[a4nikka]

I am going to move my business to China soon. What is the best/cheapest way to ship things over there? My office is in Southern California. Thank you.

[funk]

Cali to China?

May god help you

How old are you? From SoCal? you hot?

[a4nikka]

whats wrong with moving to china? its the fastest growing country in the world.

[The Stealthy One]

Absolutely nothing wrong with moving there.

If you have a large amount of stuff to move, I would check with UPS Freight, and other freight companies like them. It may be pretty expensive, but it's the best way to get all of your stuff there (without having to wait many months).

[a4nikka]

Are my only choices UPS, FedEx, DHL/Airbourn, and post office? I want the find the cheapest way to ship everything.

[The Stealthy One]

Cheapest way would definitely be USPS Parcel Post. However, I really would not recommend that, as Parcel Post packages tend to get lost when traveling overseas. If they do end up getting there, it's usually 3 to 4 months afterward (I've worked in the shipping industry for 2.5 years now, hence how I know all this. ). For your personal items (documents, trinkets, etc) you can use a regular shipping service (UPS, FedEx, etc), but for furniture, you would have to go freight. Hope that helps (and doesn't confuse you too much).

[a4nikka]

Thanks for the info!

[Sam Barona]

Hi, shipping everything through UPS, DHL, et al will cost you a small fortune (compared to other methods).

Do a search for local shipping agents and ask your self the following:

How much stuff do I have?
When do I need my things to arrive?

Depending on your answers you've got two main options:

Hire a container if the volume of stuff you're shipping allows; its a lot cheaper than most people think.

Then you need to decide on the timing, if you can wait 20, or so days (an educated guess) then go sea cargo, if not then air cargo.

A few points:
1- dont ship anything sensitive (data, documents, etc) if at all possible
2- package all delicates/brakables well
3- have all weights (or approximate) and dimensions of things you're shipping; this is more prevalent if you cannot hire a whole container.
4- shop around for the best quote

zhù nǐ háoyùn

Sam