Shipping personal effects back to Canada

Hello,

I am returning to Canada (Ottawa) after 9 years in California. I'm scared to death since I've been away for so long, but my career was lagging here and I miss my family.

Anyway, I am single and will be selling most of my furniture but need to ship 30+ boxes of personal effects back to Canada. Any recommendations on companies I can use (the cheaper the better)? I was suggested Fedex Ground, but I spoke with them and I need to use Express service for personal effects.

Also, any tips on rebuilding my credit in Canada? I will apply for a credit card soon (am moving next March), but hoping to somehow transfer my credit.

I used Allied Van Lines when I moved to the US, they were pretty good, no idea how it would work in the other direction though.

If you have a US credit card like Amerian Express, you can switch it to a Canadian dollar account after you move. Otherwise its pretty tough to take your good credit history with you, it doesn't really "transfer".

When we moved from Canada to California, we used ABF U-Pack. You have to load the truck, but it was cheap. We moved everything in our 1500 sf house and garage for less than $800.

They drop off the trailer, you have a day to load it, then they take it to the destination, where they leave it for a day while you unpack. The reason it is so cheap is because they put up a divider in the trailer and ship commercial goods along with your belongings. We were really happy with their service, and highly recommend them.

I can't post links yet, but if you look up upack on Google, you'll find it

Hi,

I'm not sure if this response is too late but...we moved back from California to Montreal a few years ago and also used ABF U-pack. I completely agree with the last response. They were reliable, you could track your shipment and it was by far the cheapest option I found because you can pack your own goods. So if you are willing to accept the extra work and the responsibility if something breaks, you'll save a ton of money.

Joanne