Getting the quotes in - what bartering approach did you take and were you successful?

[JimandBarbinAus]

Hi, we are have got the first of 5 shipping quotes from 5 different companies in today for a 20 ft container. Im just wondering to all of you whom have already shipped, did you barter with the price and if so what strategy did you take? and how succesful were you? Im intrigued if we can get the price down, thanks, laura x:)

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

Think I managed to get between £20 and £70 off various shippers, one of them because I mentioned Poms in Oz (sorry, can't remember which one it was ), which isn't a lot imho, but then we're only shipping 200 cubic foot, so its only costing £1400 including lots of crating anyway, so not a lot to take off really.

 

All of them 'did me a deal' on insurance, but its been far far cheaper to take independent insurance anyway (and MUCH easier so far - don't know about the other end if we have to claim, but have only heard good things about them - Letton Percival) so I have ignored that anyway.

 

I just phoned them up and said 'my husband has asked me if this is the very best price you can do for him?' whilst twirling my hair and being blonde. It didn't have any effect on some of them,they just said it was already their best price, others gave various money off as described above.

 

HTH

[JimandBarbinAus]

any more ideas??????? :)

[Guest RobJ1978]

Not yet, i have them coming to give me quotes at the end of Jan...Anglo pacific and John Mason...will probably just ring one up and say the other is doing for X (bit lower than they said) so we are going to go with them, thank them for their time etc and see what they say....thats if i have the guts! Keep us updated on how you get on!

 

Nic.x.

[Guest bigal]

We moved out 15 years ago, we contacted 3 companies, found it quite embarrassing as all 3 kept phoning and dropping their price,eventually came out with GB Liners Bristol, they were very good,we did lose some stuff don't know where as it was unloaded in Adelaide for quarantine inspection before being delivered to our rental unit, I know they wouldn't deliver it until we paid $125 to get it released from quarantine, after paying over 3000 pounds we weren't to chuffed and of course calls to GB Liners were futile.

[Guest Adelaide_bound]

We moved out 15 years ago, we contacted 3 companies, found it quite embarrassing as all 3 kept phoning and dropping their price,eventually came out with GB Liners Bristol, they were very good,we did lose some stuff don't know where as it was unloaded in Adelaide for quarantine inspection before being delivered to our rental unit, I know they wouldn't deliver it until we paid $125 to get it released from quarantine, after paying over 3000 pounds we weren't to chuffed and of course calls to GB Liners were futile.

 

Think times are a changing for a couple of things - they kept phoning, but didn't drop their prices. I'd tell them thanks for phoning, but you were the most expensive, so I don't think we'll be using you, they'd say whats your best quote, I'd tell them (with it being about £700 less) and they would just say they'd already given me their best price. I don't mind if people don't want to move us, and therefore give a high price, we're only moving a small amount of stuff and know that its probably not worth a lot of people's time, fine. But to keep phoning (over and over sometimes!) when you don't want the business is just annoying.

 

And I think they are pretty clear nowadays that the AQIS fee isn't included (apart from one of them, can't remember which one, but they have their own bonded warehouse, so can do it all inhouse as it were), so that would be on top and payable once over there, probably had too many people complaining in previous years

[Daz and Loz]

Hi we had 9 quotes all together in the end we went with pickfords i liket them the best£3955.00 got them down to £3855 .......pss was £4167 came back £3878.....Angolo pacifc£4100 came back£3955 hope this helps

[Guest keith&ju]

John Mason have come out the cheapest so far for us - about a grand cheaper than Anglo Pacific without any bargaining so far.....

[brucesbabe]

Yeah John Mason have come out the cheapest for us by about £750

[Willber]

We moved over 8 months ago and we used John Mason's. Really good service, there's was the cheapest quote as well. Not one thing broken, the guys that did the packing were great and also the unpacking in Adelaide as well (think they were called Wridgeways) Got seperate insurance from Letton Percival, far cheaper than what the others offered and there paperwork is easy to fill out as well.

[Guest bidsandrew]

We used Pickfords who offered to match any other quote we got and they did. We were very happy with them and we liked the fact that its Pickfords UK side and Oz side.

[VdMfamily]

We've had quotes from Pickfords (cheapest), PSS (who said they'd let us barter price Crown & White & Co (next cheapest from Pickfords and reckon they can ship in 6-8 weeks...)