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jls69 wrote:

I would welcome any information or advice about shipping a container full of personal belongings and a car from England to Ecuador.

Unless your car is brand new and not yet driven .. or you are an Ecuadorian national returning to La República, Ecuador does not allow the permanent import of automobiles from foreign countries.

If CarMax operates in your area, I highly recommend you look into selling to them.  It's simple, secure, price-fair and efficient .. to sell to CarMax in my experience.  I sold my car to them the week before I moved to Ecuador in 2013.

cccmedia

Thank you.

As for shipping personal items, it usually works out best for most new arrivals to bring extra suitcases (often for an additional charge if not going first class) and thus avoid the expensive container route with its logistical challenges.

The suitcase option allows you to move to Ecuador probably without having extended encounters with the dogs of SENAE, the notorious Ecuadorian customs agency.

cccmedia

We were just discussing the cost/benefit of this for us the other day.  My husband argued we should have sold our furniture and stuff in the US and not shipped it.  I, of course, asked him if he was high.  We shipped from Miami, but we estimated, without looking for documents that our total cost with movers, container (which we increased to the 40 foot +, shipping/customs agent Sandra from GYE, and the customs payoffs because the shippers didn't do the appropriate paper work, was between $10-12k.  Of course, we insured it through a US insurance company, fought for a year and a half and received over $5k back for damage.  Of course, except for completely broken stuff everything was salvageable, but I documented and took pics of everything and even argued minute scratches. 

However, this option may not be the best for everyone, but my furniture, area rugs, pool furniture, decorative items were less than 2 years old and cost me top dollar.  So to sell it in the US, and buy here would have cost me a lot more than the $7k it eventually ended up costing me to ship it here.  Plus, the quality is 100 times better than what I would have gotten here.  My pool furniture cost me $11k in the US.  It's such high quality and versatile, that I have used it in 2 rooms of my house here.  Most people here are surprised it's actually outdoor furniture. 

However, on the flip side, if I move back, I will only ship back what's valuable to me (which is not much), and it will again cost me a fortune to furnish my next place, unless I buy from Rooms to Go, which at this point in my life is ok with me, except for my mattress which must me temperpedic.  So there are 2 ways to value this decision.  Although, I keep arguing that my furniture and area rugs (which are Tommy Bahama & ridiculously expensive) will sell my house when we list it, I now know that I would have never spent the money I did on furnishings.  But at the time to me, they were a lifetime investment, as I had no clue I was going to be moving to Ecuador within less than 2 years.  So be sure to consider all options when making this decision. 

I had already utilized the suitcases in numerous trips back and forth for stuff that was staying here before our big move.  Having "my stuff", has at least made the moving to a foreign country more tolerable for my personal transition.  I would have been miserable without some of it.  Not all, but the stuff I couldn't get here that I use the most.

Just an aside...

Sandra... the shipping agent in Guayaquil... is highly recommended.
Ms. Bacquero of INESTAR is the top in her field and has assisted litereally hundred of expats from the US and Canada over the past decade with the majority during the past 5 years and the great gringo invasion.  And she has also helped many people ship their items home again when they discovered Ecuador was not for them.

She also assists in helping move family pets back and forth.

You can find her and her company through a google search, and on Facebook and yes she speaks English.

I recommend to everyone to stay clear of UPS when shipping anything to Ecuador..They took my belongings and 'revalued' them after I paid for and was promised door to door service...they revalued them at 10 times their value and then asked me for several thousands of dollars to release my belongings...couldnt get a strait answer from them..couldnt get accurate info from them....after 30 days they keep your belongings and they go to silent auction....you are no permitted to attend this auction....none of this explained to me at the time I shipped....and when I requested a link on their website that explains all of these rules and regulations..I was told there is none....nothing short of a scam in my opinion....I can guess where the money from the auction goes...stay clear of UPS Ecuador

It is my understanding that customs revalues items to Ecuadorian cost to charge tax on. I had 2 packages sent DHL from vitacost when I first moved here 4 years ago. Customs was just changing their shipping and custom rAtes to be charged on online purchases and sent here.  They held my package in Quito customs for over 30 days, never notified me or answered my inquiries and sent it back.  I had in the mean time ordered a second order, when it arrived in customs, they immediately sent it back.  Which I know from tracking.  Vitacost argued me that they would not refund my totals, even tho I paid for their international shipping and abided by their guidelines for ecuador.  One email to my cc company and they charged it back.  I've never ordered anything else to have shipped here since.

Thanks for your reply....yup...had my surfboards and fishing gear basically stolen from me...and the $ I paid to ship them...spread the word...my goal is to cost UPS as many customers and revenue that I can...they are nothing more than crooks in my eyes.....I can only wonder where the $ ends up after they auction peoples belongings...

We had airline damage to a power wheel chair my step son brought here for our friends mother a few weeks ago.  The airlines had to order parts and send here.  And I must say they have a been wonderful to deal with.  They sent through fed ex, paid all duties, taxes and the fed ex shipping and sent us a copy of the paid invoice.  When the fed ex guy came to deliver he wanted us to pay the $80 delivery fee.  We showed him the invoice where it was paid and he said we still had to pay for him to give us the package and then we would have to try to be reimbursed.  Apparently, it ended up in a shouting match between him and my husband.  Needless to say he brought it back later and didn't need the $80.  It's always a battle here.  Unfortunately there are 2 more parts coming.  I dread that delivery day.  I'm sure are only saving grace was it was sent from a company in the US that has a huge corporate fed ex account and the manager for the fed ex company here was very helpful.