Heading home to Ireland, or moving to Australia with more than a suitcase? This is the guide I send people when the shipping question comes up in the groups, which is most days. Two companies have done the job reliably for Irish Around Oz readers since 2014, and both give you a discount for coming through here.
Quick answer
A few bags or boxes? Use Send My Bag. Door to door by air in 2 to 5 days, from about $228. 5% off your first order.
A whole flat’s worth? Use Seven Seas Worldwide. Their MoveCube is your own mini shipping container, packed at your door. 10% off your entire shipment with the Irish Around Oz discount, applied when you quote online.
Which one do you need?
Send My Bag
Best for: suitcases, boxes, golf clubs, a surfboard, anything up to a few hundred kilos.
- Collected from your door, delivered to theirs
- Air freight, usually 2 to 5 working days
- Price fixed online before you book, from about $228
- Tracking the whole way
- Works both directions, Australia to Ireland or Ireland to Australia
Seven Seas Worldwide
Best for: the contents of a room or a flat, furniture, a bike, boxes by the dozen.
- MoveCube in three sizes, dropped at your door for you to pack
- Sea freight, so allow 8 to 12 weeks
- Much cheaper per kilo than air for big loads
- Depots across Australia and Ireland, I visited the Melbourne one
- Excess baggage service too if you only have a few boxes
Should you ship it or sell it?
Most people asking this have been in Australia one to four years and own more than they expected. My rule of thumb: sell the big cheap stuff (beds, couches, the $40 Kmart shelves) and ship the things that are expensive to replace or impossible to, like tools, sports gear, kitchen kit you actually like and anything sentimental. Post the rest in the Irish Around groups, it goes fast.
Rough guide to what makes sense:
- Under 30 kg: check your airline’s extra bag price first. Sometimes it’s cheaper.
- 30 to 150 kg: Send My Bag, almost always.
- More than that, or any furniture: Seven Seas MoveCube.
How the Seven Seas MoveCube works
They bring the MoveCube to your door on a trailer, you load it, they collect it and ship it to Ireland. At the other end it’s delivered to the new address. You never touch a depot. The videos below show the process.
Packing tips that save money
- Weigh everything. Both companies charge by weight and size. A $20 luggage scale pays for itself.
- Use proper boxes. Double-walled cardboard, strong tape, bubble wrap around anything that rattles. Send My Bag sell boxes but supermarket banana boxes are free and sturdy.
- Label inside and out. Put your name, phone and destination address on a sheet inside each box in case the outer label goes.
- Check the banned list. No aerosols, batteries loose in boxes, liquids over 100ml or food. Both sites have a prohibited items page.
- Do the customs form properly. “Used personal effects” is the phrase you want. Both companies walk you through it online.
- Book early. Sea freight in particular books out before Christmas.
Shipping from Ireland to Australia
Both companies do the reverse trip as well. Send My Bag collects from anywhere in Ireland. Seven Seas has depots in Ireland and will deliver the MoveCube to your door there. Same discounts apply (5% at Send My Bag, 10% at Seven Seas), just quote from the Irish side.
How much does it cost to send a bag from Australia to Ireland?
With Send My Bag a 25 to 30 kg suitcase or box from Australia to Ireland starts at around AUD 228 and takes 2 to 5 working days door to door. Compare that with the airlines, where a second checked bag is often AUD 100 to 200 each way and you still have to lug it through two airports. For anything over about 30 kg you are usually better off with Seven Seas, because sea freight is priced per cubic metre rather than per kilo.
There is always an alternative to shipping. Don’t be this guy.
Shipping questions people ask in the groups
Can I send luggage the other way, from Ireland to Australia?
Yes. Both companies collect anywhere in Ireland and deliver to your door in Australia. Same prices, same discounts.
What about the UK or the rest of Europe?
Send My Bag ships to more than 165 countries, so a bag to London, Berlin or Lisbon works exactly the same way and the 5% discount still applies. I once sent a bag home from Nicaragua with them and it turned up.
How long does it take?
Send My Bag by air: 2 to 5 working days. Seven Seas by sea: allow 8 to 12 weeks, longer before Christmas. Book the MoveCube at least a month before you fly.
Is my stuff insured?
Both include basic cover and sell extra cover at checkout. It is not a substitute for travel insurance on yourself. If you are arriving in Australia, sort True Traveller or Go Insurance before the bags do.
What can’t I send?
Aerosols, loose batteries, liquids over 100 ml, food, and anything Australian quarantine cares about on the way in (untreated wood, seeds, soil on boots). Both sites publish a prohibited list. Read it before you tape the box shut.
Do people actually use these?
Thousands from the Irish Around Oz groups since 2014. Send My Bag’s own reviews run at over four and a half stars from tens of thousands of customers, and I have never had a member email me a horror story about either company. Compare that with Gumtree “man with a van” shipping offers, which I would not touch.
Sorting the rest of the move
- Money going home? Don’t use the bank. Read the money transfer guide or go straight to Wise. For a house sale sized amount use TorFX.
- Leaving for good? Join Irish Expats Returning to Ireland for the superannuation, tax and shipping questions everyone has.
- Just landing? Get travel insurance sorted before the bags arrive, and read the complete moving guide.
Ready to book?
Bags and boxes: Send My Bag, 5% off. Big move: Seven Seas Worldwide, 10% off the whole shipment on the online quote.
Best of luck with the move, whichever direction it’s in.
Stephen Palmer