help moving ponys

[Ribbon208]

hey guys

so me and my child and partner are moving back to his country off scotland from new zealand but i have quite a large collection of ponys to pack and try and get over
so far we will be getting a shipping container to take all our big stuff over so will they be ok in there wrapped up??
should i find someone i can trust with 500+ ponys and send them over before we go
i know all my nivaras or ones that cost alot willl be paid luggage on the plane lol

please help i dont want to leave them behind nor do i wanna loose them to customs

[FantasticFirefly]

Hi!
I can't help with laws crossing borders. but keeping them safe and free of damage, or keeping a log, I could help/


First, for something of this distance you need very sturdy packing.
-double wall corrugate boxes- thicker and more durable. Here and in the USA there is a certificate printed on one of the bottom flaps. they say how much weight the box can hold safely, the crush rating and some how much lbs you can stack on top.

For actually packing up the collection
-acid free white tissue.
-fold top sandwhich bags.
-moisture absorbers (silica packets and the like)
I put them in bags, and wrapped with tissue. I well padded between layers (be careful of horns so they don't deform) and used a cut piece of corrugate to make the next platform. Not too many layers as ponies legs will start having pose issues.

One thing to be careful of is HEAT while in transit, before you get them to point B.




I've copied what I have written here before when someone else asked about long distance moving (which does have the risk of losing a box):




This is how I moved. (I am paranoid about my stuff)
1) I went around my home and took many, many pictures of things in my house as they are, room by room opening cabinets and getting photos of stuff inside. enough to prove what I owned and the general condition of my stuff.
2) packing I used a buddy/relative for important stuff. I would be packing up the box, and telling them each item as it went in which they were writing down for me with a pen and clipboard on their lap. and how I wanted it coded. Being good company, supplying your buddy with nice coffee and treats is an asset here.
3) I transferred all my data to computer and printed off my lists.
4) in addition to code our names were also on the boxes.


Everything I brought was in categories. I had TWO master lists. (I printed multiple copies too. one on me, one on another person, one in my overnight bag.
Kitchen was say K. and I had a colour mark I used on all those boxes. so say a yellow mark, and boxes would be K1, K2, K3 in black sharpie etc and all with a big yellow mark as well. I marked multiple sides of the box with the code so it's always easily seen.
First, it made things really easy. anything marked in yellow went straight to the kitchen. Blue to bedrooms, green to living room. etc.

So each "area" or category had their own code and colour.

The two master lists!:
My first brief list on top of the clipboard had the codes, area and listed the # of boxes. so if I sent 5 yellow K coded kitchen boxes and now only see 4, I KNOW which is missing straight away from checking my list- "oh no! K3 never made it"!

Like this:
Master list #1
Kitchen:
K1, K2, K3, K4, K5

Bedroom:
B1, B2, B3, B4

Pony Room:
M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6 (this one went on and on hehe)

This is the list I used on receipt day. Stacked the correct colours neatly in each room I would use a green highlighter to mark off all the ones I had. once the room was "there" I highlighted that off as well.
Kitchen:
K1, K2, K3, K4, K5

List two:
All the codes again, and by category. but this time each box had a list in detail of what was inside. (anything I cared about these were very detailed lists. so mostly collection ponies and my HIGHLY sentimental or valuable items) Stuff I didn't care so much about it was more brief M46 "assorted bait condition ponies" K5 "plastic containers and loose cooking utensils"

So if any box was missing, I knew immediately what WAS inside the box I didn't have.

Ponyroom:
M1: item, item, item, item, item, item, etc
M2: item, item, item, item, item, item, etc
M3: item, item, item, item, item, item, etc
M4: item, item, item, item, item, item, etc
M5: item, item, item, item, item, item, etc
M6: item, item, item, item, item, item, etc
It could be individual items or like "set of six first edition rainbow ponies" or "complete paradise estate playset"

Ponies were carefully packaged and kept COOL. (in fold top sandwich bags wrapped in white tissue. sides of boxes padded out so if the box got smacked in, my ponies would still be safe inside. I used sturdy corrugate boxes. You need to check the bottom panel and use ones with a good edge crush rating. I also well padded the tops SHOULD any have someone slice them open with a box cutter- none of the ponies would be cut too!

Also, on highly sentimental or important items (my collection and other belongings I would be heartbroken to lose)
there were a few papers included that stated the following in large font and would be IMMEDIATELY found upon opening the box.
Attention:
This is the property of (my name) and (Fiancee's name)
(Our phone numbers)
(Our new city/province)
If found please contact us at the numbers listed above, and xyz moving company at 555-555-5555

[Shatyr]

My move was over 20 years ago, but it was international. We packed up my ponies in plastic tubs, not clear ones, and taped the lids shut in about 8 different spots (no one wanted to risk the spectacle I would make if ponies went missing). They went in the truck with the rest of our furniture and toys and belongings that we wouldn't need for the week it took the truck to get to our new home. I have no idea if customs had issues with it, but it seems unlikely as most people would classify them as "just toys".

That was it. That was all we did. These days, I would spend a lot more time padding them before sending them off. I have an inventory and I'm working on adding photos to it. I don't have any customs, but I do have some high ticket items, so those would likely be packed separately and with a lot more padding.