Korean Job Discussion Forums

JustJohn · Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Location: Your computer screen

I've heard that if you have a bunch of stuff to ship home it's a lot cheaper to do it by boat. I'm interested in doing it but have no idea where to start.

Does anyone know where I can find a place, how much it costs, and how big the containers are?

brento1138 · Joined: 17 Nov 2004

I shipped stuff back in two large boxes. Post office provided the boxes. It was clothing. Big big mistake... have them wrapped up a million times and totally airproof. They had this weird cardboard smell to them after being in those boxes, on some ship in the Pacific, for 2 months... and I saw water stains. Not the best quality, get what ya pay for...

JustJohn · Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Location: Your computer screen

So you're saying you can do it by ship through the Korea post, but it's just in cardboard boxes?

I thought you got like an airtight container of specific dimensions and you just put whatever you want in that. But perhaps there are several ways to do this?

JJJ · Joined: 27 Nov 2006 Location: Seoul

Well, if you are actually shipping a car, furniture, TV's and artwork, then you have to contact a shipping company and you can purchase space on a full, half, quarter, eight, etc. on a container.

If you are just shipping a bunch of boxes of clothes, books and personals then get some boxes or those big, clear plastic boxes you see in HomePlus, (about 5-7 bucks ea.) and fill them up with 20kg worth of your things. I find the clear boxes better for customs in Korea and in North America. They seem to avoid tearing them apart to look inside.

Tape them up, make sure you have 20 kg or less and take them to the local post office. I took 7 boxes home last year ranging from 15 to 19.8 kg and it cost between 30 to 50 dollars/box. You can't beat that. Around 6 weeks later, I got a slip in the mail saying go to the post office and pick up your boxes. Done, no worries.

ZenMoto · Joined: 24 Jan 2008 Location: Seoul / Seocho

We had an outfuit called Asian Tigers that moved us over here...They handled all of our furniture and stuff in a sea container...Expensive as hell I'm sure but the company was paying so we brought a whole house full of stuff...I bet they do smaller stuff scale moves as well.

82-2 3489 2500 is the number on the business card they left us

StephannieK · Joined: 22 Jan 2006 Location: Gyeongbuk-do

The paper version of the Korean Herald runs ads in the paper from two moving companies, one lists that it does international shipping.

Back in 2004, a couple I worked with shipped home for 700,ooo won.

over their year, they had purchased a complete set of korean stoneware (the heavy kind for bibimbap) and the sheer weight was too much for postal delivery.

they contacted movers in Daegu, the movers came to their apt, boxed and packed everything, built a wooden crate around the boxes, loaded it on a porter truck, then drove to Busan where it was placed on ship. It arrived in good order about 3 months later in San Diego, cA. shippers handled the customs paperwork.

the box built was about 4ftX5FtX5ft and had everything they wanted to keep in it. (lanterns, shell laquerd tables, clothes etc)

that's a pretty big box for 700.

I plan to do the same when I leave Korea

Pooty · Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Location: Ela stin agalia mou

http://www.discount-shipping.net

Send them an email. They do ship out of Korea.

JustJohn · Joined: 18 Oct 2007 Location: Your computer screen

Okay, I think the website is more what I was thinking but it looks like the post office would actually be cheaper. Interesting.

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

Used the PO twice with no ill effects whatsoever. They sport some heavy duty sticky tape with scissors and you can go wild.

About 40 000 won per box, but that's to South Africa and no doubt that don't come cheap.

You will be expected to state for the record an estimate of value. So you'll have to try and find out yr home country's table of taxes and get below the minimum rateable amount. I had the poor PO teller crossing and recrossing the figure as I guesstimated it downward. Looked like a scribble pattern.

Wanted to pay absolutely nothing, you see.

Poemer · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Location: Mullae

I shipped a box of Misc. stuff by boat through the PO after my last contract. It's a lot cheaper than shipping by air, just make sure you use a STURDY box with plenty of tape on the seams and everything will be ok.

matthews_world · Joined: 15 Feb 2003

The post office and these services ship luggage packed with your stuff do they not? Or do personal effects in luggage have to be put in boxes?

shifty · Joined: 21 Jun 2004

The PO box is plenty sturdy. Mine are still in use at home and they even have an aesthetic appeal.
I constantly marvel at them, seriously.

i · Joined: 10 Apr 2008 Location: Seoul

I too shipped with a shipping co in 97. My wife (Korean) did all the arrangements. It was a wood crate. Put in a TV, dresser, and a bunch of other stuff. I'd guess 6' high, maybe 4'x4' base. Cost about $700 from Gwangju. Delivered it to the airport in Austin, TX maybe a month later. I just moved back and from South Dakota, to do a shipment like that to Seoul was $2500. So I left most everything in storage. With inflation over the past 11 years, I kinda wish I'd paid it. Can't believe how much prices went up here.
BTW, because this was household stuff, I didn't pay customs anything in the US, but did have to list everything in the crate for the shipper to put with the crate. Was a little worried about all the knock-off clothing and bootleg CDs and such, but no issue.

Greekfreak · Joined: 25 May 2003

Haven't done it since my first stint here in the ROK, but I sent a box of wacky stationery home around May 1st via surface mail, and about 7-8 weeks later it arrived in Canada. The price was less than half of what an airmail package would have cost.

It had been banged up, and even some of the corners had frayed somewhat, so tape up every single corner and sharp edge. There was even a little water damage to the box, but I think mine just happened to go through a rougher ride than most.

Even so, you don't want anything even remotely fragile going by surface mail.

MollyBloom · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Location: James Joyce's pants

I had a horrible experience shipping surface. I sent about 30 books, an old, broken, ipod, some stationary. When I got it a month or two later, the original box was missing and a new box took it place, and there were only about 8 books in the box. I just recently got a check for $130 from the USPS because of insurance, but the real cost of all the items was well over $400. I will always pay more and use the faster Korea Post shipping service.