Air freight flips the usual arithmetic. Sea and rail charge you for the space you take up. Air charges you for weight, which makes a suitcase of clothes reasonable and a wardrobe absurd. Good movers will tell you that before you book, not after.
One vetted mover from our network handles the booking. The useful conversation here is about what goes by air and what does not, because almost nobody should send an entire household this way.
International movers quote door to door timings of one to two weeks, occasionally faster on a direct service. That speed is genuinely useful, and it is why air is most often used alongside sea rather than instead of it in a relocation.
This is the part that surprises people and it is worth understanding before you get a quote.
Airlines charge on chargeable weight, which is whichever is greater: the actual weight of your shipment, or its volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is calculated from the dimensions of the package using a standard divisor, because a large light box takes up space on an aircraft that could otherwise carry something heavy.
The practical consequence is that bulky and light is the worst possible combination for air. A duvet in a large box, a lampshade, a bag of cushions: these weigh almost nothing and get billed as though they weighed a great deal.
Dense and small is what air rewards. Books, documents, clothing packed tightly, small electricals, tools, kitchen equipment.
How to use this. Pack air consignments firmly and in smaller cartons rather than loosely in large ones. Compress soft goods. Leave anything with air in it for the sea shipment. The difference between a well packed air consignment and a badly packed one is not marginal, it is often double.
A word on courier services. For a handful of boxes, an international courier can be cheaper and simpler than freight, though it has stricter size and weight limits per parcel and different customs handling. For anything beyond a few boxes, air freight through a mover is usually better value and handles the customs entry properly.
Air is priced per kilogram of chargeable weight, and rates vary with the season and the route. These bands assume reasonably packed personal effects rather than bulky light goods, which would price considerably higher.
£400 to £900
A few cases of clothes and personal items. The most common air booking.
£850 to £2,000
A starter shipment for a family arriving ahead of a container.
£1,800 to £4,000
Rare for a household move. Usually urgent or high value goods.
Tell us roughly what you need in the first fortnight and how much the rest weighs. That is enough to price both halves.
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Air has a tighter restricted list than sea, and getting this wrong causes delays that cost more than the item is worth.
Lithium batteries are the most common problem. Spare batteries, power banks and loose cells face strict rules, and quantities matter. Batteries installed inside a device are usually more workable than loose ones, but declare everything.
Aerosols and pressurised containers of any kind, including deodorants, hairsprays and spray paints. These are straightforward to replace after you arrive.
Flammable liquids including nail varnish, some cleaning products, lighter fuel, solvents and alcohol above certain strengths.
Matches, lighters and anything with a fuel residue. A barbecue or a camping stove that has been used needs cleaning and declaring.
Some cosmetics and toiletries depending on their contents and packaging.
None of these are unusual household items, which is exactly why they cause trouble. Go through your bathroom cabinet, your cleaning cupboard and your drawer of old chargers before the consignment is packed rather than after.
Separately, China's own import restrictions still apply to anything arriving by air. Printed material, recorded media, drones, satellite equipment, plant material and quantities of medicine are all matters for Chinese customs regardless of how they travelled.
Air is most useful alongside a sea or rail shipment rather than instead of one.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Chinese flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
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On chargeable weight, which is whichever is greater: the actual weight of your shipment or its volumetric weight calculated from the dimensions. That means a large light box can be billed as though it weighed a great deal, so bulky and light is the worst combination for air.
Around one to two weeks door to door, occasionally faster on a direct service. Most of that is collection, customs handling at both ends and delivery rather than the flight itself, which is under a day.
Clothing for the season you are arriving in, documents, laptops and small electricals, children's essentials and the kitchen items you will want in the first fortnight. Anything dense and small rewards air pricing. Anything bulky and light does not.
You can, and almost nobody should. Furniture is exactly what air pricing punishes: large, light for its size and expensive to fly. A wardrobe that costs a modest amount in a sea container becomes a serious bill by air. Send it by sea or rail.
Spare lithium batteries and power banks face strict rules, and aerosols, pressurised containers, flammable liquids, matches, lighters and some cosmetics are all restricted. Go through the bathroom cabinet and the cleaning cupboard before packing, because these are ordinary household items.
For a handful of boxes it can be, though couriers have stricter size and weight limits per parcel and handle customs differently. Beyond a few boxes, air freight through a mover is usually better value and deals with the customs entry properly.
Pack firmly in smaller cartons rather than loosely in large ones, compress soft goods, and leave anything bulky and light for the sea shipment. The difference between a well packed air consignment and a badly packed one is often double.
Rarely instead, often alongside. The common approach is a small air consignment with what you need for the first fortnight and everything else by sea or rail behind it. You live normally quickly without paying air rates on the bulk.
Yes. Printed material, recorded media, drones, satellite equipment, plant material and quantities of medicine are all matters for Chinese customs regardless of how they travelled. The mode changes the airline restrictions, not the destination country's rules.
Send your collection address, your Chinese destination, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the paperwork and the access, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.