International Shipping of Household Goods and Personal Effects

International Shipping of Household Goods and Personal Effects

Overseas Shipping of Household Goods & Personal Effects

Besides overseas car transport services and international construction equipment shipping, many shippers have the need or desire to transport household goods and personal effects to or from the United States. Whether you are a student studying in the United States and need to transport your items back home, trying to move abroad, or looking to transport items for family overseas, a reliable international shipping company like K International Transport can help! K International Transport can transport virtually all cargo to ports overseas, including those in Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Some ports that clients often ship to include:

  • Mombasa, Kenya
  • Djibouti, Djibouti
  • Southampton, United Kingdom
  • Lagos, Nigeria
  • Tangier, Morocco
  • Valencia, Spain
  • Santos, Brazil
  • Cartagena, Colombia
  • Manzanillo, Mexico
  • Bremerhaven, Germany
  • Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Salalah, Oman
  • and more!

Container Shipping Options

Shippers can choose a 20ft or 40ft container for their personal effects and household items. With full container load (FCL) shipping, clients can have one container to themselves, or shippers can share a container with less than container load shipping (LCL). With LCL, multiple people can share a single container, which can be more affordable for shippers. With this option, the items must be packed and palletized, and a packing list should be submitted to the international shipping company with the dimensions and weight of each item.

With container shipping, shippers must load the personal effects into the container themselves. To load the container, a tractor trailer must be able to enter the residential area of the shipper and there must be sufficient parking and loading space. The container will be on a chassis delivered by the tractor trailer for the shipper’s convenience.

There are many different types of containers for different container shipping needs. Reliable international shipping companies can relay this information to their customers to ensure that they get the exact service they need. A client can elect to get their cargo transported in a bulk container, which is 20-feet long and preferable for cargo shipped in bulk. However, most clients end up selecting the 20-foot or 40-foot dry freight container, which is the standard general-purpose container. There is also the 40 or 45-foot high cube container. With its 9’6 height, the high cube container is ideal for large, voluminous cargo.

Other types of containers include the open-top container, the flat rack, and the platform, all of which are acceptable for heavy or oversized cargo. Generally, the open-top container is meant to make loading easier for taller cargo, the flat rack is for over-width and heavy cargo, and the platform is ideal for extra-length and heavy cargo.

blue red and yellow intermodal containers
blue red and yellow intermodal containers. photo by Paul Teysen @hooverpaul55

Shipping Documentation & Insurance

For clients shipping personal effects or household goods, several documents must be provided before the shipment can take place. First, shippers often have to prepay the freight forwarding. Clients will also need to provide photo identification for the shipper and the consignee and a signed power of attorney form to allow the international shipping company to handle the cargo.

There may also be other documents and information required, depending on the cargo and the country that the shipper is shipping to. K International Transport will let clients know exactly what is needed to complete the shipment.
For personal effects, the freight forwarding company will often need a packing list of the items that are being shipped. Keep in mind that certain items often cannot be shipped, including perishable food items, plants, very high-value goods, liquids, drugs, hazardous goods, and flammable items. For more clarification on what is allowed and what isn’t, contact K International Transport!

Clients should also know that shipping insurance is available, both for minor damage that may come to the cargo and for total loss of the cargo. Although damage is rare and cargo is very well protected on the vessels, insurance can ease the nerves of shippers.

Shipping Personal Effects Overseas with K International

black cargo ship on sea under white sky during daytime
black cargo ship on sea under white sky during daytime. photo by Andrey Sharpilo

For the most convenient, affordable, and reliable international shipping services, contact K International Transport today! As a leading international shipping company, K International Transport can provide cost-effective and dependable services from the United States to virtually all ports in the Middle East or any other region in the world. We love to ship automobiles of all makes, models, and years, personal effects, and household goods from all port states in the United States, including New York, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Texas, California, and Washington.

For more information, call us at 212-267-6400 or send us an email at inquiries@kinternational.com. You can also reach out to us on Skype at kinternationalny. For an international shipping rate, visit our rate request page for a preliminary shipping quote.