If you're moving from Berkeley to Bombay ;) and need to ship your life's possessions, do not use sea shipping. They gouge you by making you pay twice as much to get it out of the port than you did to ship things half way around the world!
I had just about the worst experience you can have doing this:
I used DiscountShipping.com, a Boston-based company in the U.S. who neglected to inform me about the extortionally high services taxes, fees and bribes I would need to pay once I reached India (in spite of me specifically asking them what I can expect). I paid $250 to ship three large bags to Bombay from San Francisco (Good deal, I thought!). Six weeks after I arrived, I had to pay another $200 (Rs. 8000) to the Bombay agents Freight Systems. Besides, I had to hire another shipping agent to deal with the port authorities and spend a whole day in a grubby Bombay port office myself!
My advice: It's better to simply pay excess baggage charges and take the bags with you. If you do have to use sea shipping, make sure to read the fine print and ensure that the bill of lading discloses all the fees you will receive on the other side.
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