The same list of boxes typed four times
An overseas move to Australia is packed over two days. The crew writes a numbered packing list by hand. The office types it up. Then it is typed again into the valued inventory, again into the shipping line's booking or the forwarder's form, and summarised again for the destination agent who will deliver it.
Somewhere between the versions, box 43 becomes box 34, the piano gets a different value, and the destination agent asks why the item count does not match. The container is already on the water.
Why overseas paperwork multiplies
Each party in an international move needs its own document, usually in its own format. The information is the same; the typing is not.
- The packing list is handwritten on the day, then retyped.
- Each forwarder, shipping line and destination agent has its own form.
- Destination rules on what the customer must provide vary and live in someone's notes.
- Documents from the customer, such as passport copies and forms, arrive by email over weeks.
- Nobody can see at a glance what is still missing for a shipment.
What the retyping costs
Errors in overseas paperwork cause delays at destination, which cost storage and demurrage and a very unhappy customer waiting for their furniture in a new country. The office time spent retyping is large and it falls on the few people who know the process.
When those people are away, overseas moves slow down, because the knowledge of what each destination needs is in their heads.
How we build the move file once
- The packing crew records each item or box on a tablet as it is packed: number, room, description, condition and, where the customer supplies it, value.
- The customer confirms the inventory and values online, and signs it.
- The move file holds customer details, addresses, dates, container or consignment details and the inventory as one record.
- Packing lists, valued inventories, shipping instructions and agent handover packs are generated from the file in the formats you need.
- A checklist per destination, which your team maintains, lists the documents the customer must provide, and the customer uploads them to a secure link.
- The office sees each shipment's status: packed, documents complete, booked, shipped, delivered, and what is outstanding.
| Document | Built from |
|---|---|
| Packing list | Items recorded at packing |
| Valued inventory | Items plus customer-confirmed values |
| Shipping instructions | Move file and consignment details |
| Agent handover | Inventory, customer contacts and delivery notes |
We do not give customs advice. What each destination requires is set by your team, your forwarder or broker, and the destination agent, and the checklist records it.
What an overseas move looks like after
The inventory is typed once, by the crew, and every document matches it. The customer uploads their paperwork to one place. The destination agent receives a complete handover pack. When someone asks where a shipment is and what is missing, the answer is on screen.
New staff on the overseas desk can follow the destination checklists from day one instead of learning each country from a colleague's notebook. When the person who usually handles a destination is on holiday, their moves carry on without a pile of questions waiting for their return.
Is your overseas desk buried in paperwork?
- Packing lists are handwritten and retyped.
- The same inventory appears in several documents that do not always match.
- Destination requirements live in one person's notes.
- Customer documents arrive by email over several weeks.
- Nobody can see which shipments are missing paperwork.