Household Goods Shipping Service: 5 Things to Do Before You Call

Starting to get ready for the big move? Here are a few things to help you prepare for moving day and before you put in a call to a household goods shipping service:

Decide What to Bring

You’ll need to pick out which furniture, appliances and equipment among other things are coming with you, says World of Expats. It might also be better to reduce the amount of goods you’ll want to bring along. This is especially true for electronic gadgets that might not run on the same energy system or have different plugs and voltages. If you don’t want to risk starting a fire by plugging in an appliance that’s incompatible with the system, ditch the equipment.

Call for Assistance

Several delivery services also offer packing assistance. You might want to consider getting those services as well. If you’re pressed for time, that could mean rushing through the packing just to get everything done. If you’re in a rush, you could take chances and miss out on a lot of things, like choosing the wrong box or putting the wrong items together. With professional experts on hand to handle that for you, you can rest easy knowing your packing needs are covered.

Comply with Customs

Make sure you aren’t packing anything that’s on the list of the destination country’s banned items. If you think some of your items fall under that category, you’ll want to secure the proper documentation and provide your service provider with those documents. That’s going to go a long way to ensuring your packages aren’t delayed or sent back. It also means zero charges and penalties.

Make Lists

Staying organized through the chaos is key. Making checklists can help you sort things out and stay in control of your sanity. If those lists, you can knock back plenty of the things you’ll need to see to before the move.

Prepare the Necessary Documents

If you’re taking your pet with you, make sure you swing by the vet’s office and ask for a copy of your pet’s medical history. This is invaluable and will ensure your next vet has all the information s/he needs. Likewise, if your kids are coming with you, make sure to ask the school to send over their academic records. That way, you can easily transfer your kids to a new school as soon as you get there.

Once you are finished, you are finally ready to call a household goods shipping service to officially start the packing and moving journey.