FAQs - Boxes and Bags Worldwide

Seven Seas Worldwide send items throughout the world but for complete safety and security, we do this within our own network. Naturally, our sea service takes longer than our air service but it costs less. Our service is called 'Excess Baggage by Sea' and this entails sending you boxes to pack, collecting them once they've been packed and then shipping them to your chosen destination. This service suits bigger, bulkier shipments.

Our 'Excess Baggage by Air' service works along the same lines as our sea service - except, of course, it's quicker and costs a little extra. This service suits smaller, lighter shipments or those with a priority. Check out the video to see how it all works.

Good question. Here’s some info about our boxes.

Seven Seas Worldwide has its own boxes specially manufactured, we have 20 years experience and that allows us to demand boxes of the highest quality. These are true packing boxes with chemical hardening to make them the toughest boxes you will find. They are specifically made for the rigours of international shipping.

The Large Box 
The large packing box we supply is called a ‘Large Box’ or ‘Tea Chest Box’. The dimensions of the Large Box are 61cm (height), 51cm (depth) and 41cm (width). This box is particularly useful for packing bulky but light items such as clothes, shoes, bed linen and sports equipment.

The Standard Box
The standard packing box is called a ‘Standard Box’ or ‘Book Box’. The dimensions of the Standard Box are 51cm (height), 41cm (depth) and 31cm (width). This box is designed to accommodate the heavier items such as books, albums, files, CDs, hand tools, that sort of thing.

Additional Box Info
It is important to bear in mind that the maximum weight is 30kg. The instant quote service will inform you of the maximum allowable weight for each box for the respective country destination.  Remember not to exceed the maximum weight of 30kg (or 66 pounds) for each item. If your box is over the maximum weight limit when weighed prior to shipping, an excess weight charge will be applied. 

To avoid potential additional charges you can weigh the boxes yourself before your collection day. Simply weigh yourself on your bathroom scales in kilograms or pounds, step off and grab one of your packed boxes and step back on the scales while holding it. The difference between your own weight and your weight while holding the box will give a good estimate of the box’s shipping weight.

There is no charge for unused and returned packing boxes. We recommend that you overestimate the number of boxes you think you will need. It’s better to have too many boxes than not enough. Of course, this is dependent on the condition of the boxes; providing they are unused and returned in pristine condition so we can use them again, there will be no extra charge.

We have boxes for all sorts of eventualities.

Watch the video below which takes you through the process of packing a bike. Please note that if a member of our team has to remove the pedals on your behalf, there will be an additional charge.

Bicycle Shipping with Seven Seas Worldwide

You can arrange the whole process of shipping your bike online via our easy-to-use quote engine

Why should I insure my excess baggage shipment and what type of insurance do you offer?

We know that the items you intend on sending are important to you - otherwise you wouldn’t be sending them, right? Insuring excess baggage will bring you peace of mind, so here are our two options. Don’t worry, you won’t get bogged down in fuzzy insurance-speak.

Basic Insurance

Seven Seas Worldwide provides Basic insurance cover of £100.00 (or the equivalent in local currency) for each box, suitcase, holdall, backpack and other individually-packed items. Basic insurance will incur an additional charge. You can increase the amount you want to insure each item but we strongly recommend you insure for something and £100 seems a reasonable amount. You will pay 5% of that value or £3.50 (3.5% of £100) per box, suitcase or holdall you are sending.

Premium Insurance

If you consider your items invaluable, we suggest you take a look at our offer of Premium insurance. The Insurance Premium payable for cover is calculated as 5% of the ‘replacement value’ of the inventoried items. Premium Insurance includes: the total loss of the entire shipment (like Basic above - but also), theft of items from the shipment and water damage to the consignment.

‘Replacement value’ equals the value it would cost to repurchase lost items. Please note that as with all insurance there is an ‘insurance excess liability’ amount whereby the customer is liable for an initial proportionate amount of the claim being registered.

In this instance the ‘excess liability’ for insurance placed with Aviva is currently based upon a UK Sterling amount of £50.00 or the equivalent in local currency. All claims are subject to the standard Insurance Terms and Conditions. There is an excess payment on any single claim.

All we can say is accidents do happen and Seven Seas Worldwide has a great reputation for its service but that cannot be a guarantee for what happens tomorrow. You can always give us a call if you wish to chat about it.

At some shipping destinations, there will be a charge before the goods are cleared through customs. This covers the cost of the examination of goods along with the processing of the documents, both of which are essential to helping you gain quarantine clearance.

Seven Seas Worldwide pays the ‘Goods Examination Fee’ for every shipment (where valid) and then charges it back to you in the local currency of your destination. We know how the ‘Goods Examination Fee’ works because we are always with your boxes and know how things work at every stage; other shipping companies employ agents to handle the goods and these agents charge different prices all the time. Sometimes they won’t charge you in the local currency – a clear indicator that even they don’t know the charge until it arrives at the destination.

We've made the order process as simple as possible.

All you need to do is visit our free quote engine and see how much your particular journey will cost. Once you're happy with this pricing, you can then go forward and make your payment. It is fully secure and encrypted to the highest standards.

Alternatively, you can call our team via the contacts page. They're always happy to help.

We're glad you asked.

It's only natural to want regular updates of the whereabouts of your belongings so we've developed a new method of tracking your shipment, 24/7.  Our very snazzy online tracker is available via your registered account, once your order has been processed successfully.

In many places around the world, you can arrange for our driver to arrive at your home address to collect your packed boxes.

This collection is from the door of your building. If you live in an apartment in a building with a lift you will have to speak to us about whether you want our driver to come up to your floor to collect from the door of you apartment. This will be an extra charge.

Afterwards your shipment can be taken by sea, air or courier to the door of your chosen destination, within the same country or overseas. Similarly this is to the door of the building and if you want this brought up to your apartment you need to discuss this with us.

Check to see if this service is available in your area when getting your quote.

The process is exactly the same as it is with 'Door-to-Door' until the shipment arrives at the port of the country to which the shipment is being sent.

So your boxes will be delivered to your address, allowing you to pack what you want and return any extra boxes you don't need (free of charge). You then complete the shipping documentation and pay the 'Transport and Shipping' charge.

When the shipment arrives, it will be held in a bonded warehouse, and you will be responsible to clear the shipment and have it collected. There is no free storage period so you'll have to plan ahead. Seven Seas Worldwide's responsibility ends once the shipment arrives. Legally we have fulfilled our contractual obligations and any further charges you experience are ones you will have to settle directly. Sorry, those are the rules.

Because we are a relocation company and not household removers, we have to set certain boundaries in place.

Therefore, we refer to the 'kerbside' as the area in which our vans will park and unload. Of course, everyone's home is different so should you need further assistance, get in touch to see how we can help.

To ensure maximum safety and security we advise all customers to use the strongest boxes available for packing and transportation. This is why Seven Seas Worldwide offers unlimited, brand new cardboard boxes for every journey. The boxes are chemically-hardened and designed to withstand long overseas trips. Put simply, they're the best you're going to find. However if you're thinking of using your own boxes, take a look below and maybe think again.

Boxes Not Safe Enough to Transport

You can get an instant quote for your excess baggage via our online quote engine. If you like the price you can make your quote into an order and take it from there, or just give us a call on 0333 733 7337 to discuss your baggage shipping needs.

This all depends on the destination to which you are sending.

However, check out our shipping pages, for information on prohibited items for each specified country.

If your item has a date of manufacture and is less than six months old, the law states tax and duty must be paid on it.

The date of manufacture can often be read on the plate on the back of the TV or similar item which also has the Product Code. If your shipment is mostly clothing and they are not being shipped in their shop wrapping then they will usually go through without issue.

No individual box, bag or suitcase must exceed 30kg.

You must ensure that the maximum weight is not exceeded - not the driver's! In the event boxes are found to be overweight then the excess weight will be removed and repacked into another box. If the majority of the items to be collected are found to be overweight, then it is at the driver’s discretion to fail the collection and ask you to reschedule. The driver has a timed schedule to keep and there is very little room for delay. Please make sure to adjust the supporting documentation to reflect the change.

If an item has a weight in excess of 30kg and it is indivisible then we may recommend using the MoveCube service to proceed.

Simple. Without your forms filled in correctly, your consignment is going nowhere.

The documentation is an important part of the shipping process and ensures we transfer your items from A to B safely, securely and without delay. We are currently working on putting these forms online which will eliminate some of the hassle.

When we collect your shipment, within 24 hours you will receive the invoice for Transport & Shipping and confirmation that the documentation you have completed is correct.

At this point the clock starts ticking and it stops when you, or the person you have appointed as a nominee at the destination address, is contacted to pay the Destination Charges and arrange a day for the shipment to be delivered.

Any transit time is an estimate, that is why we present it between two possible periods, there are many factors that can upset it from bad weather to industrial disputes at the ports (air or sea). We will endeavour to keep you informed when there are delays that we cannot rectify. 

Seven Seas Worldwide is a specialist in moving personal effects and excess baggage.

We can assist moving your packed items from the storage room, the door of your property, or your garage or shed in the backyard and load them into the MoveCube®. Similarly we can assist in moving the MoveCube® to your storage room, your front door, your garage or shed in the backyard. We refer to this service as "loading" or "unloading". 

We do not offer a service for packing your boxes, bags or suitcases. Oh and by the way, if you are thinking of storage, check out our storage service for very competitive rates!

All your shipments are moved within the Seven Seas Worldwide Group, which is based in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, the USA and, of course, the UK, where the Head Office is located.

This is a unique structure within the international relocation industry where in almost all cases a shipment is received by either an entirely independent company or a franchisee company operating under a brand. We are a centrally-controlled network under the same ownership throughout the group.

Therefore whether you call us in the UK, Singapore or New Zealand, you will be dealing with the same group with the same operational procedures in every country and if it does change, we will tell you.

It was for this reason that we could not see the advantage of being part of local removals association such as BAR, since there was little they could provide us that we did not already have in place.