Thanks for the tip about Air Sea. I called them and a rep came to my place today to measure the things I want to ship. Let us know how it goes with getting the export license (when did they start trying to get it, and how long do they estimate that it will take?) and anything else you think might be useful as you go through the process with them. What kinds of packing materials did they deliver for you to pack things in? Are you shipping any furniture or just boxes of household items? I wouldn't mind packing most things myself, but I wonder if they would somehow wrap the furniture in foam or bubble wrap or cardboard for protection?
Thanks for the update. Very interesting info. I had not heard about the option to personally send items to Shanghai or Beijing. What company (s) gave you that option? Was it a regular shipping company or specifically a moving company? Was the 5-6K for a full container load to Texas? Also, do you mind if I ask what type of visa you have? Do you know if you have to have a certain kind of visa to get an export license? I'd love to hear more about what you have found out about this process, and about what you find out from the KM customs office. Feel free to give me a call if you would like: 13108763610 Thanks for posting the update!
Which country will you be moving to? I have been contacting some companies about shipping household items to the US. I am not sure about what the regular commercial shipping companies are charging these days. If you go the route of the international moving companies, you might want to be prepared for some sticker shock (I have found full container -called FCL- prices to be around 11K US). Partial space in a container is also available at lower prices, but of course, half a container would be significantly more than $5500 which is half of the FCL cost).
Moving Companies that I have heard from:
Links Relocation: www.linksrelo.com
Asian Tigers: www.asiantigersgroup.com
Crown Relocation: www.crownrelo.com
Stamford Relocation: www.stamfordrelo.com
Euro Transport International Division:
www. internicmovingservices.com
*These companies all state that they are door-to-door moving services, so their fees should include packing at point of origin and unpacking at destination.
If you find any good deals on shipping to the US, please post a reply!
P.S. Also let me know if you are thinking of shipping to US East Coast. Perhaps it would be possible to ship together at a reduced cost? We will be moving early-mid June but are very willing to send the items we want to ship earlier.
I think (not sure though) that the school might offer assistance or scholarships based on individual situations. You might still want to check with them to see if there is any type of assistance available for your situation before you decide.
Everything I know about the school suggests that they maintain very high standards in curriculum and faculty. I have also heard that plans are in the works for a new $2.5M USD campus (maybe for fall '09 semester?) Of course running a legitimate, quality, accredited school is not inexpensive, and the costs are spread to a relatively small number of students (I do not think the school can legally be open to Chinese national students per Chinese gov't regulations?). I have known several families who have or had children enrolled there and they have all seemed very satisfied.
Additionally (and I only have very limited knowledge on this topic) but I think KIA's normal fees are about the same as or perhaps a bit lower than other comparable intenational schools (key word = comparable). I am not affiliated with the school or anyone at the school by the way :) Just sharing info I have picked up through friends and around town - and as such, also cannot guarantee the complete accuracy of this info. Hope it helps a little though.
American owned, very friendly and VERY professional staff.
Very, very clean.
Almost always have some English speaking staff available.
I haven't had any of the beauty/nail treatments, but the foot massage is SO much better than anywhere else I have been in Kunming (with big, comfortable massaging chairs).
