International moving companies may look alike at first glance. Keep these differentiators in mind when choosing the right company for your relocation needs.

Understand your needs

Understand what is important to you. As we mentioned earlier, moving to another county can be a daunting and stressful undertaking. Individuals each have unique stressors and tolerable levels of anxiety. In addition to knowing what to ship, it is important to understand what type of stress is acceptable for you and what type or amount is not acceptable.

If you have possessions of sentimental value that you can’t live without, a good insurance policy from a company won’t mean much to you if those possessions are damaged. Instead, choose a company with a long history of safe deliveries. On the other hand, if your valuables can be replaced easily by buying new ones, or if on-time delivery is paramount, a company with great insurance options may be more important to you.

Comments

Although moving to a new country can be complex, international moving companies, for the most part, all provide similar services. Online reviews can be a great tool to sort them out and start narrowing down a few choices. For best results, choose several companies and look at them side by side on a few different review sites.

Pay attention to what some reviewers say. Often you will start to see a pattern with individual companies. They may have many complaints about customer service, late deliveries, or any other common issues. Understanding what’s important to you will help you avoid companies with particular weaknesses.

Get quotes

As with any major service purchase, you’ll want to get at least three detailed quotes from the companies on your shortlist. Quotes can be difficult to decipher. First determine whether the quote is an absolute price or an estimated cost. With an absolute price, the moving company assumes all the risk. They won’t charge you more money if things go wrong. Estimated quotes are cheaper upfront, but the risk is placed on the customer.

Be sure to compare the same type of quotes so you can realistically judge several against each other. Remember that the cheapest quote is not always the best option for you.

To ask questions

International relocation costs real money. Most people only do this once or less in their life. It’s not uncommon to have questions. After all, you’re unlikely to know many people in a similar situation. Your moving company should have a deep understanding of this fact. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification on the smallest details.

If you sense a reluctance on the part of a moving company to provide detailed answers, simply move on to the next candidate.