How many things can go wrong during a relocation? If you don’t pay attention to certain things, I can tell you it is a lot! And that is not only if you are moving locally. Moving overseas from a continent to a continent is a great challenge that is not easy to tackle. One of the major problems that can happen during an overseas relocation is problems with shipping. As someone who lived in Japan for 5 years, one of my biggest concerns when returning home was how to ship goods overseas from Japan?
How to ship goods overseas from Japan?
That was a real head-scratcher for me, because, honestly, I never gave it too much thought. When I moved to Japan, at first I was staying in my friend’s home. I came only with a suitcase, free as a bird. After a while, I was able to get a job, and soon after I decided it was time to get my own place.
I rented a fairly cheap apartment, compared to other prices. And you know how it is, when you make that much of a difference in culture and lifestyle, there is a certain amount of time when you just have to get used to how things function. And when you spend a lot of time away from home, you can easily get homesick. So, the next logical thing is to make your place look like home. So I decided to buy a nice, wooden table, a comfy armchair, and a few other pieces of furniture and useful appliances. Of course, it doesn’t get long to attach to things.
So, when I decided to go back home, I also decided to bring my stuff with me. I was thinking, when I get a new place, I can use stuff I already have, and save some money. However, I didn’t know anything about how to ship goods overseas from Japan.
Internet to the rescue!
Thank God that we live in a time when the internet exists. Sure, there are some bad things about it, but one of the good ones is that you can easily find out everything you need by spending a minimum of 30 minutes of your time on research.
I won’t bother you too much with numbers, although I will take some time to talk about managing finances for this process.
Transporting goods across the border
My first concern was how transporting freight across the country borders works. To save you some time researching the internet, you should concentrate on:
- freight prices
- port charges
- the transportation
- gathering all necessary paperwork
That is just a small number of things you must think about. Also, do not forget to research what are the obligations of the freight forwarder, that is the best way to know what they can and can’t do.
Do the inventory
Another useful thing to do is to track the inventory of your stuff when packing. I didn’t have a lot with me, but at one point I started thinking how complicated would this be if I had more stuff. A neat way to take care of this issue is to search your inventory with an app.
You can easily make a list of all of your belongings and swipe through them as you are packing. You really don’t want to forget to pack something. First, you might have to unpack some boxes and pack them again. Second, you might actually forget something.
Managing finances
When it comes to managing finances, you should know what are the expenses you have to cover for. As I mentioned above, you must think about freight charges and port prices. Next to that, you should know that getting the necessary documentation also has a cost. Furthermore, shipping insurance, transportation expenses, and road toll cost are also on the list. However, it doesn’t end there. Think about delivering your goods to your place after they are shipped to your country.
It also makes a great difference if you are relocating your home or your office. Business relocation is a horse of another color. Not only you must manage your business expenses, but you have to consider how much money will you have to spend on the relocation.
Shipping methods
You can ship goods overseas from Japan in three ways: courier delivery, air freight, and sea freight. When choosing the shipping method, you should factor in the price, size of your shipment, and the delivery time. I considered all three, and here is what I found out.
Courier delivery
Courier delivery is the most common shipping method people choose when having a small shipment to send. An example is FedEx, UPS, and similar companies.
Airfreight
Shipping your stuff with an airplane is most definitely the fastest way. You will have your goods delivered in a matter of hours.
Sea freight
Everyone who doesn’t have an issue with taking a long time to deliver a shipment should always choose sea freight. Although it takes the longest time, it is the most affordable way. With that in mind, if you are in a financial pinch, forget about doing it fast, and ship your goods by picking the sea freight method.
Picking the right company
After all, is said and done, the most important decision you will have to bring is what company to go with. From my own experience, the best way to go is ksemoving.com. They specialize in moving, transportation, freight forwarding, storage units, and much more. Best of all, they ship goods overseas from Japan with ease and quality.
Best of luck
I believe I covered the most essential steps you will need to know if you wish to ship goods overseas from Japan. Pay special attention to the organization, and carefully read all the contracts and documentation you are required to sign and obtain. Best of luck with shipping, and leave a comment to let me know if it went well!
