Packing and unpacking with export-grade materials
A container does not ride like a truck. It pitches for weeks. What survives a road trip does not survive that.
Why the material matters more than it looks
Supermarket cardboard has already made one trip, absorbed moisture and lost rigidity. Stacked six high inside a container crossing the Atlantic, it gives way. We use new double-wall cartons precisely because the weight is not carried by the contents, it is carried by the box underneath.
With china and artwork the problem is different: newsprint stains, and its ink reacts with glazes and varnish. That is why we use acid-free paper, which transfers nothing.
Wooden crates and the ISPM 15 stamp
Fragile, heavy and awkwardly shaped items travel in a custom wooden crate: marble, large mirrors, chandeliers, sculpture. The timber must carry the ISPM 15 stamp certifying phytosanitary treatment.
This is not red tape: a crate without that stamp can be refused at the destination port, and then it has to be repacked there, at your cost.
We unpack at destination too
Finishing a move surrounded by eighty empty boxes and a mountain of paper is the part nobody mentions. The service includes unpacking, reassembling furniture and taking all the material away.
You can book the outbound half only if you would rather open the boxes at your own pace. Decide that at quoting, not on arrival.
What it includes
- New double-wall cartons
- Acid-free paper for china, glassware and artwork
- Moving blankets and edge protectors for furniture
- Custom wooden crates with the ISPM 15 stamp
- Labelling by room and contents, tied to the inventory
- Unpacking, reassembly and material removal at destination
Frequently asked questions
Can I pack part of it myself?
Yes, and it lowers the cost. But anything you pack is recorded as owner-packed in the inventory, because insurance treats it differently: in a box sealed by the client there is no way to evidence how the contents were arranged.
How long does packing a house take?
A two-bedroom apartment, one day with the full crew. A large house with china, a library and paintings, two or three. It happens in the days before loading, not on the same day.
What do I do with jewellery and documents?
Those do not go in the move. Passports, deeds, jewellery and cash travel with you. We say it every time, and it is still what turns up inside a box most often.
Shall we quote this service?
Tell us what you need to move and from where. The quote comes from a home survey, not from a phone estimate.