The first thing furniture shippers ask is not what a piece is worth. It is what it is made of. Eight to ten weeks in a steel container crossing the tropics, with the air inside condensing on the walls, treats solid timber, veneer and composite board completely differently, and the cheapest piece in the house is often the one that does not arrive intact.
The crossing is the same wherever in Malaysia the goods are going, but the exposure is not. A container routed to Peninsular Malaysia through Port Klang spends less time in transit than one continuing to Sabah or Sarawak on a second sea leg, and the extra fortnight on the Borneo routing is mostly spent stationary at a warehouse where the air does not move.
Solid timber. It takes up moisture and gives it back, which is what wood has always done, and a properly made piece settles again once it is in the house. Well made veneer over a stable core is generally fine too.
Leather and hide, which can grow mould in a warm humid container. Upholstery generally, which wants sealed bags rather than blankets. Anything already showing damp at home will arrive worse rather than better.
Chipboard and MDF. They swell, the edges lift, and the piece does not recover. Flat pack furniture is the most common casualty on this route and also the cheapest thing to replace once you arrive.
First, would you ship this piece home again at the end? That is the real cost you are agreeing to, not the outbound leg alone. Second, will it fit through the door at the other end? Malaysian doorways vary enormously between a Kuala Lumpur condominium, a George Town shophouse and an Ipoh bungalow, and a piece that will not enter is a piece you have paid to ship twice.
Crating is a purpose built timber case constructed around the piece at the time of packing. Glass, mirrors, stone tops, artwork and instruments want it, and because it is built on the day it has to be in the original quotation rather than added later.
Dismantling works the other way. A wardrobe taken apart occupies far less of a shared container than one shipped whole, and on a part load charged by the cubic metre that is a direct saving. It is also frequently the difference between the piece entering the property and standing on the pavement.
Ask which of these the quotation includes. Both are normal, both cost, and neither should surprise you on the day. Volume pricing is on part load removals to Malaysia.
Handled by trusted partners as part of the service, with expertise in currency exchange, no hidden fees, 5-star consumer ratings and a competitive exchange rate.
The wrapping and the crating are not done by us. We are a free enquiry service and the work goes to one vetted moving company from the AGM Group network, agm.group. Ask them which standard the quotation is written to, because export packing and domestic packing are two different jobs.
Solid timber. It moves with humidity and settles again, which is what it has always done. Well made veneer over a stable core is usually fine too. The pieces that suffer are the ones built from composite board.
They absorb moisture and swell, and once the edges lift the piece does not recover. Flat pack furniture built from composite board is the most common casualty on this route, and it is also the cheapest to replace at the other end.
It can be. Leather and untreated hide are vulnerable to mould in a warm humid container over eight weeks. It is not a certainty, but it is common enough that a leather sofa deserves a conversation before it is loaded rather than after.
Glass, mirrors, stone and marble tops, artwork and musical instruments. Crating is built at the time of packing and has to be in the original quotation rather than added later. Declare the value at the same time so cover is arranged properly.
Usually on a full service, and it is worth confirming. Dismantling saves volume, which saves money on a shared container, and it is the difference between a wardrobe fitting through a Malaysian doorway and not.
On a posting under three years, often not. Shipping out and home again typically costs more than replacing, and much Malaysian rental housing is furnished. On a permanent move, the pieces you would miss are worth sending properly packed.
Malaysian import requirements are set by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department and change without notice, so confirm the current position with the moving company before shipping. For the United Kingdom side, including Transfer of Residence relief on a return move, see HM Revenue and Customs.
Send your collection address, the Malaysian delivery address, your move date and a list of the pieces you want to send including anything oversized. One vetted moving company advises on what will travel well before quoting.
Get your free quoteA free enquiry service. We do not carry out removals. Your enquiry goes to one vetted moving company from the AGM Group network, agm.group, that covers your route.
FIDI FAIM Certified, BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS, FEDEMAC.