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Within the next 45 days my partner and I plan to move to the big island. My research is now taking me to shipping containers. I'd be very grateful if some of you who have used shipping containers in the last 5 years could chime in with some info:
1. How much did your shipping container cost?
2. How big was it?
3. What company did you use?
4. Where did you ship from and to what island?
Location: Was in Western New York but now in Hilo Hawaii
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I understand that Matson has been the cheapest in the past but Ive been trying to get a quote from them with no luck. If anyone has in the recent past used them I/We would like a price reference just something to start with.
A few weeks ago, Matson quoted me on the phone (immediately, no wait) $5,000 for a 20 foot container from Louisiana to Hilo, HI. At least that is closer to you.
Matson has a monopoly on hawaii thanks to the jones act. A container from china to SF is 1400. LA to Hawaii is 4100. Thanks uncle sam.
I don't get your reasoning. The Jones Act did not create any monopoly with Matson because Matson isn't the only company that ships between the mainland and Hawaii, there are others.
Also the cost to ship a container between Hong Kong to LA is cheaper because of bulk volume. The ships are at capacity resulting in a lower cost per ton for all shipments. If some rich dude hired us to fly a single car to Hong Kong, before we land, there will be 100's of cargo request to transport stuff to the US. We have always flown full back to the US from China so the cost we charge going west is much lower than it normally would be because we'll make it up in spades transporting stuff back to the US. But if we were to fly to hawaii, we may be empty flying back. China ships every month what Hawaii ships and receives on a yearly basis.
You would never accept a foreign company operating on US soil but operating under the laws of it's own country and paying taxes only to its own country, and having working conditions as if in their own country, and outside the control of anyone but its own country, so why make an exception for shipping? Can you imagine the comments if JAL was operating inter-island air service in Hawaii but under no mandate to follow any US laws or regulations (and paid no US taxes)?
The Jones Act created no monopoly in Hawaii, the State of Hawaii did that on inter-island shipping.
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. If anyone has in the recent past used them I/We would like a price reference 
