeShip consolidation container and we, like every other customer were kept up to date with shipping information. Unfortunately the ships route over the Christmas period took longer than usual which just goes to show just because you are the boss doesn’t mean everything will be perfect. Our shipping container was on a ship doing the rounds and not getting over to Holland for nearly 4 weeks. This did put us above the average 4-6 weeks transit time but what can you do? Just fyi there is no point shouting at anyone in the office or the shipping line, the captain isn’t going to change his route just because my stuff is on there, it’s just one of those things that happens once in a while and the best way of coping with the situation is accepting it is what it is and just deal with it.
My back wasn’t so happy on the blow up mattress but we survived and before we knew it our u crates and pallet arrived, cleared customs and were delivered.
All in perfect shape, no damage, no rough handling, nothing missing, well except the kitchen mixing bowls that somehow I must have forgotten to pack and left behind.
No worries though as they can come in the UPakWeShip self load 20 foot container that has yet to be organized as we ended up renting an unfurnished place!

Yes I’m definitely getting my money’s worth with UPakWeShip, but I must say, I much prefer packing everything up myself, all the services were perfect for our move to Europe and what could be better than a testimonial saying you received all your treasured belongings in perfect condition.

I am going to be 60 next month but I didn’t have a problem packing everything myself.
Two recommendations, don’t pack the boxes too heavy, 2 small boxes are better than one heavy box and don’t try and do too much at once, just pack a few boxes and items up every day.
Happy packing, you can do it and you will save lots of money with UPakWeShip.

The post My perfect move from USA to Europe with UPakWeShip. (except the kitchen mixing bowls) appeared first on UPakWeShip.