Does anyone have any idea how I can, for a "reasonable" price, ship a chair from Canada? It's an antique chair that belonged to my grandmother, so it's now my granddaughter's great-great-grandmother's chair, and I want to keep it for her.
Before I left Canada a friend very nicely crated it for me (he hand-built the crate around it) and we took it to the PO to mail, at which time we were sadly informed the crate was too big. So for the past 4 months it's been taking up space in his house and he wants to get it out of there. And who can blame him?
This happened within a few days of my departure or I would have dealt with it before I left. I called Air Canada Cargo and Fed Ex or some other courier and they both quoted $2,000 to ship it air, which is completely impossible. I don't need it shipped air anyway, but that was the only choice with these companies.
I did also call an international moving company who quoted me $2,000 minimum charge for the long-distance move, regardless of how small the shipment was.
I know nothing about international shipping, cargo, containers, etc., and would really appreciate it if anyone has an advice on this. I need to get it out of his house but I can't pay $2,000.
Anybody have any ideas at all? The chair is on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia and needs to get to Sai Kung.
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If I were planning on going back to Canada, I definitely would have put it into storage.
I have contacted some companies but they have quoted me $2,000, as I said. I guess I should have been clearer in my post to say I'm looking for really specific info from, perhaps, someone who can suggest a specific company who will ship for a more reasonable cost.
Where in Canada? "The chair is on the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia and needs to get to Sai Kung."
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Oh, no, wasn't pissed off at all. I appreciate any and all help. :)
Yes, every company I've tried quotes me the same amount, $2,000. They've either been air cargo or minimum charge for ocean shipping. I just can't pay $2000 but I also need to get it out of my friend's house, so I'm in a bit of a quandary at the moment. I would really appreciate it if you could find out the name of the company your friend used. It would be a huge relief to get this chair here for my granddaughter.
Thanks for your help. :)
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Thanks so much. That rate sounds far more reasonable than what I was being quoted. I sent a number of emails last night to various companies but have had no replies so far.
I look forward to hearing from you again. :)
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This is the info I have from the guy who made the crate:
the wooden crate is constructed from 3/4" x 3/4" framing materials and
1/8" mahogany panelling... covered with kraft paper.
dimensions are L35" x W32" x H39"
weight is approx. 65 lbs
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Thank you so much, Cara! I will check out this company immediately. I had a quick peek at the website and they do have a Vancouver office.
It would be a huge relief to get this chair here and out of my friend's house!
I'll let you know if this company is able to do the job.
Many thanks for your time and trouble. :)
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They've quoted $540 Vancouver depot to SK. Another similar company just quoted over $1100, with over $500 of that being customs brokerage and delivery in HK. I've asked Wil-Can to confirm what their quote covers, although they did mention delivery to SK residence, so I don't know how one company does it for so much less than anyone else. I'm waiting for confirmation of what their fee covers. Only drawback is my friend may have to deliver to Richmond, but perhaps Purolator or similar will do that.
I'll keep you informed and I do SO appreciate the help. :)
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Well my friend in BC is taking the chair to Wil-Can today for shipping container delivery to SK. THe other company's quote was for air transfer. So far Wil-Can seems a great find. We'll see if the chair actually arrives in the next couple of months. I'll definitely report back here. This company could be very helpful for others wanting to move an item from Canada.
I really appreciate your help, Cara. :)
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I was going to recommend the same company. We are moving from Toronto and using Wil-can too. However our goods are still in their warehouse in Toronto because we are only arriving next month and need a month to find an apartment. But their fee is far the most reasonable one you can find in Canada to HK.
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My chair arrived after two months in mint condition. Even the crate was completely free of damage. The pack was too wide for the lift in my building so the Wil-Can delivery guy uncrated the chair for me, even though Wil-Can states their service does not include uncrating. My son-in-law just happened to arrive at the same time as the chair delivery so he helped and brought it up to the flat. Other than a little dust the chair was as it was when I packed it. I'm very pleased with Wil-Can's service and can highly recommend the company.
Many thanks to you, Cara, for taking the time to provide the info. It was a big problem for me, how to get this old chair over here without it costing the earth.
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Nice.
I would assume this company does a bigger volume of business compared to the others that they can charge lower. (Or probably a better logistics chain/connections.)
I will also have this company's name in mind just in case it's needed in the future.
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On the contrary, I believe they are quite a small firm. Some of the higher quotes (such as the one for $2000) was for air transfer while Wil-Can is sea shipment. Still, I can't recall all the companies I contacted and nobody quoted anywhere near as low as Wil-Can, and they were friendly, helpful and accommodating all the way through the process.
A friend of mine had to deliver the crated chair quite a long distance to the Wil-Can warehouse in Richmond, and he could only go on a certain day. A staff member at Wil-Can made sure someone was there (when they weren't going to be) to receive the crate at the time that accommodated my friend's schedule. He said he got a "warm reception" at the warehouse.
I am very grateful to have heard about Wil-Can and highly recommend the company. It was a great find for me. Oh, another thing. As stated above, another company quoted me over $500 for customs brokerage and delivery in HK, while Wil-Can had a charge of $0 for these services. No customs brokerage was needed, but the other company would have been happy to charge for it nonetheless. Wil-Can could have done the same, but didn't.
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