In short: if you are sending only boxes and no furniture, you can ship by shared sea container, which is cheapest for several boxes, or by air courier, which is faster and dearer and best for a few items. Sea boxes take roughly 10 to 16 weeks; air takes days to a couple of weeks.
You pay by volume or weight, so it pays to declutter first. We match you with one FIDI-certified mover free; we are not a removal company.
Sending only boxes from England to Australia? We connect senders across the United Kingdom with one removalist or courier, by shared sea container or air, whichever suits.
Not every move needs a container. If you are sending clothes, books, kitchen bits and a few keepsakes, shipping boxes is the simple, low-cost way to get them to Australia. You pack cartons, and your matched mover ships them either by sea, pooled into a shared container, or by air when speed matters more than price.
By sea, your boxes share space with other people's goods, so you only pay for the room your cartons take up. It is the cheapest route and takes a couple of months. By air, the same boxes land in a week or two, but the price per kilo is much higher, which is why air tends to suit small or urgent loads.
Box shipping has no minimum house-sized move. It is just as happy with five cartons as fifty. People use it for student moves, gap years, gifts to family already out there, or a part-shipment of extras to follow a bigger relocation later.
First, who we are: International Removals Companies is a free matching service, not a shipping company. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD runs it and we never handle your boxes ourselves. Tell us what you want to send and we introduce you to one FIDI-certified mover who prices it. No fee, no obligation.
Free matching. One FIDI partner. No catch. No fee.
Sea is the workhorse for boxes. Your cartons are collected or dropped at a depot, pooled into a shared container with other shipments, and sailed to Australia. Because you share the container, the cost is low, and you pay for the volume your boxes fill rather than a whole box you don't need. The trade-off is time, roughly six to nine weeks at sea before customs and delivery.
Air is the quick option. The same boxes fly to Australia and usually arrive within one to two weeks. You pay by weight, so air works best for a small batch of things you can't wait for, a laptop and some clothes, say, while the rest follows by sea. Aerosols, paints and other flammable items can't travel by air, so keep those for the sea shipment or leave them behind.
You can pack the boxes yourself to keep costs down, or ask the mover to pack them for you so they are done to export standard. Either way, label every box clearly with your name and destination, and keep a numbered list of what is in each one. That list doubles as your customs inventory.
Boxes are best for the smaller, lighter, breakable-free things. Here is how to pack smart and stay on the right side of Australian rules.
Use small, strong cartons for books and heavy items, so no single box gets too heavy to lift.
Larger boxes suit bedding, clothes and towels. Light but bulky, they fill space without the weight.
Keep each box to about 20 to 25 kg, sealed well, with gaps filled so nothing shifts in transit.
No food, seeds, plants, soil or untreated wood. No aerosols or flammables by air. Declare anything you are unsure of.
Use these as a starting point, not a quote. The price comes down to how many boxes you send, what they weigh, and whether they go by sea or air. Your matched mover confirms the figure once they know the numbers.
Urgent, small batch
From about £200
Priced by weight. About 1 to 2 weeks.
Shared container
About £350 to £750
About 6 to 9 weeks.
Larger box shipment
About £700 to £1,300
Still pooled, pay for the space.
Boxes plus a few items
Priced per cubic metre
Tips into shared-container territory.
Because the UK is now outside the EU, anything you send to Australia is an import and passes through customs. If your boxes are part of your own move and hold things you have owned and used for over a year, they normally arrive as unaccompanied personal effects, with no duty and no 10% GST to pay. You, as the owner, sign the B534 form and your mover files it with the Australian Border Force. Biosecurity is the part people trip on with boxes: food, seeds, plant material, untreated wood and anything with soil on it can be held or destroyed, so leave them out and declare anything you are unsure about.
Australia runs on Australian dollars, code AUD. Even a small move means some costs when you land, so it helps to sort your money before you go. The worst rates are at the airport, so compare a service like Wise or XE with your bank, and look at an AUD account you can open from the UK. The GBP to AUD rate moves daily, so check the live figure on XE.com when you are ready to send money. For the record, we match removals, we do not exchange currency.
This guide is maintained by Darren Benjamin, who has run International Removals Companies since it launched in 2010 and has over 20 years in the logistics industry. Since 2013 he has also been Secretary and Manager of a UK removal company, a role verifiable on Companies House. In practice that means matching people moving abroad with the right certified mover, and knowing the customs and shipping detail behind an international move to or from Australia.
Our partner movers hold the industry's recognised credentials, including FIDI FAIM Certified (audited by Ernst and Young), BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC membership. You can read more about who we are and how we vet partners on our about us page.
By sea, pooled into a shared container with other people's goods. You pay for the space your boxes take up, which makes it the cheapest option for anything that isn't urgent. Air freight is far quicker but costs a lot more per kilo, so it tends to suit small, time-sensitive shipments rather than a general move.
As a guide, five to fifteen boxes by sea run about £350 to £750, and fifteen to thirty boxes about £700 to £1,300. A few boxes by air start from around £200 and are priced by weight. The exact figure depends on the number, size and weight of your boxes, so your matched mover gives a firm quote.
By sea, allow about 6 to 9 weeks for the crossing, plus a little time for customs and delivery. By air, boxes usually arrive in about 1 to 2 weeks. Sea is cheaper and slower, air is faster and dearer, so the right choice depends on how soon you need your things.
Yes. Box shipping is built for small loads, whether that is a handful of cartons of clothes and books or a part-shipment to follow a bigger move. Your boxes are pooled with other goods in a shared container, so you only pay for the space you use. There is no minimum house-sized move required.
Use proper double-walled cartons. A good rule is heavy items like books in small boxes and light, bulky things like bedding in large ones, keeping each box to a weight one person can lift safely, often around 20 to 25 kg. Seal them well, fill any gaps so nothing rattles, and label each box clearly.
Australia's biosecurity rules are strict. Leave out food, seeds, plants, soil and untreated wood, and clean anything that has been outdoors. Aerosols, paints and other flammable items can't go by air. If you are unsure about something, declare it. Hiding a banned item risks the whole shipment being held or charged.
If your boxes are part of your own move and hold things you have owned and used for more than a year, they normally clear as unaccompanied personal effects, free of duty and the 10% GST. New items or gifts being posted to someone else may be treated differently and taxed. The owner signs the B534 statement for the mover to lodge.
Send by sea if you want the lowest cost and can wait a couple of months. Send by air if you need your things quickly, or for a small, urgent batch where the higher price per kilo is worth it. Many people send the bulk by sea and just a box or two of essentials by air.
We are a free matching service, not a shipping company. Tell us how many boxes you have and where they are going, and we put you in touch with one vetted FIDI-certified mover. They price it by sea or air and arrange collection. You are under no obligation and we never charge you.
The movers we match you with all hold FIDI FAIM accreditation, the international moving industry's quality mark. An independent Ernst and Young audit checks each firm against more than 200 standards every three years, covering packing, paperwork and how problems are handled. Even for a box-only shipment, that means your goods are in experienced hands.
International Removals Companies pairs each box-shipping enquiry with one accredited firm, free of charge. We have matched movers since November 2010. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Send a rough box count and weight, your UK collection postcode, your Australian delivery address, and whether you want them by sea or air. We match you with one FIDI-certified partner who prices the shipment and arranges collection.
Get a Box Shipping QuoteFree matching. One FIDI-certified mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, trading since November 2010.
We connect box and personal-effects shipping enquiries for Australia with one vetted FIDI-certified partner mover. DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company 07425576, ICO ZB022743. Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London, SE1 3DH. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, transit times, insurance and customs paperwork are confirmed by your partner mover before booking.