International Household Goods Shipping
Reliable, cost-effective ocean freight for full containers, partial loads, and everything in between.
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Ocean freight is the most cost-effective way to ship household goods overseas. Whether you need international household goods shipping for a full relocation, commercial inventory transport, or palletized freight to a business partner in Europe, City Post Express provides full-service ocean freight solutions from the US to Ireland, the UK, and beyond. We offer both Full Container Load (FCL) and Less-than-Container Load (LCL) options so you only pay for the space you actually use.
With over 25 years in the international shipping industry, we have established strong relationships with major ocean carriers serving routes from US East Coast and Gulf ports to Ireland, the UK, continental Europe, and beyond. These relationships translate directly into competitive rates and reliable schedules for you. We are federally licensed and fully bonded — your cargo and your money are protected throughout the journey.
Our ocean freight service covers the entire logistics chain. We coordinate pickup from your location, handle export documentation and customs formalities, book optimal sailing schedules, manage the ocean transit, and arrange customs clearance and delivery at the destination port. You get a single point of contact and full visibility from origin to destination.
For commercial shippers, we offer regular consolidation services, warehousing, and flexible scheduling to match your supply chain requirements. For personal moves, we bring the same professional infrastructure to ensure your household goods arrive safely and on time.
Who Is This For?
Businesses shipping commercial goods internationally, individuals relocating overseas with large household shipments, and anyone needing cost-effective transport of heavy or voluminous cargo across the Atlantic or worldwide.
How Ocean Freight Works
Our simple process gets your belongings where they need to be
Consultation and Quotation
Share the details of your shipment — dimensions, weight, origin, destination, and timeline. We will determine whether FCL or LCL is the best option and provide a detailed, competitive quote.
Booking and Documentation
Once you approve the quote, we book your cargo on the next available sailing. We prepare all export documentation, bills of lading, customs forms, and any certificates required for your goods.
Pickup and Loading
We arrange collection from your warehouse, home, or storage facility. For FCL shipments, a container is delivered to your location for loading. For LCL, your goods are collected and consolidated at our warehouse.
Transit, Clearance, and Delivery
Your shipment sails on schedule with full tracking. At the destination, we handle customs clearance and arrange final delivery to the consignee address. You receive updates at every stage.
What's Included
- Full Container Load (FCL) — 20ft and 40ft containers available
- Less-than-Container Load (LCL) for smaller shipments
- Pickup and delivery (door-to-door or port-to-port options)
- Export and import customs documentation
- Bill of lading preparation
- Cargo insurance options
- Real-time shipment tracking
- Warehousing and consolidation services
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Why Choose City Post Express
Choosing who ships your personal belongings overseas is a big decision. Here's why thousands of families and individuals trust us.
Established Carrier Relationships
We have shipped on every major ocean line serving the North Atlantic for over two decades. Those relationships mean priority booking, competitive rates, and direct escalation when issues arise.
Personal & Commercial Expertise
Whether you are moving your household or shipping commercial goods, we bring the same professional infrastructure. As a federally licensed and bonded carrier, we protect both individual consumers and business clients throughout the process.
One Company, Door-to-Door
We do not hand you off to a different company at each stage. From pickup at your US address to delivery at your overseas door, you deal with one team, one invoice, one point of accountability.

What Our Customers Say
Real feedback from people who trusted us with their international move.
"Relocating a four-bedroom house across the Atlantic felt impossible until we talked to Robert. He mapped out the entire process, handled every customs form, and our furniture arrived in London without a single scratch. We still cannot believe how smooth it was."
"After twenty years in New York, moving our entire household back to Dublin was overwhelming. City Post Express turned what could have been a nightmare into something manageable. They treated our belongings like their own."
"Best decision we made during our entire relocation. Everything else was chaos — visa paperwork, selling the house, saying goodbyes. But the shipping? That was the one thing that just worked."
"A colleague who relocated to Glasgow last year insisted I call City Post Express before anyone else. One conversation with Jennifer and I cancelled the other three quotes I had pending."
"Our dining table was handmade by my grandfather. The thought of it crossing an ocean terrified me. Robert personally oversaw the packing and it arrived in Galway in perfect condition. I cannot thank them enough for that."
"We got five quotes for our household move. Two were outrageously expensive, two were suspiciously cheap with vague terms. City Post was the one in the middle that actually explained what we were paying for."
"Forty-three boxes, a sofa, a bed frame, and a piano. Yes, a piano. They shipped my piano to Limerick and it arrived in tune. I am still in shock."
"The customs aspect of a full household move to the UK had us losing sleep. City Post handled every single document, every declaration, every form. We did not touch a piece of paperwork."
"Second full household move with CPE. First was Seattle to Dublin five years ago, now Dublin back to Belfast. They have our business for life."
"Jennifer called me personally to let me know our container had cleared French customs. Not an automated email — an actual phone call. That tells you everything about how this company operates."
"Fifteen years of memories packed into a 40-foot container. Furniture from every phase of our kids growing up. When we unpacked in Dublin and everything was exactly as we left it, I sat down and cried."
"Smooth, professional, transparent. Exactly what you need when your whole life is in boxes on a ship somewhere."
"My sister used City Post for her move to Cork and told me to call Robert directly. He remembered her shipment from two years ago. That kind of personal service is rare in any industry, let alone international freight."
"The other company we almost went with could not even tell us when our stuff would arrive. City Post gave us a delivery window on day one and hit it exactly. For a whole-house move across an ocean, that precision is remarkable."
"Robert coordinated the pickup to align with our closing date on the house. That kind of logistical awareness — understanding that we literally had nowhere to keep things — made all the difference."
"Our entire household in one container. Furniture, artwork, the kids' bikes, boxes of Christmas decorations. All of it arrived. All of it intact. Genuinely could not ask for more."
"I expected hidden fees. I budgeted an extra twenty percent just in case. The final invoice matched the quote to the dollar. First time that has ever happened with any moving company."
"Moving furniture to Portugal sounded like a logistical nightmare. Jennifer broke the whole process into simple steps and suddenly it felt completely doable. Her expertise turned chaos into calm."
"Four-bedroom house, two cars worth of garage stuff, and about fifty boxes. They inventoried every single item. When it all showed up in Copenhagen, we checked every box off the list. Nothing missing, nothing broken."
"Coming home to Ireland after eighteen years. Emotionally it was huge. City Post made sure the practical side matched the feeling — our home in Galway felt like home from the day our things arrived."
"Got a referral from my relocation agent, who said City Post is the only company she recommends for household moves to Europe. Now I understand why. They are simply better at this than anyone else I dealt with."
"The whole-house move seemed impossible when we started planning it. By the time our container arrived in Cork, we wondered why we had ever worried. Robert and his team just handle it."
Popular Destinations
Explore our most popular routes for international household goods shipping
Ireland
Our busiest route and our founder's homeland. Flat-rate ocean freight to Dublin, Cork, and Galway with Transfer of Residence customs…
Explore Ireland
United Kingdom
Post-Brexit customs fully managed. Door-to-door shipping to London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and everywhere across the UK.
Explore United Kingdom
Europe
We ship to every country in Europe — door-to-door from anywhere in the US, with full customs clearance at every…
Explore EuropeRelated Services
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Learn MoreInternational Household Goods Shipping: FAQ
Common questions about this service
FCL (Full Container Load) means you book an entire container — either 20ft or 40ft — exclusively for your cargo. LCL (Less-than-Container Load) means your goods share container space with other shipments, and you only pay for the space you use. FCL is more cost-effective for large volumes, while LCL is ideal for smaller shipments that do not fill a full container.
Typical transit times from the US East Coast to Ireland and the UK are 10-14 days port-to-port. Continental European ports generally take 12-18 days depending on the specific destination. Add approximately 1-2 weeks for customs clearance and inland delivery at each end. Total door-to-door times are typically 4-6 weeks for European destinations.
Yes. We can arrange vehicle shipping via Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) services or inside a container for added protection. Contact us with the make, model, and dimensions of your vehicle for a specific quote. Be aware that destination countries may have specific import regulations and duties for vehicles.
Hazardous materials, flammable liquids, explosives, perishable food items, live plants and animals, and illegal substances cannot be shipped. There are also restrictions on lithium batteries, aerosols, and certain chemicals. We will review your inventory and advise you on any restricted items before shipping.
LCL (Less-than-Container Load) is ideal for shipments of 20-80 boxes and small furniture — you share container space and only pay for what you use. FCL (Full Container Load) makes sense for larger household moves that fill most of a 20ft or 40ft container. As a rule of thumb, if you are shipping a few rooms worth of belongings, LCL is more cost-effective. If you are shipping an entire household, FCL gives you dedicated space and faster delivery.
Absolutely. Ocean freight is the most popular and affordable method for shipping personal effects, household goods, and furniture overseas. It is not just for commercial cargo — the majority of our ocean freight clients are individuals and families relocating to Ireland, the UK, or Europe. We handle all customs clearance, including Transfer of Residence duty relief applications.
The cheapest way to ship household goods overseas is LCL (Less-than-Container Load) ocean freight, where you share container space and only pay for the cubic footage you use. This is significantly cheaper than shipping boxes individually through parcel carriers like USPS or FedEx. City Post Express offers flat-rate LCL packages — for example, our '20 Boxes to Ireland' package bundles pickup, ocean transit, customs clearance, and delivery into one transparent price. For full household moves, a dedicated 20ft or 40ft container (FCL) provides the best per-item value.
Costs depend on volume, destination, and shipping method. As a rough guide: City Post Express charges approximately $65 per box for shared container (LCL) ocean freight, so 10 boxes to Ireland or the UK comes to around $650 door-to-door, and 20 boxes around $1,300 — including pickup, shipping, customs clearance, and delivery. A full 20ft container (FCL) for a larger household move runs $3,500-$6,000 depending on the route. Air freight for urgent items costs significantly more. We provide flat-rate quotes with no hidden fees — contact us with your inventory for an exact price.
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