A guide to choosing a suitable shipping box
Whether you're moving your worldly possessions abroad or have some luggage you would like to send overseas, it is essential to pack your goods safely and securely. Doing so helps avoid any unfortunate loss or damage during transit and ensures your belongings arrive at their destination in the same condition!
With over 25 years of experience safely moving your possessions around the world door to door, you can trust us to ship surfboards to Australia, furniture to Hong Kong, or golf clubs to the USA, that's why our customers come back to us time and again.
Which containers shouldn't I use to pack?
It may be tempting to use spare packaging that's lying around your home to pack, such as old boxes or plastic bags. However, in most cases, these are unsuitable for bumpy journeys. Here's why:
Plastic storage tubs
Whilst ideal for storing household items, there are better options than plastic tubs for long journeys. Easily damaged, the resulting sharp plastic shards can cause damage to your goods and harm yourself or others when opening.
Plus, since plastic boxes are heavy, this only adds unnecessary weight to your order.
Used boxes
Boxes collected from supermarkets are already in a used and weakened condition. Designed to carry relatively light food and drink items, they are unsuitable for supporting your home goods safely.
Bin liners
Because they are made from thin plastic, bin liners are not the best idea. Offering zero protection to your precious household items, you should avoid them at all costs.
Fruit and vegetable boxes
In countries with strict quarantine regulations, such as Australia and New Zealand, any package that previously contained organic matter could result in painful fines and delays.
Storage and archive boxes
Similar to plastic tubs, these are great for storing private documents and records but are bad for travelling. Loose and thin, they leave your possessions at high risk of damage.
Laundry bags
Although thicker than a bin bag, all bags are unsuitable for shipping as they can easily rip and tear, risking your goods being damaged, lost, or both. For any bag you would like to ship, we recommend placing them inside a box.
Our purpose-built shipping boxes
To give your items the best protection during transit, we highly suggest using boxes which have been specially built for international shipping. We specifically designed our chemically-hardened, double-walled cardboard boxes to protect your possessions when travelling long distances by road, sea, and air.
For the safety of both you and our drivers, the maximum weight for each container is 30kg/66lbs. You can work out the weight of each box by placing them on bathroom scales. If a container is over the limit, transfer some items to a lighter box.
You will likely need more containers than you think. Therefore, we suggest ordering extra. If any boxes are left over after you finish packing, we can collect them for free as long as they remain unused and in good condition.
Two sizes of shipping boxes are available:
Large box
External dimensions:
61 x 51 x 41cm / 24 x 20 x 16.14 inches
Best for:
- Sports equipment
- Clothes
- Bedding
Standard box
External dimensions:
51 x 41 x 31cm / 20 x 16.14 x 12.2 inches
Best for:
- Files and papers
- Books
- Children's toys
Our specialist containers
If you have extra large items such as washing machines and sofas to ship, our MoveCube® service might be the most convenient and cost-effective option. Available in 3 sizes, Small, Medium, and Large, the MoveCube® is your own personal shipping container.
As a bonus, each MoveCube® purchase comes with a free essential Starter Pack of shipping materials with parcel tape, a marker pen, a knife, and floor sheets. Floor sheets replicate the size of our 3 MoveCube® options, allowing you to assess how many containers you can put onto them accurately.
To help you ship unusually-shaped goods, we offer a range of specially-designed containers: extra-thick cardboard boxes that protect bikes, guitars, golf clubs, buggies, snowboards, suitcases and even surfboards!
Start your shipping journey!
At Seven Seas Worldwide, we offer our customers a stress-free and smooth experience when shipping goods worldwide. There are various options available to suit your packing needs. All that's left to do is get a free instant quote and start your journey!
More handy Help and Advice guides
Prohibitive Goods
These are goods that are prohibited to enter a particular country or region.
Glossary of Terms
We like to keep things simple and stress-free. That's why we have explained in full common terms used within shipping.
Insurance
If you’re shipping your prized possessions with us, it will be worth you having a quick look at the insurance packages we offer.