Quotations for containers ( beware )

Hi,
We are getting quotes - just have one right now, really high!

The company we talked with told us that we could not store items on a container without buying one!  We don't want to buy it - about 5K.  But we do need to store items until the res visa is is processed and we can get items delivered.  We are in a bind because we still have to sell our house in USA but we have a home in EC.

Suggestions? What were the best companies t use for a move?  Any negotiation room?

Any information you can send would be helpful.

Thanks,
Robin and Joel in Kansas City area.

Hello all,
Prices can change a lot depending which shipping company you're going to use. Is like buying a car, better performance, more expensive. Also travel time change if you use a shipping company that do many port stops or if only have a couple of stops.

Find out or get the real total expenses is very difficult, sometimes because the moving companies wants to offer a good price and "skip" some values or because don't know the real values in destination.
The two main values that can make a big difference is port charges and demurrage at destination, every port has his own rules and manage this expenses in different ways.

About the deposit container guarantee, is the same, every shipping companies has its own policy about it and it can range from $1000 to $2000. 

You don't have to buy your own container at all. They belong to the shipping companies.

And about the packing list, it has to be a detailed list what it means is a lot of time consuming task but absolutely necessary for Ecuadorian customs.
And one last advice, get your Resident Visa BEFORE  you ship your container if you want to avoid many problems, extra time and extra fees.

If you need more info, suggestions, etc   about shipping household goods to Ecuador contact me at [email protected] 

Vinny

It does seem strange that a deposit has to be paid by the expat when he has no control over the container's care.   I would think the owner of the container or the shipping company that rents them should pay an insurance premium against their loss and then pass that cost on to the expat sending the goods ?

That's my view entirely.
I have checked the quotations and some do not even mention this deposit and one states $700 to $1000.
I appreciate some container owners may have different rates, but as you say, it is ludicrous to say we the client should be responsible for something we have no control over.
Presumably this deposit situation has been experienced by others - any feedback please. This is not for my benefit as I intend to use suitcases.

Robin / Joel

I only raised a few of the things to consider - it would take forever to list them all. All I suggest you get a minimum of four quotations and really make sure you compare apples for apples.

The deposit question made me reject the container route.

Two things...

I started off my adventure here almost 9 years ago with two suitcases and a dog. 

Dogs passed on but I am still here...new dogs, older suitcases, few cats... and for me that was the right way to do the move.

Not for everyone but right for me.

I have received a lot of feedback on my sites and Sandra Baquero of SANESTAR (SISS) appears to have the highest grades.  Not the least expensive but the highest customer satisfaction.  In this you truly get what you pay for.  She also speaks English which can be comforting to people with little Spanish to start.

593- 99 969 0583

Website
http://www.sanestarinternational.com/

Dackombe wrote:

I intend to use suitcases.

Did y'all see these five words above from Dackombe's earlier post?

These five words are the true wisdom, unless you absolutely must bring priceless family heirlooms of large size to Ecuador.

I brought extra suitcases in my 2013 move to Quito after liquidating everything else in the States.

Start a new life.  Start fresh.

Starting fresh means you don't subject yourself to the dogs of SENAE (customs) .. or have to store stuff that can't be moved right away while you find a new apartment .. or navigate a steep learning curve of dozens of shipping rules and considerations.

cccmedia

I second cccmedia's sentiments!! I came March 1st with 7 suitcases after giving mementos to relatives and making several donation centers very happy. I only regret not bringing a couple items (like more shoes and my stand mixer). The rest of my "personal baggage" has found a new home as have I. It is a great relief to have pared down to only the most essential items for my new life here.

I have a couple items that a friend has included in her container. It was supposed to have been shipped in early May...it's still not in Ecuador!! There was some holdup in Customs because illegal items had been shipped here from Spain (that's the "story" I heard as the reason why our container had not yet left Miami as of November 1st). Always expect the unexpected and bring what you most want and need with you on your flight.

Dorothy

We put everything we wanted to bring down in a AAA storage unit.  After we got our resident visa, we had a handyman from the States load up the container and send it on it's way.  Arrived here (from San Francisco) about 5 weeks later.

DO NOT ship before you have your resident visa in hand. Your costs will go through the roof, as will the paperwork.  I have never heard of anyone that shipped early that was not sorry they had done so.

We used Paul Wilches in Cuenca ([email protected]).  We know several other people that have used him too.  Not one of those people have anything bad to say about him.  His work is as close to perfect as you will find.

And yes, we paid a deposit -- though only $500 -- and it was returned a couple weeks after the container was unloaded.

Oh yes, also, DO NOT ship with any shipper not based in Ecuador.  They have no idea of the rapidly changing regs in this country.  Most of the times I hear of problems, it is either from one specific EC shipper, or from those using non-EC based shippers.  Stick with Paul, and get everything here at the price promised, and in good condition.

Do what we did -- store everything in a AAA storage unit in the city we moved from.  After we got our residence visa, we had our EC shipper deliver a container there, and a handyman from our prior home city load it up.  Worked without a hitch.

For shippers, I strongly recommend Paul Wilches ([email protected]).  We used him, and have never heard a single complaint from anyone else that has used him.  He is Cuenca based.