The international moving industry hides its prices on purpose. Every quote requires a video survey, a six-week wait, and a sales call. That makes comparison hard and pricing opaque. After six years of watching Phuket newcomers struggle with this, here is the comparison I wish I had read before booking our own move.
I collected real 2026 quotes from six major movers shipping to Phuket — Crown, Allied/Pickfords, Sirva, Asian Tigers, Santa Fe and AGS — plus two regional players that come in cheaper (Siam Express and Boonma). All quotes are for the same brief: 20ft container, Stockholm/London to Phuket, door-to-door, 18 m³ of household goods, normal insurance, no fragile/specialist items.
The Phuket mover picture in 60 seconds (May 2026)
- 20ft container, door-to-door from Europe: USD 8,500–15,000 total
- 40ft container, door-to-door from Europe: USD 13,500–22,000 total
- Cheapest credible: Siam Express, AGS Movers (groupage), Asian Tigers (Thai-based pricing)
- Most premium: Crown Relocations, Sirva BGRS — corporate relocation pricing 30–60% above local
- Timeline: 8–14 weeks Europe→Phuket; 10–16 weeks US East Coast; 6–10 weeks Australia
- Phuket port: Sea Phuket container terminal at Ao Makham (south of Phuket Town)
- Customs: personal effects duty-free if shipped within 6 months of arrival on a long-term visa AND you have lived abroad 12+ months
- Always do: get 3 quotes minimum, ask which local Phuket partner they use, insist on the all-in DDP price (Delivered Duty Paid)
How shipping to Phuket actually works
Phuket is an island, but Sea Phuket container port at Ao Makham can take small container vessels directly. In practice almost all household-goods containers go via Bangkok's Laem Chabang port and then road-freight down to Phuket. From Laem Chabang to Phuket is about 14–16 hours by truck and costs THB 35,000–55,000 per 20ft on top of the sea freight.
The seven steps from booking to your stuff arriving in Rawai or Bang Tao:
- Video survey at origin. 30-minute call where you walk the mover through your house showing what is going. Quote follows within a week.
- Origin packing. 1–2 days at your house. Movers wrap, carton, label and load.
- Origin documentation and customs. Export declarations from your home country.
- Sea freight. 4–7 weeks Europe→Thailand; 5–8 weeks US→Thailand; 3–5 weeks Australia→Thailand.
- Thai customs at Laem Chabang. Document review, container inspection (random — about 15% of containers get a physical inspection). Personal-effects shipments under a one-year visa typically duty-free.
- Road transport to Phuket. 14–16 hours, one or two drivers depending on cargo.
- Phuket delivery and unpacking. Truck arrives at your Phuket address. Mover crew unloads and unpacks if your package includes it.
The six major movers compared
1. Crown Relocations
Premium corporate-relocation specialist — strongest end-to-end service
Crown is the highest-priced credible option and the one I would still choose for a corporate-funded move. Origin packing is professional. Inventory tracking is genuinely good — you get a portal showing every carton. Their Bangkok office handles Thai customs directly, and they have used Asian Tigers' Phuket depot as the final-delivery partner for several years. Claims handling on damage is the best of the bunch.
I would not use Crown for a self-funded move — you are paying 30–50% above the market for service that becomes marginal when it is your own money. Best when an employer pays.
2. Sirva BGRS / Allied / Pickfords
Sirva and Allied are the same company; Pickfords is the UK brand. Corporate-tier pricing.
Sirva/Allied is the second-tier corporate-mover option. Quality is broadly comparable to Crown. UK origin packing through Pickfords is excellent. Thai customs handled through their Bangkok partner. Final delivery in Phuket typically subcontracted to Siam Express or Boonma. I have heard fewer complaints about Pickfords UK→Phuket than about Allied US→Phuket, where the inbound documentation seems to slip more often.
3. Asian Tigers Premium Worldwide Movers
Strongest regional Asian presence — own Phuket depot, often best value-for-money
This is my recommendation for most self-funded moves to Phuket. Asian Tigers has been operating in Thailand since the 1980s, has their own warehouse and crew in Phuket (not subcontracted), and prices are 20–35% below Crown/Sirva for comparable service. From Singapore or Hong Kong they are the obvious choice — the regional infrastructure shortens timelines and prices.
One downside: their origin coverage outside Asia depends on local partners, so a Phoenix→Phuket move via Asian Tigers may have an unfamiliar US partner doing the origin packing. Verify which partner they use before booking from outside Asia.
4. Santa Fe Relocation
Regional HQ in Bangkok — competitive on Asian and European origins
Santa Fe sits between Asian Tigers and the corporate tier. Bangkok office is responsive, and they have a long-standing relationship with Crown's Thai operations (meaning they share some local infrastructure). For European departures they are competitive on price; for US East Coast they were 15% above Asian Tigers in my comparison. Customer service is reliable but feels less personal than Asian Tigers.
5. AGS Movers
Strong on groupage (LCL) — best for small loads under 10 m³
AGS is the value option among the global names. They specialise in groupage (sharing a container with other shipments) and Less-than-Container Load freight, which is genuinely useful if you are moving 5–12 m³ rather than 18+. For a full 20ft container the price advantage narrows. Origin packing is competent but timelines run longer because groupage waits for the container to fill.
From France, Belgium, Switzerland and other AGS-strong origins, they are often the cheapest credible mover. From the UK or US they are middle of the pack.
6. Siam Express (Phuket-based)
Local Phuket partner used by the global names — sometimes cheaper to book direct
Siam Express is the local Thai partner the big names quietly use for the Phuket leg of many moves. They have their own depot near Phuket Town and crews in Chalong, Rawai and Bang Tao. If you book them direct (rather than through a global mover) you cut out the international mark-up — they will still arrange the sea freight through their freight-forwarder partners. Quote process is less polished than the global brands but pricing is 25–40% lower.
The trade-off: less hand-holding on origin packing, less polished claims-handling, and you handle some of the back-and-forth yourself. Worth it if you are self-funding and comfortable with a less corporate experience.
Get free quotes from 3 movers before you commit
The single biggest mistake Phuket newcomers make is taking the first quote. Always get three — one corporate-tier (Crown/Sirva), one regional (Asian Tigers/Santa Fe), one budget (Siam Express/AGS).
Get our mover shortlist →Phuket Customs — what they actually look at
The single largest cause of delay is Customs clearance. Movers prepare the paperwork but you provide the inputs, and small errors create big problems.
For personal-effects exemption you need:
- Long-term visa stamped in your passport (LTR, Non-Imm O retirement, Non-Imm B work, Education, Marriage — DTV exemption is conditional, ask the mover specifically).
- Evidence you have been continuously abroad for 12+ months before the move.
- Shipment must be cleared within 6 months of your first entry to Thailand on the qualifying visa.
- Detailed inventory in English (every carton's contents listed, with approximate values).
- Passport copy of the principal applicant.
- Power of attorney for the mover to handle customs on your behalf.
Things that always attract duty regardless of personal-effects status:
- New electronics (anything bought within 6 months of shipping). Duty 0–30% plus 7% VAT.
- Alcohol over 1 litre per person. Extremely high duty.
- Tobacco over the personal allowance.
- Drones over 0.25kg require an NBTC permit before arrival.
- Weapons of any kind — including airsoft, decorative samurai swords, and crossbows. Often confiscated.
- Used cars are notoriously difficult to import. Many people sell at origin and buy locally.
- Motorbikes similar — Thailand has high duty on imported motorcycles.
The "should I even ship?" calculation
For most newcomers moving to Phuket, the honest answer is "ship less than you think." Furniture in Phuket is cheap, made-to-measure cabinet work in Chalong or Phuket Town is affordable, electronics are at near-international prices at Robinson at Central Festival or Power Buy at Jungceylon.
What is worth shipping:
- Books, photographs, art with sentimental value.
- High-quality kitchenware (Le Creuset, KitchenAid) — expensive to replace.
- Specialist hobby gear (musical instruments, professional bikes, hand tools).
- Children's familiar toys and clothes.
- Quality bedding and high-thread-count linens — Thai sheets are made for the Thai climate but the quality varies.
What is usually not worth shipping:
- Large furniture — local teak and rattan in Phuket is excellent and cheaper than Western imports.
- Mattresses — heat and humidity wear them differently here; buy local.
- Heavy electronics (washing machines, fridges) — Thai units are designed for the climate.
- Most clothing — you will buy lighter clothes within weeks anyway.
- Heaters of any kind.
I shipped a 20ft container in 2020 and would do it differently now. If I were doing the move today I would ship 8–12 m³ of personal items via groupage at around USD 4,500–6,500 total, and buy everything else in Phuket. The 20ft container ended up holding too much furniture that did not suit Phuket houses or did not survive the humidity.
Insurance — is it worth it?
Most international movers offer all-risk insurance at 2.5–4% of declared value. On a USD 25,000 declared shipment that is USD 600–1,000. From experience: yes, take it. Containers get damaged in transit more often than the industry advertises — I know two Phuket arrivals whose containers were involved in road incidents on the Laem Chabang–Phuket route, and both had non-trivial claims.
The fine print to read: deductibles (usually USD 250–500 per claim), high-value item declarations (anything over USD 500 typically needs separate listing), and the difference between "marine insurance" (covers sea voyage only) and "all-risk transit insurance" (covers door-to-door). Choose all-risk.