International Movers

Hello everyone, hope you are all well and safe.
Wondering if any of you have a favorite International moving company you have used to move to the Lakeside area. Will be coming all the way from Alaska, so that might factor into it if they only deal with the lower 48, Alaska not being a state and all.....
Thanks very much.

There is really not enough information in your post to nail down your request but here are some options and it's going to depend on you and how much stuff you want/need to move. I've moved from one side of Canada to the other using a Ryder truck. You pack it, you drive it and you unload it.
Moving to Mexico from Ontario was going to cost nearly 10,000 Canadian dollars in 1996. Uh uh, no way.
Remember that most rentals here are furnished but I don't know if you already have a home.
So, this was my start google point for you...
https://www.google.com.mx/search?source=hp&ei=BSIrYJb9DM64tQWU2Z2gBw&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYCswFZ_M5gH25wFp_6E8waTsIeLAjtmy&q=are+Ryder+rental+trucks+available+in+Alaska%3F&oq=are+Ryder+rental+trucks+available+in+Alaska%3F&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAwyBQghEKABMgUIIRCgAToCCAA6CAguEMcBEKMCOgIILjoFCC4QkwI6BggAEBYQHjoFCAAQhgM6CAghEBYQHRAeOgQIIRAKOgcIIRAKEKABUIlDWI6lAmC01QJoBnAAeAGAAa4EiAGdNpIBDTEwLjM2LjEuMC4xLjKYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=gws-wiz&ved=0ahUKEwjWk_C-ou3uAhVOXK0KHZRsB3QQ4dUDCAo
The first ad caught my eye.
So pick a destination on the border with Mexico that is comfortable and then get any other company here like Strom White to go pick it up for the rest of the journey down here along with your detailed Casa de Menaje for importation of your personal stuff with your Immigration status.
I don't think it's worth the hassle or expense. We put the equivalent of a one bedroom apartment worth of stuff in storage JUST IN CASE Mexico didn't work out for us and we wanted to return to Canada. YMMV.

May be worth looking into shipping via sea in a 20f container  if Manzanillo,Colima or Mazatlan would work

That would be the most cost efficient however many maritime shipping companies do not accept personal belongings. Shipping from Alaska via road with a moving company will be very expensive. I have a friend who just shipped a 53' trailer worth of furnishings here from Ontario and it was 50k CDN.

Unless you're talking about pricelss heirlooms and/or valuable antiques, you're way better off skipping the shipping. The situation here in this area includes a number of places selling very lightly used furnishings from the estates of retired expats. New furniture of Mexican and imported origin is reasonably priced and very available.

My husband and I moved it ALL from our California home because we were fond of it and didn't know the above. That was 16 years ago and it cost us $10,000 U.S. In retrospect, that was a bad choice.

Meanwhile, welcome and best of luck!

We moved little and I stilldo not think it was worthit.. I paid with some wine I sold but really if I had to do it again I would come down with the clothes on my back.. We accumulate too much stuff and it is a chance to start new..

My apologies for the vagueness of the question, I should have given more details. What I plan on keeping would fit in a not so big U-Haul box truck. My preference is a moving company just so I dont have to deal with it and can enjoy the trip down. Bringing a vehicle and my motorcycle are my two biggest concerns. I could always put the bike in the truck and tow a vehicle down, but I prefer to travel small and light for convenience.
After gathering some info it is looking that a U-Haul would be the cheaper option, just not the most convenient. Thanks very much for all your help.

If you're planning a permanent move, you would be better off packing up your motocycle in the U-haul and selling your vehicle because of the fees for bringing it and the necessity of getting rid of it if you go for "Permanente" status. In this area, there is a vehicle dealer, S&S auto, who can make the process of replacing it with a new or used car painless.

Thank you Gringal, that was something I was looking into due to fees involved. Still haven't waded through all the rules/regs in regards to citizenship status. Some of these are a tougher read than my Aviation Manuals!!!!!

I also recommend S&S auto. Remember that older vehicles here are in much better shape that any of the same age NOB. We bought a 2007 Nissan Tiida Hatchback from S&S auto in 2012 with about 25,000 km on it. I still drive it and the speedometer just clicked over 52,000 km. and still has no rust or problems.

my godson drives our Nisan Xtrail 2004 back and forth to Guadalajara everyday , so far so good

Love it Brigitte! There are also some very talented mechanics and body work experts here.

"It isn't citizenship status you need to research, it's residency status. Becoming a citizen requires many years as a resident and reasonable proficiency in Spanish."

Thank you, I knew I was using wrong terminology!!

We sold everything and flew down with our luggage and a dog. Bringing anything didn't make financial sense as replacing it was cheaper. If you are coming for good best to sell the vehicles and replace here. Once you gain permanent residency status you are not allowed to have foreign plated vehicles in the country.

Bearded Beemer wrote:My apologies for the vagueness of the question, I should have given more details. What I plan on keeping would fit in a not so big U-Haul box truck. My preference is a moving company just so I dont have to deal with it and can enjoy the trip down. Bringing a vehicle and my motorcycle are my two biggest concerns. I could always put the bike in the truck and tow a vehicle down, but I prefer to travel small and light for convenience.
After gathering some info it is looking that a U-Haul would be the cheaper option, just not the most convenient. Thanks very much for all your help.

U-Haul nor any other US rental company allows their vehicles or trailers to cross the border.

If you are driving solo with a truck pulling a vehicle, you cannot personally bring 2 vehicles into Mex (neither at one time, nor separately). One vehicle import sticker per person, period. If you have a partner coming with you, you will need to be sure each vehicle is in one of your names (not jointly).

If you come down as tourist all your vehicles need to leave at expiration of tourist visa (usually 180 days).

"U-Haul nor any other US rental company allows their vehicles or trailers to cross the border.

If you are driving solo with a truck pulling a vehicle, you cannot personally bring 2 vehicles into Mex (neither at one time, nor separately). One vehicle import sticker per person, period. If you have a partner coming with you, you will need to be sure each vehicle is in one of your names (not jointly).

If you come down as tourist all your vehicles need to leave at expiration of tourist visa (usually 180 days)."

Yes, finding out the hard way that bringing stuff is not as easy at it should be, especially from so far away. With U-Haul and others not an option, was thinking of buying a box truck to move down in, then driving it to Texas and selling it. Not sure how that would work if there was a motorcycle in the back at the border crossing into Mexico. I have lots to research.
Wondering if that would work as a tourist since I would be ditching the truck shortly after moving there.

You'd still have a motorcycle with Alaskan plates. You must realize that you can only keep it with Alaskan plates if you come down using a Temporal. The Temporal must be applied for at a Mexican Consulate in the U.S. and is good for a specified amount of time until you get into Mexico and then you must immediately start to complete the process at INM in Chapala. That Temporal can be renewed every year for four years during which time you can use your foreign plated motorcycle.
If you opt for Permanente then your motorcycle has to be nationalized at the border which equals big bucks and inconvenience.
Lots of decisions.

Bearded Beemer wrote: With U-Haul and others not an option, was thinking of buying a box truck to move down in, then driving it to Texas and selling it. Not sure how that would work if there was a motorcycle in the back at the border crossing into Mexico. I have lots to research.
Wondering if that would work as a tourist since I would be ditching the truck shortly after moving there.

The GVWR of a box truck might be an issue.
https://www.mexicomike.com/livebetter/car_permit.htm
From the 2020-2021 rules, Vehicle permits (TIPS) are no longer issued to non-Motorhome vehicles with a GVWR greater than 7,714 pounds.

BisbeeGal wrote:

Bearded Beemer wrote: With U-Haul and others not an option, was thinking of buying a box truck to move down in, then driving it to Texas and selling it. Not sure how that would work if there was a motorcycle in the back at the border crossing into Mexico. I have lots to research.
Wondering if that would work as a tourist since I would be ditching the truck shortly after moving there.

The GVWR of a box truck might be an issue.
https://www.mexicomike.com/livebetter/car_permit.htm
From the 2020-2021 rules, Vehicle permits (TIPS) are no longer issued to non-Motorhome vehicles with a GVWR greater than 7,714 pounds.

That is unfortunate.

Another possibly minor hitch. Many moving companies insist on their people to pack the boxes. Otherwise anything missing or broken is not insured.

I think everyone's situation is a little different.  My wife and I and four dogs moved here from Washington State. We purchased a used box van and loaded it up with all of the items we felt we would need here.
There were several pieces of furniture all of our good cookware, dishes, clothing, my tools, two barbeques and some other items.
We wanted to cross the boarder at Nogales. That was the shortest route for us to take.  
We found a moving company in Guadalajara ( Semmi Logistics) that would pick our stuff up and deliver it to our new home here in Chapala.
To make a long story short, we loaded up the box truck, hooked our Jeep Liberty to the back and off we went with our four dogs. Got to Nogales unloaded our stuff at a warehouse there sold the box truck on site.
Next day we were off across the boarder first thing in the morning.   Three days later we were driving up to our new home here in Chapala  
To this day there are very few things that we brought down with us that we have not used and enjoyed.
I see many people who have sold everything and replaced those items here.
But for myself and my wife who enjoying cooking there is no way we could fine these items locally.
OH, and my tools.
Worked for us.  

Excellent Halfglass! What you did is basically what I was recommending in my first post except you bought the truck instead of renting a Ryder truck. What was the name and contact information of the warehouse where you stashed your stuff for pick up by Semmi Logistics? And which immigration status did you have? I guess the answer to that last question would depend on when you did it because immigration things sure have gotten more complicated in the last 10 years.

Halfglass wrote:I think everyone's situation is a little different.  My wife and I and four dogs moved here from Washington State. We purchased a used box van and loaded it up with all of the items we felt we would need here.
There were several pieces of furniture all of our good cookware, dishes, clothing, my tools, two barbeques and some other items.
We wanted to cross the boarder at Nogales. That was the shortest route for us to take.  
We found a moving company in Guadalajara ( Semmi Logistics) that would pick our stuff up and deliver it to our new home here in Chapala.
To make a long story short, we loaded up the box truck, hooked our Jeep Liberty to the back and off we went with our four dogs. Got to Nogales unloaded our stuff at a warehouse there sold the box truck on site.
Next day we were off across the boarder first thing in the morning.   Three days later we were driving up to our new home here in Chapala  
To this day there are very few things that we brought down with us that we have not used and enjoyed.
I see many people who have sold everything and replaced those items here.
But for myself and my wife who enjoying cooking there is no way we could fine these items locally.
OH, and my tools.
Worked for us.  

TOOLS! As a retiring aircraft mechanic, I do not want to part with my mini van size tool box full of stuff!! That, honestly, is my biggest concern.

I certainly get that. Just remember that Mexico is a metric country... and their metric system is even slightly different from Canada's. Just ask everyone who brought down a repair piece for the Canadian van we drove down in. I specifically bought a van that had a presence in Mexico to avoid that. Didn't quite work out.
Just keep those kind of things in mind. Yeah, I know, it's a minefield.