Just started to look around for info on shipping a bike by air from Sydney to the Uk for a trip back starting in May.Has anyone used anyone in particular lately who they could recomend ?

Regards Steve and Nell

Hi Steve and Nell;
Have you checked out the info.on;Shipment by travellers on this site.Which is to the left of your post.
Ben

Hi Ben
Thanks for your interest.I have looked at a few of those posts and made enquires from those, most of them lead to dead ends and people saying that they don't ship personal items.
However I followed up from Alec Simpsons post and rang Australian Air Express..although Alec wasn't very impressed with them at least I know what to look out for.
I also rang another company called World wide customs and forwarding who where helpful.

Regards
Steve

Hi Steve, I can't offer any advice, but as I want to ship from Brisbane to UK sometime early in 2006, I am very interested to hear your experiences and details. So keep us informed if you can. Thanks.

I'm also keen to here some travelog stories from your trip, so make sure you send them in to HU so we can all read them!

Skillo

Depending on where you want to freight from in Aus have you considered sea freight. Weused sea freight to send our bikes home from Europe.....sometimes it works out better. Aus has some funny ideas for the freight of dangerous goods. Also check out a Melbourne co called Get Routed. They have a web site. They make shippments of bikes to UK and Europe. Owners name is dave Milligan, a Kiwi , who also ships bikes to NZ. or do what we are doing....ride to UK. This is our second time at doing just that....there is always a different road to use.

Thanks Dave and Cheryl
I've e-mailed Dave and Maggie and it could be a solution.The IOM TT is on the week we want to arrive so they could have a container going that direction anyway.
We didn't want to go by sea incase the bike turned up late and we had to hang around in the UK waiting, even though I'm a Pomme and I've relies to visit...!! Imediate family are in France so we want to get over there after a quick scoot up to Yorkshire and Wales.

Thanks again
regards
Steve

Hi there Steve...yeah the quote thing was all a little odd when i did my shipping. But if you can get a good price Air was very efficient. I needed my bike until I left so I coudnt send it by sea..also my visa and weather clock was ticking at the other end.
Its easy to crate and there are companies specialising in the dangerous goods documentation for a reasonabe price. Ralphino managed to airfreight his bike as non-dangerous goods because he took the time to read the rules and argue the point...let me know if you want to find out how.
Brian and Shirley Rix had a long delay waiting for their bike to arrive by sea, so if you need it by a date I would be tempted to fly it. Emirates cargo themselves were ace...it was the last minute packing and $$$ changes by the agent that had me riled.

I think Get Routed are doing a TT shipment this year from Aust.

What amazes me is that so many agents act like its the first time they have ever shipped anything at all.......bit dog like, everyday is a whole new learning exprience.

cheers

alec

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Close to Antarctica and a long way from reality

There's an old thread in the HUBB from Marius Hessekopp dated Dec. 2000. Shipping company was UTI Union Transport. Cost him From Germany to Namibia and back US$ 900
I contacted them a few days ago looking for a flight to South Africa. The prices don't seem to have changed very much.

So try www.go2uti.com as well.

Hans

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Only when we pause to wonder
do we go beyond the limits of our little lives.
(Rod McKuen)

Hi Simmo, I would be interested to hear that story if you have time to post it here sometime.

Skillo

Just to keep you guys up to date I've booked the bike into a container with Dave from Get routed.I guess I was pretty lucky with the timing. The ship will arrive the 3rd May approx. which is spot on for us.
I have to have the bike in Melbourne on around the 25th March which is 4 days before the ship sails.Its then packed onto a frame and bolted to the floor of a container with about 8 other bikes.It all looks really safe and probably a lot safer than me trying to stuff a BMW Adventure into a wooden box.
The cost is AU$1650 which is pretty resonable considering I got a qoute for AU$1075 for shipping plus whatever port costs in the UK were incured.
Dave also meets the shipment at the other end and clears them through customs.Money well spent ??? We'll see I guess.
Thanks to everyone for their help and advice.

Steve and Nell

I only just saw your post so for next time, I used BAX from Sydney: ask for Kerry in Export on 95989000. you'll need dangerous goods clearance from DGM: 95675633 and a customs appointment: 93177071
mine was 160kg (weight and vol) to Cape Town via London (?) for AU$1600
Martin's was AU$450 for 2m**3 to Tilbury and £200/AU$500 to clear the dock. as your bike sounds bigger (not dismantled!), AU$1600 isn't unreasonable incl all clearance etc
have a good trip

have a good trip

hey guys
i am an aussie and doing the same ride you guys are at around the same time ,might have to exchange emails and catch up ,i am buying a bike in england and going through east europe, turkey, iran, paki ,india etc
david in albury

Just to keep everyone upto date with the shipping process I'm going with :
Booked and paid to go by sea with Get routed as per previous posts.
Everything was fine, the bike was arriving 3rd May and we could collect on the 5th which was excellant.Sent off the deposit, when the receipt came back the bike was leaving a week earlier and arriving two weeks late so not very happy; booked the flight the day we sent the deposit.(Arrive on the 5th in the UK).
Dave Milligans response was " well you'll just have to kill time in the UK for 10 days, or maybe longer, maybe "
So we'd gone from the bike will arrive on the 3rd, I can even tell you what ship its on, to I don't really know when its going to arrive.Big dramas.
Anyway now in the process of shipping by air with Qantas.
I've got to have the bike at the warehouse of Qantas Frieght for a minimum of 24hr before the flight.The costs will be decided when its weighed in on the day but approx.$2800. When alls done I'll put the details on the shipping page.

Regards

Steve

Sadly, absolutely typical - this is why we always recommend shipping by air, unless you are shipping HOME - then it usually doesn't really matter how long it takes to get there.

I've heard many, many horror stories about sea freighting bikes - ships being rerouted all over the globe, and bikes arriving months late, if they get shipped at all! At least with a plane if there is a problem, it can easily be "tomorrow" instead of "two months minimum". The difference in price is nothing compared to two or three months late. You're fortunate that they gave you that warning - many times they don't - shippers have been known to flat out lie to get the business. Or almost as bad, they just plain have no idea.

Best of luck with your shipment.

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

[This message has been edited by Grant Johnson (edited 08 May 2005).]

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Grant Johnson
Seek, and ye shall find.
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Inspiring, Informing and Connecting travellers since 1997!
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

I've only just discovered this forum and this thread and feel I have been injustly criticised, albeit indirectly.

Steve Baldwin received a full refund when he wanted to cancel his booking.

The reason for the shipping delay (and I didn't know this at the time) was that the ship had broken down prior to arriving in Port Melbourne. I did the best by my client (Steve Baldwin) and informed him of this and so he cancelled his booking.

So my shipment was actually loaded onto the ship 2 days late and then broke down again prior to docking in Hamburg. The Felixstowe containers were promptly off-loaded to another vessel which went straight to Felixstowe and as a consequence the container actually arrived the day I was originally told by the shipping company. Bit of a fluke considering, but it is not normal for ships to break down.

In fact had Steve stuck with my service his bike would have arrived on time and $1150 cheaper. Probably more actually because his airfreight price didn't include clearance & quarantine inspection charges.

Yes, I understand his anxiety and the need to get his bike there on time, and I could not guarantee that for that particular shipment. However we have done many other shipments and had no problems.

Maybe people need to allow a factor of 7 days foor shipments to the UK.

I allow an extra 4 days for my New Zealand shipments out of Brisbane, Sydney & Melbourne. and for our 2006 UK shipment I will allow an extra 7 days.

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Kind regards
Dave Milligan

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Kind regards
Dave Milligan