(no subject)

[drcuriosity]

Productive day, but not out of the woods yet. I'm up to around 1,500 words on getting the PhD proposal out of note-skeleton form - mostly what I'm doing or have done, but I have a lot to write/distill yet on what other people out there are doing. I'm glad I have Zotero as a research tool to help me with that side of things, though - it makes searching through my collection of papers and notes about them a heck of a lot easier.

I have my travel authorization from the Department of Homeland Security sorted out now, so that's one less thing to worry about. Will be borrowing scales from parents on Monday so that I know just how much I can pack. Not sure just what I'll end up packing just yet, but there's definitely going to be a few things staying with wolfwitch when I leave, so that my eventual move will be that little bit smaller.

Still, two questions about that for those playing along at home. Firstly, where's a good place to get bubble wrap locally for packing fragile things? Secondly, on a more long-term speculatory note, what kind of ballpark figure could I expect to pay if I was wanting to get a shipping container to move a lot of my stuff from New Zealand to the U.S.? It's more likely that I'll be selling/giving away a bunch of stuff and rebuying in the States, and maybe putting some stuff in long-term storage at least initially, but I figure that some people out there might have an idea about moving big things across large distances.

Comments

[cheesecat.livejournal.com]

There are lots of scary stories about shipping containers.
For bubblewrap, the cheapest place would be scrounging it from industrial recycling bins. Lol.

[kilika.livejournal.com]

Container shipping is scary, well, can be. I don't know cost or specific companies, but look for one that 'shrink wraps' everything to the pallets or even crates each pallet.

Having been on the receiving side of a lot of carton shipped loads... Oi! Honestly, I would sell off as much as you can and just start all over here. I know that's not a reality though.

<3

[caycos.livejournal.com]

Moving country is an excellent way to shed stuff.

First, I would ditch any furniture you have unless it's particularly good or has sentimental value. That kinda stuff can be replaced, probably for the same or less than shipping would cost.

Books are hard. I somewhat regret the few times I've divested myself of books. I'd recommend keeping the ones you really love, plus the ones that are hard to replace. You might take a few boxes with you (I'm assuming you have lots, maybe you don't?) and leaving the rest in storage and seeing how much you miss them.

Not sure what other kinds of stuff you have, but if you're fairly brutal (Without making yourself cry ;) you really shouldn't have anywhere near a container of stuff. Starting over completely is pretty hard, and you probabl want enough of your stuff to have the new place feel homely, but my experience and that of those I've helped move is that you really don't need most of whatever has accumulated over the years.

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

If you can't scrounge bubble wrap, Post Shop sells it.

[muerk.livejournal.com]

What she said :)

[drcuriosity]

Yeah. I'm already on a colleague's DoD security clearance forms and everything.

[spryghte.livejournal.com]

Mail or ship some of it to her. It's a lot cheaper than paying the airlines.

[drcuriosity]

At the moment I'm looking at things I can take within my regular baggage allowance, rather than paying excesses.

[(Anonymous)]

The Warehouse is as good a place as any for bubblewrap if you can't grab any from anywhere else.

If you've only got a couple of boxes of stuff then suck it up and pay the NZ Post gouging rates. Otherwise, for shipping 3+, Allied were cheapest when I shipped stuff, but shop around because that was a while ago. I shipped ~18 45cm boxes for $2100. You want to pack everything into individual boxes that are all the same size, with a complete inventory of what each box contains (US Customs will seize them otherwise), and have it shipped as part of a consolidated consignment. If you can get up to around 1sqm in volume then most shipping companies will dump the boxes onto a pallet, seal it, and then ship it for you. You need to get insurance for the shipment. And you *really* need to make sure you have a complete inventory of everything and have it declared as "used personal effects". If you have transport at the other end then ship it "home to depot" - shipper will pick it up from your place and ship it to the local depot for you to pick up in the US. Saves you the US delivery cost, which is not low.

[cataragon.livejournal.com]

Pack it Yourself has bubble wrap, as does Warehouse Stationary. I've used both in the past.

I don't know who is cheapest to ship with, honestly, but there are only a few providers who are happy with self-packed household goods for international freight, for insurance reasons, I think.

[aigantighe.livejournal.com]

Why did you need a travel authorization?

Have a good trip..

[drcuriosity]

New visa waiver programme regulations this year.

[shenya.livejournal.com]

If you're looking to scrounge bubble wrap then I think that both Jacqui and Amie hoard things like that :)