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I am wondering the process of moving to Hawaii and how long people planned this out? I ask because I'm am seriously considering moving to Hawaii to finish my undergraduate degree and find work in the biotechnology/biology field. I've had my heart set on moving there before, and the closer I get to finishing my Associates degree the more I know in my heart that that is where I want to be. The school I'm wanting to go to is in Hilo, Hawaii.
I've been looking through message threads on this board and other boards, and I was wondering about a few things:
How much does it typically cost to ship a car over there, and how long does it typically take for it to arrive? I have a car that I love and I know it would be impossible for me to afford to buy a new one on the mainland, and after considering my other options I've decided that when the time comes I'm going to ship it over there. I would drive it out to California, but past knowing that I'm not entirely sure where to go from there.
What is a pallet? And how much does it cost to ship one? Or would it be cheaper to box everything up and ship it at the post office before I leave? I don't have much and would be looking for furniture on the island, but I have the basic clothing and a lot of books that I keep for research, mainly textbooks and the like that I won't sell because of their value and the use I get out of them for research.
This is sort of a branch off the last question, but would purchasing basic necessities, like dishes, silverware, a futon, and a couple of bookshelves (I moved back home to save money, so I don't have any of this right now) make sense or would keeping a small fund for furniture and just buying it on the island make more sense? I know that things are more expensive over there, but I don't know how far this extends to the pricing on things like this.
Back to the whole car idea. I know that when you ship the car it has to have basically enough gas to get to a service station and nothing but what came with it in the car. However, what is the process of licensing a car on the island? And how soon after it gets to the island do I have until I get in trouble for not having it license on the island? I have a 2010 Toyota Prius I just bought four months ago. Since the move is planned for potentially July/August 2012, I'll have a lot of the payment paid down and bills paid off to make the transition easier.
I guess the last question I really have is can this be done on less than $5000? I am figuring the shipping costs for the car to be around $1500 at this point, leaving the $3500 for shipping everything else over there. Which leads me to a final question: are there places that will hold my shipments for me until I get over there? I've narrowed the shipping of what I want down to three options, and am trying to puzzle out the best ones:
(1)Pack and ship individual boxes through the USPS using the standard mail
(2)Ship a pallet (once I figure out what this is) using a carrier
(3)Pack everything up in boxes, leave it here with the money to pay for shipping, and once I'm on the island have my parents ship the boxes, taking with me the textbooks (I know their weight would cost a lot to ship) and enough clothes for a couple of weeks.
I told you it might be rambling, but in my head one question touches on another and it winds up like this. Any response would be great.
Shipping a car costs $1,075 from Seattle or Long Beach. Go to the Matson website and it will tell you everything you need to know. People have also shipped their car through Pasha. Once your car arrives in Hawaii, you have 30 days to get Hawaii plates. You go to a state approved inspection station (lots around; we used Midas for example) and they do the inspection, then you go to DMV to get the plates, then go back to the inspection station for the stickers.
You ask a lot of questions about specific costs for things, but you aren't moving for another 18 months. You can get some ideas here, but costs for everything will probably be different by the time you move.
If you are moving lots of books, you can mail them at media rate through the post office. Their website gives good information on costs. As many people have stated on various threads on this forum, it's pretty easy to buy furniture, etc. on the island because people move away and don't want to ship it back to the mainland. Don't forget there's also WalMart, Costco, etc., as well as thrift stores.
Shipping the vehicle from the West coast will be cost about $1,075. If you ship with Matson, out of Oakland, you can get a cheaper one-way plane ticket than out of LA. They want 1/4 tank of fuel or less, not minimal to make it to a gas station.
You might also want to time your car's arrival at the port to coincide with the cutoff dates, so as not to miss the ship and it having to sit there until the ship returns.
You HAVE TO register your vehicle, in advance, to ship it, or possibly it will sit until the next ship...
As far as shipping a car, I think Pasha is the top choice. They are specialists, that's all they do, and they sail on a fixed schedule you can check out in advance. From SoCal to Hilo takes a week, a couple of days more for the other islands. With Matson & Horizon it can take 2 - 3 weeks, because it goes on a mixed freight ship that goes when it goes. For all of them the current rate from SoCal is the same, $1,100.
Note, to ship a car under lien (i.e. that you have a loan on), you MUST present a letter from the lienholder granting permission to remove the car from the mainland or no carrier will accept it for shipment.
Bring the absolute minimum you can. Bring nothing you cannot readily replace here. EVERYTHING is available used here if you're patient. I just bought a used $200+ NordicTrak machine for $5 at a thrift shop on Kiawe Street.
USPS Media rate is the cheapest possible way to get books here, but it takes a long time, typically 3 -4 weeks.
A pallet is a standard fork-liftable 4'x 4' skid used in shipment. Freight forwarders are used to quoting on pallets by height, within certain weight limits, so you can ask for quotes on a pallet load 3' high, 4' high, whatever.
As far as shipping a car, I think Pasha is the top choice. They are specialists, that's all they do, and they sail on a fixed schedule you can check out in advance. From SoCal to Hilo takes a week, a couple of days more for the other islands. With Matson & Horizon it can take 2 - 3 weeks, because it goes on a mixed freight ship that goes when it goes.For all of them the current rate from SoCal is the same, $1,100.
Not true. Matson uses a dedicated (really new, too) enclosed ship for vehicles. It stops in the Hilo port. Also, they are just as scheduled as any other vehicle shipper. One of the other shipper's (can't recall which one) transfers your vehicle in Oahu to a barge. It will be salt coated when it gets to Hilo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpenD
Note, to ship a car under lien (i.e. that you have a loan on), you MUST present a letter from the lienholder granting permission to remove the car from the mainland or no carrier will accept it for shipment.
Not true. We did it last year with Matson. Hawaii does have a law stating that any car LEAVING Hawaii with a lien on it must have permission from the lienholder. You simply need a current registration - in your name.
You will need to check with your auto insurance company as your auto insurance may not be valid in Hawaii. You may need to change companies - or switch to a Hawaii version of the same company you are with now.
Thanks everybody. I know I have a good 18 months to go, but I'm just trying to get a rough idea of what it might cost to move there. I'd need to start saving the money soon so it would be a mad dash broke food diet at the end to afford the movie.
Depending on how much stuff you are bringing, there are also ABF "Relocubes". ABF Motor Freight drops the cube, which is something like 8'x9'x7', at your place you are moving from. They just set in on the ground.You load it up with your stuff and call them. They pick it up and eventually deliver it to your place in Hilo. The entryway on these is at ground level, so they are easy to load and unload. Youn can ship a motorcycle or scooter in them and they have tiedowns.Google ABF Relocubes and you'll be able to check them out. From Puyallup, Wa. (near Tacoma) to HPP near Keauu on the Big Island we were quoted about $2500. The problem with a container (say a 20') is that it has to be on a seperate container chassis and you would have to pay for a trucker to make four moves witj the container/chassis. Also the netryway is way high off the ground and they don't provide any kind of a ramp. You are on your own as to loading and unlaoding, and I bet the floor of the container is at leat 4' off the ground.
Not true. Matson uses a dedicated (really new, too) enclosed ship for vehicles. It stops in the Hilo port. Also, they are just as scheduled as any other vehicle shipper. One of the other shipper's (can't recall which one) transfers your vehicle in Oahu to a barge. It will be salt coated when it gets to Hilo.
Not true. We did it last year with Matson. Hawaii does have a law stating that any car LEAVING Hawaii with a lien on it must have permission from the lienholder. You simply need a current registration - in your name.
You will need to check with your auto insurance company as your auto insurance may not be valid in Hawaii. You may need to change companies - or switch to a Hawaii version of the same company you are with now.
OK, mahalo, that's very new information since I last researched everything. However Pasha has the best delivery record against estimate of the three (Horizon is the third), and is highly rated by customers. They're still my first choice.
And Matson has this lovely clause in their terms and conditions:
11. SCHEDULE; DELAY. Carrier does not undertake that the Goods will be transported from or
loaded at the place of receiving or loading or will arrive at the place of discharge, delivery or
transshipment aboard any particular vessel or other conveyance or at any particular date or time
or to meet any particular market or in time for any particular use. Scheduled or advertised
departure and arrival times are only expected times and may be advanced or delayed if carrier
or any connecting carrier shall find it necessary, prudent or convenient.
AND, the boilerplate in many auto loan liens specify that cars may not be removed from the mainland without permission, so it is still best to get a letter of permission from the lender, before booking shipment, to avoid any "whoopsies."
Yes to your comments about insurance. Even the big mainland companies that sell insurance in Hawai'i, like Geico, do so under different laws and licenses. When I bought a car here, while I still had a car on the mainland, they had to go under two different policies, even though they were billed to me under one account.
11. SCHEDULE; DELAY. Carrier does not undertake that the Goods will be transported from or
loaded at the place of receiving or loading or will arrive at the place of discharge, delivery or
transshipment aboard any particular vessel or other conveyance or at any particular date or time
or to meet any particular market or in time for any particular use. Scheduled or advertised
departure and arrival times are only expected times and may be advanced or delayed if carrier
or any connecting carrier shall find it necessary, prudent or convenient.
You are shipping via the ocean... Everyone will have some such clause, somewhere in your contract.
Hurricanes can be an issue...
You are shipping via the ocean... Everyone will have some such clause, somewhere in your contract.
Hurricanes can be an issue...
My point is that Pasha ships a regular, posted bi-weekly schedule with an excellent on-time record. San Diego to Honolulu takes 5 days, Hilo takes 7. Instead of a published schedule, Matson gives you a departure quote with an estimated delivery date, and a Tracker tool. That should tell you something.
Matson is a good shipper. They're the oldest and biggest shipper from the west coast to hawai'i. They even developed the original ISO shipping containers, after WWII specifically to serve the Hawai'i market. But their size can be a disadvantage, because your little onesie shipment doesn't amount to much in the overall picture, and they wait until a ship is full before letting it sail. I've talked to people who had to wait 3 weeks or more to get their car.
Pasha is a specialist. They only do cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats and they run a well oiled machine, with superb customer service.
Horizon, I agree, is a distant third. I've read too many horror stories to trust them. And freight forwarders are to be avoided at all costs.
Pasha or Matson are your best bets, and typically Pasha is faster.
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Thanks!
