Moving your car can increase your stress level especially when it is accompanied by a big bill. However, when you know the business, then you can also find out ways to cut costs and get cheap car shipping rates.
Cheap Domestic Car Shipping
The best way to go about domestic car shipping is to get it done by road. Even if you have to move the car from coast to coast, do not consider transporting by ship. Another way to do it is by flight but consider that option only when you are short of time. It will be cheaper to have the car driven from one coast to another and here are a few road options -:
- Hiring a driver - This will undoubtedly be the cheapest and easiest. You will only be paying for the driver and the fuel
- Hiring an open carrier - This is another cheap option and will also be safe while traveling across states. Usually, open carriers will carry more than one vehicle at a time as they have the capacity to carry around 10 vehicles. However, this will make it difficult for the bulk carrier to travel fast.
- Hiring an enclosed carrier - Go in for this option when you are moving during the winter months or when the car needs extra protection for this will work out more expensive than an open carrier.
Cheap International Shipping
International shipping can be done by air or sea where air travel is the more expensive option. Comparatively transporting via sea will be cheaper and there are two options that you can choose from.
- Containerized shipping - This is a safe option as there is more security for the cars but might be more expensive than RORO shipping.
- RORO shipping - RORO shipping employs a specialized type of ships into which cars can be rolled/driven on and off. Thus, this is a cheaper and easier form of shipping.
International shipping will be cheaper when the car needs to be shipped from the more popular ports which are otherwise known as base ports. So the cheapest shipping will be from base port to base port and you can always drive the car from there to your destination. When you arrange for customized shipping which will require a change of ship from the base port to another port, it will add to the bill.
Compare Quotes
Go to websites where you will be able to get multiple quotes from various car shipping companies. The purpose of such websites is to get the cheapest rates and the customer will be able to choose a company based on requirements.
Read Reviews and Feedback
This is an invaluable source of information which will tell you a lot about the companies. You will be able to read about the drawbacks and limitations of the companies which the companies will not be willing to share with you.
Read the Contract Carefully
Some companies may give you the cheapest quote but will present you with a heavy bill. This is because they do not add or tell you about hidden and extra costs. So when you read the contract carefully, you can be on your guard.
Be Aware of Extra Charges
For international shipping, you might have to pay taxes and levies at ports. Find out about them beforehand so that you will not have to face delays.