how do i ship some of my possessions to china when i move there to teach???

Question

i live in western new york,,, need to take some personal items and beds, looking for the cheapest way to do it ,,,,, point of destination is tianjin city .

Answer 1

Unless you plan to be in China for more than three years, I'd suggest you leave your personal items stateside. Put it all in storage. Better yet, sell it.,

For less than a year in China, it is ridiculous to send your personal items like beds or furniture or Electronic equipment like playstations.

You're moving to China..why must you bring anyhing but yourself here?

Answer 2

Would think that the organization sponsoring you would be the place to start, but having said that you have too choice air and ocean freight. Ocean freight is much cheap for the transportation but requires wooden crating which is very expensive, and can take up to six weeks, where air is normally less than a week. Both are priced on a wgt or measure which ever is greater method. In ocean freight you will never go on wgt so it will be priced based on cubic meters and fraction there of. I n air freight its 366cui=1kg for rating purposes or approximately 1 cubic ft=10/lbs, but you will be charged in KGs not LBS. Rough estimate would be USD 1 per cubic foot, plus add around $250-300 for pick up/ delivery/customs clearance etc, etc/ Get a firm quote in writing form a freight forwarder. You will have google to get the local numbers and call around as many dont want to deal with personal effects these days due to security issues.
Having completely bored and confused you by now, I would suggest you take as few personal items as possible as you will be able to buy everything there much cheaper and sell it when you leave. It will be much easier. Again use a freight forwarder and NOT a moving company as has been advised as they will charge at least three times as muc.
Again ask for assistance form the organization that is sponsoring you.
Love love it Tianjin is a great city.

Answer 3

If you already have a job, your prospective employer may have all that information. If they are a large organization, they may take care of those details for you. If not contact the nearest P.R.C. embassy or consulate for information. China-U.S.A. friendship societies are another sourse of information. Failing the foregoing sourses contact the nearest large university's Chinese language and culture department to get the names of people who have done this. They may have some inside tips for saving money and also for living in the country. The culture is very different from ours and the more you can research it the more likely your stay will be rewarding and the less errors you will make.
Container shipping is great if you have much bulky possessions and you are not in a hurry to receive it.

Answer 4

When you mentioned you want to ship your personal items like bed etc, I figure that these items are valuable and personal to you. Hence, I would recommend that you would consider "reliable" before money.

Choose a good international shipping company and send the items in a container. they usually charge by the volumn (cubic feet). Ship by sea is much cheaper but it is slow.

Answer 5

get in contact with a moving agent, Pickfords, Crown removals, etc. they can airfreight or seafreight your posessions door to door anywhere on the globe. Of course at a price.