Moving internationally from Hangzhou to San Francisco

Client Information: Mr. Zhu;
Shipping Route: Hangzhou to San Francisco;
Service Date: October 9, 2019;
Case Summary: Mr. Zhu from Hangzhou chose Seapoe Relo to ship furniture, luggage, and other items from China to San Francisco, USA.

San Francisco is a port city on the Pacific coast of California, USA, and the most populous city in the western United States. Since the 19th-century Gold Rush brought the first generation of Chinese immigrants here, San Francisco has become one of the cities with the highest density of overseas Chinese residents, with Chinese Americans accounting for 20% of the population—the highest proportion among all U.S. cities. As a result, Chinese Americans play an increasingly important role in San Francisco's political, economic, and social life. Combined with San Francisco's beautiful scenery, pleasant climate, strong educational resources, and sound economic momentum, many Chinese immigrants to the U.S. choose to settle in San Francisco.

After receiving his visa, Mr. Zhu from Hangzhou began preparing for his move. Through a friend's recommendation and his own on-site research, he chose Seapoe Relo as his carrier for moving from Hangzhou, China to San Francisco, USA. The international moving process involves many steps, including packing, container loading, customs declaration, booking, ocean shipping, customs clearance, and delivery. Though it may seem complicated, it is actually quite simple—by choosing Seapoe Relo's door-to-door service and providing only his passport and visa, Seapoe Relo can handle everything from start to finish. That is exactly what Mr. Zhu did.

The most important step in an international move is packing, as professional packing provides safety assurance for items during long-distance transport. Seapoe Relo uses high-quality packing materials and packs Mr. Zhu's items according to the packing standards of the international moving association, employing multiple materials and multi-layer packing to effectively reduce the risk of damage. Below are photos of the packing process:

Tips for moving from Hangzhou to San Francisco:

1. The U.S. government stipulates that new immigrants may bring used items they have owned for more than one year into the country duty-free. It is recommended that new immigrants bring items of higher value, such as calligraphy and paintings, pianos, and solid wood furniture.

2. U.S. customs inspection rates are relatively high. Customers preparing to move to the U.S. are advised to check whether they are carrying prohibited or restricted items when organizing their belongings.

3. Visa type (status) needs to be verified in advance to avoid customs clearance issues caused by mismatched documentation.

4. Moving to the U.S. involves long distances and extended timelines. If the items being moved include valuables or fragile items such as artwork or pianos, it is recommended to use fumigation-free wooden crate packing and purchase insurance to prevent accidental damage.