How Packers and Movers Work

09-Aug-2020

Everything about Packers and Movers

Packers vs Movers – We need to know that packers and movers are two separate entities (Three in some cases).

Packers – Packers are those who help in packing your household goods (or office goods) using various packing techniques.
Loading and Unloading (In most cases loading and unloading is done by Packers themselves)
Movers – Movers are transporters who move your goods and have their fleets (trucks).

Virtual Shipment is an open platform where both Packers as well as Movers can place a bid on your shipment. Virtual shipment is not biased toward any transport Service Provider provides an open platform where TSP can view the quotation provided by other TSP as well. Which let them provide better costing and services to compete with other TSP.

Types of Packers and Movers – In most cases Packing and Moving is to be done by 2 separate entities.

Brokerage / Franchise Based – Most of the big names like Agarwal P&P, Maxwell relocators, Om P&M, Happy P&M, Royal P&M, etc work on this model. They have contracts with various fleet owners or small transportation companies and with various local Packers who provide their service to the big companies.

Cons – They are very expensive because the commission is to be paid (commission amount can be some % to a fixed amount) to the fleet owners and packaging companies and they keep the high margin for themselves.

Pros – They have their standards of providing service. Every fleet owner and packing service provider needs to follow a set of guidelines to maintain the standards. These big names also provide transit insurance for your shipment.

Provide Packing & Outsource Transport – Majority of the Packers and Movers are under this category. Most of the P&M you found on google or around yourself (local P&M shops near you) provide the Packaging and loading/unloading services, whereas the transportation is to be done by the third party.

Cons – Commission is charged on transportation which increases the cost to the shipping customer. quality of the packaging is not audited by any third party so sometimes the quality of the packaging is not up to the mark.

Pros – They have their packing material and loading/unloading service which reduces the packaging cost. The packaging is done by experts.

Provide Transportation & outsource Packaging – Companies like Om logistics, AVL Logistics, Gati, etc have a well-established network of fleets (franchised based, not the fleet owner), so companies like them manage the transportation by themselves but outsource the packaging to the third party. So, the commission is charged for the packaging.
Provide both Packing & Moving – Few companies provide both packing and moving by themselves.

Pros – No commission to be paid. Single point of contact. Quality improves.

Cons – Very few provide both services, so difficult to find one, other types of P&M do not disclose their operational structure.

Virtual Shipment is an open platform where any TSP (Transport Service Provider) can provide their quotation. From Packers and movers have the global presence to small scale P&M. Virtual Shipment is equal for all. You can book a TSP as per your requirement. Whether it’s costing or service, Virtual Shipment has a diversity of Transport Service Provider and P&M.

Type of service provided by Packers & Movers –

White Gloves – Service with the highest level of care. The service provider will pack/wrap, load/unload, place anywhere on-premises, setup items & remove the packing material.
Blanket Wrap – The service provider will carefully blanket wrap & load/unload items. Inside pickup and delivery to the first floor are included.
Crate packaging – Crate packaging – A crate could be a large shipping container, often manufactured from wood, typically accustomed transport or store large, heavy items. Crates can be made of wood, plastic, metal, or other materials.
Part Load & Packaging – Part Load Freight and Packaging service is traditionally used to transport business goods but can also be used by individuals in some cases. The Service Provider will arrange for the items to be boxed, palletized, or crated under freight standards. The freight company will load the items into the vehicle and transport them through the established hub-and-spoke network system used for freight transport. At the delivery location, the freight company will unload the items to the curb or loading bay. Optional "extra" services, such as indoor collection and residential services are available for an additional fee.
Full Truck Load & packaging – Complete load space is dedicated to the specific customer only and packaging also provided.

Virtual Shipment helps you to connect with the TSP who provides you the type of services that you are looking for.

Insurance provided – No matter how much a P&M claim about the quality of their packing, sometimes fragile items like glasses material may get damaged. So, ask them about assurance. Talk to them about the breakage which may be caused during the process, do they take the responsibility and do they offer Insurance of your goods. Secondly, you never know what will happen when your shipment is in transit. In case of accidents or any natural damages, you may need to claim the insurance. There 2 types of insurances that can be provided by the Packers and movers.

Transit insurance – This type of insurance includes the damages that may happen while the shipment is in transit. Eg. in case of accidents, natural disasters, theft, etc. the total insurance amount may vary between 1% to 2% of the total insured amount. (Customer can not Claim This insurance in case of any deliberate losses)
End to end insurance – This type of insurance includes the damages that may happen while packing, unpacking, loading or unloading of household stuff plus while the shipment is in transit. Eg. in case of accidents, natural disasters, theft, etc. the total insurance amount may vary between 2.5% to 3.5% of the total insured amount. (Customer can not Claim This insurance in case of any deliberate losses)

Virtual Shipment’s TSA Tool (Transporter’s Security Access)– In any case, transporter deliberately theft your consignment, ask for an extra amount to deliver your shipment, do not respond after the pickup, make any loss or damage where you cannot claim Transit insurance, do not provide you the documents to be provided to claim the transit insurance or refuses to deliver your shipment then you can get the security amount by the bank. All you need is to apply for TSA while booking the service provider and this will indemnify your shipments. It is to be kept in mind that TSA is different from Transit Insurance / Cargo Insurance. TSA’s major concern is to provide you hassle-free shipping, it assures you a responsible behavior of the transporter. Registered Transporters submit the bank bonds for the security, these bonds can be accessed by the Customers in case of deliberate losses caused by your TSP (Transporter Service Provider).

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