Shipping goods to the Caribbean is one of the most stressful things you will have to deal with if you have a long-term relationship with any of the islands. Whichever island you’re dealing with, there can only be one key piece of advice. Use a reputable agent.
Finding a reputable agent however, doesn’t guarantee a pain-free experience, because people who ship goods are at the mercy of a confusing chain of people and bureaucracy with few trustworthy navigators around. A good place to start though, is the British International Freight Association which is a trade association for UK-registered freight companies.
The Geest Line operate a schedule to the Caribbean used by many UK agents. You can use the latest schedule to plan when to send your shipping and even send your goods directly with Geest. If you do decide to do it yourself you’ll need to get your goods, properly packed to the port before the closely date, and ensure you have all the paperwork you need.
If you’re doing the big move and re-locating, check that the company you’ve chosen is a member of the British Association of Removers (BAR) – again no promises or no pain, but an opportunity to seek redress if anything does go wrong. BAR have a separate register of international movers, just type in your postcode to find a company near you and look for one that specialises in the Caribbean.