I had a few members PM me and ask me to start a thread on the Cargo container process.
Where to begin. Firstly I want to go on notice that what I post here I am not liable for and your results may vary.
Firstly I guess some questions you need to ask yourself is what do you plan on bringing over and what do you want and need?
Arguably there will be some that will say "Buy it all in Thailand". That is an option but I would like to offer a counter to that thought
As we all know, some things in Thailand are just not the quality you get in the US. Tools being one, furniture being another along with bedding, clothing, etc etc. So what one needs to do is make sure that the cargo container cost is offset by what you will not have to buy here in Thailand. Its hard to assess that quite honestly so some of your decision will boil down to personal preference. We stocked up on things. things you do not think about until you get here in Thailand and go "Crap!!!"
My wife and I loaded a 40 foot container from front to back. We did it ourselves and I highly encourage you do it yourself.
Some comments for what they are worth
1) List, label and take pictures of everything. You will need it at customs plus it protects you in case something goes missing. Albeit if it goes missing you are not going to be bale to do much about it other than complain. . We lost nothing
2) One of the biggest challenges in loading a cargo container is finding the right packing materials, boxes, foam and blankets to protect your belongings. Most of that stuff can be picked up free or bought off Craigslist very cheap. Buy more than you think you need, Better to have extra, trust me.
3) Inside the cargo container you have welded loops top and bottom spread out every 3 feet. I used ratchet straps that I bought from Harbor Freight for $7.99 for 4. I bought like 50 of them. I use them for lots around here now. My FIL loves them
4 ) Maximize your capacity. My wife stored stuff in drawers in the chests and china cabinets. Start in the back and fill it top to bottom.
5) Moving blankets are essential. And when done you can give them to the local Wat for people in winter. We did that.
6) If you have really good top notch 110V hand tools, kitchen appliances, etc do not be afraid to bring them. I did even though numerous people told me to leave them behind. Most are cordless drills and blowers and and my wife some very nice Kitchen aid deals. I bought a 5000w converter from 220V.com and I just plug it in and can use for all kitchen stuff, I charge all my 110V stuff. Same with my TV. My Samsung big LED TVs were all 110V. To sell it off in the US for virtually nothing then come buy it here makes no sense to me at all. The Big converter was $187 and the 2 750w units for the TVs were $50 each and work great. $100 for both versus buying expensive TV's. Heck some top quality TV's here in Thailand are near the price for the cargo container where as in the US they are cheap. I also the converter for my 12v 6amp motorcycle battery charger, My 12v 50am Volt car battery charger. I used my Dewalt Sawzall to cut up stuff and no problems at all
Who to use?
You can find numerous shipping and cargo containers agencies. I recommend getting 3 estimates. I used Siam International out of Los Angeles. They were great and friendly. Took care of everything basically. If your wife is Thai she can call and talk to them in Thai. My wife did and it was much easier.
Some things you do not expect
1) They give you 1 day to load the container. They drop it off out front and they pick it up 24 hours later. So be prepared to hustle. You can have it longer but they charge you per half day and its expensive
2) They are not responsible for your belongings and I would no insure your container, I did not. I figured if it went over...Well that's life
3) Do not forget the cargo container cost does NOT include transportation to your location from port. The port can offer that for you and Siam International can also coordinate that
When you container lands in Port, they will call you. This is when it can be weird. You may or may not be subject to inspection. The new General has really picked up the inspection stuff. Even though your wife has been outside the US for 2 or more year and she is not going to be taxed they have other ways to tax you. One thing we got nabbed on was looking like we had new stuff never used. That was my fault. I should have loaded it further in the container. We got clipped for it and ended up having to pay $500 dollars in Duty Taxes to get it out and done. Our total fee from California for 40ft was $5690 for everything to our door. Its a steal if you knew what I brought over and how much I didn't have to go buy. Plus there were things I wanted here that I was not going to part with.
In the end the process is pretty straight forward. The trek across the ocean is 23-27 days. Allow for a few extra days as sometimes the port is full and the ship anchors off shore for a while.
I am glad we did the container. I have the things I wanted here and all my tools for car repair and the yard. Our furniture is all Hardwood and match the plan of the interior of our house. It would have taken years to get all that here plus the time to track it all down. Most is in BKK which makes it inconvenient and lets be realistic, HomePro is OK but......
Hope this helps
You can PM me with specific questions