Shipping office supplies internationally: Dos and don’ts

In every business, there comes the time to expand or to relocate your offices. Whether it is because of the market or you are searching for a better opportunity, shipping office supplies internationally has some ground rules. However, most people are trying to avoid some paperwork or some rules in order to make this shipment cheaper and easier. Of course, there are consequences. So if you want to ship your office supplies and have no trouble later with laws and government, you should definitely check out these do and don’ts. One thing that will definitely make this easier but still legal is to hire a good moving company. And there is no better one in those fields than international movers New York has.

Shipping office supplies internationally – how to do it?

This is one of the most important questions you have to ask. It is quite normal for a person who wants to relocate their office supplies to wonder what is the best and most efficient way to do it. The number one issue all of them are having is how much will it all cost. However, if you calculate your moving costs and you think about the benefits you will get from shipping and relocating your office, you might see that his type of shipment and the relocation will turn out the best thing in the long run.

There are a lot of things that will indicate the price of the shipment. Some of them are really important, like how many items are you shipping, the overall weight, and dimensions of the shipment, the contents of the boxes, etc. The price is different from company to company. All you have to do is choose the one most suitable for you. There will be some forms and paperwork you will have to sign. But no matter how many papers you have to fill, it will mean nothing considering the fact that your supplies will get to your new office safely. So, once you make the decision that it has come time to relocate and ship our office supplies, make sure you have asked all about international moving services and how much will they cost you.

Things you should do when you think about shipping office supplies internationally

The first and the most important thing is to give precise details about your shipment. This means that you need to make an inventory. You will have to fill out some form where you will write how many and which items you have packed and are ready to be shipped. This is working for both sides. The moving overseas companies must know what boxes contain and you need to know how many boxes you have to ship.

If you all have the same valid information, you are good to go. This is also one of the ways to avoid some mistakes and obstacles. Knowing how many boxes you have will make the job easier. Also, you will avoid making a mistake and losing some of the boxes. If you have loaded 5 boxes, 5 boxes must be unloaded.

Give the right information

This means that you need to provide the recipient’s contact information. This information must contain the phone number, email address, and everything valuable there is to know when you are shipping office supplies. If you have all of this information on this piece of paper, it is most likely that the supplies you have sent will come to the right place at the right time.  Moving boxes overseas will be much easier if all the information is right.

You should always count on some obstacles. These obstacles you cannot tell in advance. However, there are some things you should know before the relocation day has come. You need to be aware of who’s fault is if something bad happens during the bad weather or natural disaster. But more of these later.

Carefully choose the right moving company

Shipping your office supplies internationally means tha6 you need to have trust in the moving company. If you are looking for moving companies to Germany, there are different rules you need to follow. However, choosing the right company is pretty much the same, no matter in which state you are moving your office supplies. The first thing you must check is whether the company has a license. It is really important that they have experience and that they have shipped this kind of materials before. The second thing that must be checked is the insurance you can have. There are different types of insurance. The basic one will give you almost every company. But more of the insurance later.

Do not forget the references!

The last thing that needs to be checked is the references of the company. The company if it s reliable and reputable will have different references. And dozen of then. Think about it. There is no single thing on earth that everybody on the planet likes. There some been some parts of dealing with a company someone does not like. Therefore, having different references will definitely help you deal with choosing the moving company. 

On the other hand, after you have checked all of these, you need to search for the moving services you need. Weter the company is giving you some specialized services that you find hard to ship alone. One of those services is moving a piano. No one gets into what kind of office supplies you are shipping. But when it comes to something big like a piano, you will need to hire professional international piano movers. They will know how to deal with packing and preparing your instrument. In the end, they will know how to make it come to the final destination in the same shape it was shipped. 

Get international shipping insurance!

After you have all the information about the company and you have decided which one will be our friend during this relocation, it is time to focus on moving insurance. Most companies as we said, will offer you standard insurance that will cover some of the damages and expenses. However, based on the fact that you will ship office supplies internationally, you must search for additional insurance.

It is usually included with USPS Priority Mail International shipments. This means that it will insure items up to $200. But what happens if you are in need of international car transportation? There is no damage on the car that $200 will fix. Therefore, you need to search for different and additional moving insurance.  Search for all of our portions and make sure that the insurance you get will cover at least half of the damaged items. The insurance you get will also make it easier to compare the moving companies you want to hire. Keep in your mind that the items we are talking about are yours. You need to make sure that everything will be shipped and transported in the best way possible.

Can natural disasters be covered by insurance?

Check with the company what happens if it is not their fault. How should you pay for the items that are destroyed in some natural disaster? This is something that should be regulated with standard insurance. But in order to be safe, you should get additional information about these obstacles. 

Be careful how you pack your items when you are shipping office supplies internationally

No matter where you are shipping your items, or if they are relocated by door to door international movers, they need to be packed in a proper way and correctly. There is some simple res that will help you pack in the most efficient way:

1. If there is anything breakable, make sure it is wrapped and secured. The boxes that contain something breakable should be labeled and you need to inform the carrier about this box.
2. Place some soft materials or cloth sides of each box. It will prevent items from bumping into the box and save them during transportation.
3. Make sure that you do not overload the boxes. Even though they will be safely packed in the container, being overloaded might damage your items inside the box.
4. Do not pack fragile items with plastic ones. If you are about to mix items in boxes, a fragile one should be with something soft.
5. Every box should be labeled, not just the ones with fragile items. This will insure your smooth unpacking. Plus, if someone else is waiting for your office supplies, they will find it easier to unpack once they know which items are where.
6. This labeling thing will also help you with making the list of items you will need to give to the carrier. You will know how many boxes with, let’s say, fragile items you have on board.
7. If you are capable of getting the old boxes or some that can recycle, you’ll both be packing in the proper way and thinking about the environment.

If you are not sure, think about hiring professionals

These are just examples of packing your office supplies for shipping. Of course, you can always hire a professional to do it. But in case you want to make sure that all of your stuff is packed and secured, you can ask for a piece of advice by contacting the moving company and pack by yourself.

Things you should not do when you think about shipping office supplies internationally

Like there are some things that are recommendable to be done before the shipping office supplies internationally, there are things you should not definitely do. Those are quite simple and if you have done everything in a proper way, you should not have any additional problems. 

One of the most common problems people face is when they do not label the boxes in the proper way. This is a clue that you are careless and that you do not care about your items enough. This is also the indicator that the carer does not have to give his best to relocate your items in the most efficient way. The second thing you should not do is waste your time. By wasting your time, you are losing more money. We all know how expensive these shipments can be. Therefore, if you make a good plan and you stick to it, there should be no problem. Wasting your time and money is something you definitely should not do.

Do not, under any circumstance, ignore regulations from different countries

The last one on the list of don’ts is that you should not ignore regulations. Before you make your shipment to another country, you must be well informed. Every country has its own rules. Therefore, all of them must be followed. make sure you have done your research and that you have filled in all the forms you need to have. Check if there are any items that are forbidden to be sent to some countries. If you disobey these use, you might be in big trouble. And this is a bigger problem than just paying for your shipment. Like people say, better to be safe than sorry.

As you have seen, shipping office supplies internationally is a big task. However, if you are well organized, well informed and you have planned everything ahead, you should not have major problems. Be sure that everything you are doing is by the law. And if you have some additional questions, the moving company you have hired should be bel to answer all of them. Just be sure that you have read all the regulations and you are aware of the moving costs. Good luck everyone!