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Cargo Container to Panama

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Karan
  10/20/2003 12:02 EST

My husband and I expect to be relocating from LA to Bocas soon. We are trying to get information on shipping our household goods. Can anyone help us? Thanks so much.

Volunteer
  10/20/2003 18:16 EST

Karan:
Since you did not leave your email, who knows if the moderator will let this be posted.

Ask Roberto Guerrero at http://www.sertrans.com.pa/ where they have shipping requirements.

Shipping to Panama and Colon is cheap because they are close to the Canal ports ($7,000 from Baltimore). The last 150 miles to Bocas will be quite expensive because there are no highways for container traffic.

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merwest
  10/21/2003 18:17 EST

I know a great company that can help with thses kinds of questions. It is an international trade company, but they can also ship personal items. it is exim*trade international and you can contact them via the website, www.eximtrade.net. I have had great experiences with them. Good luck!

cliffc
  1/1/2004 14:48 EST

Karan, we're moving to Bocas as well this coming year and I'm shipping all of our stuff in a 40' container out of Long Beach using Marlog. Here's what I know at this point:

One time handling charge (to load the container) of 20 cents a cubic foot

Storage fee of 30 cents a cubic foot

Car and goods will take approximately 16 days to reach Colon (Evergreen shipping)

Shipping fee for container is approximately $3,000

Contact is Martin Baker

Hope this helps. Are you another Isla Solarte buyer? If so, please call us at 775-626-2062 just for introductions.

Thanks.

Karan
  1/2/2004 22:59 EST

Thanks so much for the shipping information. When are you shipping your things? When are you actually moving? We will be very interested to hear how the import tax and customs works out as well. We are buying a piece of land on Isla Colon and expect to move down by summer. Will you be immigrating as retirees?

Looking forward to meeting you in 2004!

Karan and Willy Schreiber
[email protected]

tomcat3333
  11/20/2004 17:09 EST

We live in Lakewood, CA very near long Beach, CA. We are considering the move to Panama after we first make a visit there to scope out the areas. Since you are originally from southern California, have you found Panama to be a positive move? We were wondering about mosquitoes and other possible negative factors. How long did the actual process take once you got started? Any info you have would be wonderful. Our email is [email protected]

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rdesong
  7/28/2006 03:08 EST

Hello,
This is my first time on this website and I happen notice that you planned to move to Panama from Lakewood, CA. I live in Fullerton, CA, which is about 15 minute drive.

My family are seriously thinking about moving to Panama and was wondering how you've situated. Your posting was back in 2004. Did you move? How was the transition? Car shipping? Any taxes? So many questions and just want to get some advice...thanks!

cabo1
  7/29/2006 14:09 EST

Hi!

We just moved in October and brought a car down. We moved from Chicago and had a great move, EXCEPT the car!

They have finally notified us this week that the paperwork is done for the car. We brought our PT Cruiser (2001) and we were charged a 5% tax on the value of the car, plus the shipping costs and another tax. If it is a newer vehicle they can hit you with an additional 5% tax for luxury vehicle.

Matt and Mary Strociek
whypanama.com

802mark
  5/16/2007 01:33 EST

don't know if you have moved here or still thinking about it,, but i shipped two 40 ft from tn. to el valle, and if i had it to do all over again, i would pile all my things in my yard and burn them. the cost to ship is stated. but they leave out other things, like storage fees on the docks, spraying for bugs, and custom officers who know its your household goods and will hold you up for months in order to get you to pay a little bonus to get to the front of the line, in my case that was 3k. then depending on where your having to have it hauled to, mine was el valle that was another 3k. what started out as 11k to ship two here turned into 23k and a lot of fussing and fighting to get it, even then.

DoctorG
  6/23/2020 17:24 EST

the link www.eximtrade.net isn't working. Got a name?

stgibson
  6/24/2020 09:16 EST

DrG, If you are looking for a container into Bocas email me at [email protected] and I can help get headed in the right direction.

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sweethomepanama
  6/24/2020 12:59 EST

I know there had been a post on shipping but could I get some suggestions for shipping companies that ship direct to panama city and NOT to COLON

stgibson
  6/26/2020 10:36 EST

Atlantic shipments go to Colon. Pacific shipments go to Balboa.

Panamanreed
  6/26/2020 12:19 EST

Not always. I had a shipment from Vancouver, BC. It was trucked to Montreal and then Miami and then Colon. Apparently, the fastest route, go figure.

ranadelnorte
  6/26/2020 14:00 EST

When you sign a contract with a shipper, specify that you want the shipment to arrive in Balboa. Six years ago I shipped a 20ft container from Montreal to Balboa with trans-shipment in Grand Bahama.
I specified that I did NOT want trans-shipment in the US, or arrival in Colon. All but 1 of the shippers who submitted bids on my move were able to comply.
Good luck!

gSky
  6/28/2020 12:43 EST

The email is

[email protected]

I know that because I was in contact with you.

stgibson
  6/28/2020 14:22 EST

Panamareed,
That depends on the steamship line. A port call can cost up to 250K so if they don't have sufficent cargo to load it will be trucked to a port where they do. This can add a lot to the customers bill. It is important to find a line that sails from your closest port to the destination port. Every companies routes are different. Sometimes you can't find one. I had this problem with bulk cargo from Guyana a few years ago. I had a shipment of 500 50'-70' pilings to load bulk freight in Linden but they didn't have a crane to load them. The only port that could load was Georgetown. They wanted 160K to make a port call and load in Georgetown so for 10K we rented a mobile crane and loaded them in Linden. They were for the NY Ports Authority so they were happy.

Panamanreed
  6/28/2020 14:33 EST

@stgibson. Thanks for that. It explains a lot.

llseldon
  6/28/2020 16:26 EST

Did somebody say Albrook, here's a culeta at the Albrook Inn.

CherryPie
  6/28/2020 16:43 EST

For me, it wasn't worth the cost and hassle. Used furniture and household goods usually have low value. I just sold and donated everything that wouldn't fit into a few suitcases. Just a thought...

ROKSlide
  6/28/2020 17:14 EST

Panamanreed -- Originally I had some high quality furniture made in southern California and used a freight forwarder (name on request) to ship an entire small container to Panama (Balboa port in Panama City). About one-half the container was filled with stuff I trucked out to SoCal on a UHaul rented truck and then flew back to my then home in Colorado. Subsequently, I have shipped smaller quantities from Texas to Miami using FedEx ground and from Miami to Panama City using Deliv (delvi.com), the shipping company for Riba Smith grocery stores. You can then pick it up at the designated store, or have one of many local transfer companies pick it up and transfer it to whatever community in Panama you locate in. The FedEx cost is always much more than the Delvi cost, sometime 50 times as much. If you are moving a household, I would talk to the Delvi people in Miami to get their advice on how to ship your stuff to Miami.

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