The Baggage Company Economy International Baggage Shipping


	Frequently Asked Questions Will you supply packing materials & arrange collection of packed cartons? How should I pack my goods? Is there anything I’m not allowed to ship? What shipping options are available? Which service - Door to door or door to warehouse? So what do your charges actually include? What will the final charges be? Are there any other costs? How do I pay? Do you offer any insurance for my goods? Can you provide storage if I’m not ready for delivery? What happens when my stuff arrives at the destination city?


	Will you supply packing materials & arrange collection of packed cartons? We offer a free delivery/collection service within Hong Kong (excluding outlying Islands) every working day including Saturday. When making a booking please give us 72 hours notice to avoid disappointment. A deposit will be required on delivery. TOP OF PAGE How should I pack my goods? We will provide you with cartons, and packing materials. Pack your goods intelligently, placing breakable items in the centre of the box, and soft items around it. Evenly distribute heavy items such as books throughout the consignment. Don’t make the box too heavy, as it needs to be handled by one man (35kgs is the max) - if the box is too heavy, additional charges maybe incurred. Also, avoid packing clothing in plastic bags, as condensation will occur. If in doubt contact our experts for advice. TOP OF PAGE Is there anything I’m not allowed to ship? We urge you to use some common sense in this matter. But typically the following items are prohibited (please note that this is not a conclusive list, and is only offered as a guideline: Firearms, ammunition and explosives Hazardous items such as fireworks, toxic or poisonous substances Anything resembling a weapon Items made from animals on the endangered species list (e.g. ivory) Foodstuffs, plants, herbs & spices Dried flowers, bulbs, seeds, pine cones, pot pourri Soil, sand, straw & hay Unprocessed furs, skins and hunting trophies Alcohol Medicines & narcotic drugs Pornographic materials TOP OF PAGE What shipping options are available? We have a variety of different options available to you. By sea - your personal effects share container space with other Baggage Company consignments bound for the same destination. By sharing the container, you share the cost - so this option offers you the most cost effective way of shipping around the world. But do bear in mind, that transit times can vary between 8 to 12 weeks – so this service is not suitable to those customers with deadlines to meet. By Air - For customers requiring an urgent delivery, airfreight is the best method, with door-to-door transit times of 7 to 14 days. Our air freight service is more expensive than the sea freight option, however it remains value for money when you compare against airline excess baggage rates, which some airlines charge as much as 1% of the first class passenger airfare per kilo! TOP OF PAGE Which service - Door to door or door to warehouse? We would always recommend door to door, so that you are inconvenienced as little as possible, as we do everything on your behalf. However there are some savings if financial savings if you agree to collect your consignment from our warehouse. But please remember that you must collect the consignment within a reasonable time frame, otherwise storage charges may be incurred. TOP OF PAGE So what do your charges actually include? Supply of cartons and packing materials One free delivery and collection (not including outlying islands) Removal of unused cartons Hong Kong export formalities HK and destination port handling charges Shipment to arrival port or airport Destination customs clearance Handling and de-consolidation charges Delivery to curbside at residence (door to door service only) TOP OF PAGE What will the final charges be? For sea freight consignments, the charges are based on the actual packed volume of the goods that we ship for you. To calculate the volume of a given item simply multiply the length, breadth and height in feet. Of course if you are using our standards BigBox the volume is 12 cubic feet. Airfreight charges are based on the chargeable weight of your consignment. The airlines get a bit sneaky about calculating the weight of consignments. The chargeable weight is in kilos, being the greater of actual physical weight OR the volumetric weight which is an average weight that they apply to volume - 1 cubic foot is equivalent to 5 Kilos. TOP OF PAGE Are there any other costs? We’ve made every effort to include all conceivable charges. However, we occasionally encounter the unpredictable, and sometimes extra charges may be incurred. For example (but not limited to), import customs tax and duty, unscheduled warehousing, container detention, container fines, hoisting, shuttling, inclement weather, parking permits, stair carrying above 2 normal flights, etc. These are all charges that we had no way of predicting, so they cannot be included in this quoted price. And specifically for Australia and New Zealand – there maybe additional charges for quarantine and fumigation. These charges if any, will be minimal, but we just cant predict exactly how much. TOP OF PAGE How do I pay? Full payment needs to be received either before the scheduled collection date. Payment can also be given directly to the supervisor at the time of collection. Payment options are: Credit card Online with PayPal Cash Cheque (not post dated) Travellers cheques TOP OF PAGE Do you offer any insurance for my goods? Whilst we take every care to ensure your belongings arrive safely, we do strongly recommend you take advantage of the excellent transit insurance program. This policy offers a range of financial protection against loss and damage. We recommend that you take the all-risk, full replacement value coverage. Cover commences from receipt of goods until delivery to residence or store or within 60 days following the vessel's discharge, whichever is the sooner. Obviously the packing is the critical factor in preventing damage. Therefore if your goods are packed by our professionals, we charge a rate of 3% of the full destination replacement value as indicated by you If the goods are “Owner Packed” (i.e. you packed them yourself) we consider that the risk of damage is slightly higher (with all due respect to your packing methods), and so we charge at a rate of 5% of the full destination replacement value. You dictate the value, and you are required to complete the Valuation Form that can be downloaded from the website forms and documents page. The policy also covers you for 2 months storage in transit. It’s not a problem if you exceed 2 months of storage, but we will need to charge you an additional 0.5% per month for storage extension coverage. Please note that in the event you decline to take our transit insurance coverage, we will rely upon our Terms and Conditions, in the event of loss or damage. TOP OF PAGE Can you provide storage if I’m not ready for delivery? Absolutely. We can provide storage in every major city in every country in the world. Here in Hong Kong we have and excellent suite of 7 air conditioned, temperature controlled warehouses. TOP OF PAGE What happens when my stuff arrives at the destination city? Very simply, you will a call or email for our folks, advising you that your consignment is ready for delivery (or collection if you have opted for the door to warehouse service), offering you a range a dates and times when delivery can be made. Bear in mind that this is a budget service, so delivery needs to be in accordance with our vehicle schedules - but we will make every effort to fit in with your requirements. TOP OF PAGE