We trusted Bloom for our move to Austria in July 2021. We got our items 8 agonizing months later. No communication from Martijn Blumenthal, unless we pleaded for updates. We ended up having to duplicate so many home goods because we simply could not wait any longer for our personal items to arrive. In the end, it was costlier than going with one of the larger moving companies. All this happened amid the Covid crisis and the shipping container chaos. Clearly Bloom International was not the right company to use for navigating the shipping mess in these uncertain times. Other than a crack in an art frame and slight damage to a kids' night light, everything else miraculously was in order. Still, I would not recommend that you use this company for an international move. read more

STAY AWAY! Using Bloom for our move to Europe was the worst mistake I have made in many years. We packed up our house in SF in July 2021. It is now end of January 2022 and we have still not received our goods. Yes, there is a container shortage, and yes ports had been clogged, but several friends who move at the same period and have used other larger international & national companies had their property delivered with small delays only. All we received are promises and periodic emails of yet another delay. This company has no respect for your belongings, the severe financial damage they create or your personal situation. I am considering legal action and can only strongly recommend to anybody to stay away from this provider. read more

Martijn is a broker who will hire movers for you at source and destination and book your container onto a container ship. My general experience with Martijn was good, although not perfect - so I would recommend him - but you should be aware of what service he offers and its limitations. I shipped a full house of furniture from San Francisco (port of Oakland) to Dublin, Ireland. Martijn was not nearly the cheapest quote I got - but there are lots of scammy shipping brokers out there and I was wary of the guys that were just too cheap. Unlike what I've read from reviews of other shippers, Martijn was very accurate in sizing the amount of container space I would need: for an eight room house - my furniture took up about 70% of a 45 foot container. There's no way it would have fit a 25 footer (which another shipper had said was all I needed - presumably so I'd accept their initial lower quote). I was very happy with the movers that Martijn found for San Francisco. They packed everything very well, documented every piece of furniture and didn't damage any of the walls moving furniture into the container. (BTW try to get furniture moved directly into the container rather than shuttled because you won't see how the furniture is packed for ship transit). I moved quite a few large pieces of art and the crating was done well. The only real damage was to a steel garbage can which was banged about quite a bit. (US movers expect an additional tip BTW). The movers on the Dublin side were only ok. They were inflexible on the date to move furniture into the house, moved furniture into wrong rooms (had to rearrange afterwards) and didn't take away any of the packing boxes and padding material - which filled a small room. That said, they were careful on the move-in and I could only find one or two small dings in the furniture. Now for the negatives and things to watch out for: - I was assured that the 3 days (I think - maybe 5?) demurrage included would be all that was needed. That was simply false - it took almost three weeks to get customs clearance and I had to pay extra for the storage. - Since I was traveling several weeks after the shipment, I had to pay full customs duty on the initial import with the promise that it would be easy to get a refund once I arrived in country. But it took almost three months chasing the customs agent to get her to file for a refund and she charged me an extra fee for doing it. - Once the container was on the ship - there was no follow-up from Martijn apart from an (inaccurate) update on location. Although he estimated 6 weeks to arrival, it took almost three months door-to-door (September 9th to December 5th). I kind of expected that from reading other reviews - but seriously - do not believe claims of fast shipment - there is just no control over exactly when your container is going to show up - be at peace with it (and assume at least a three month journey). BTW - the standard terms and conditions don't cover anything and you'll need to buy insurance to get protection for anything. I ended up not filing any insurance claims because the movers were pretty careful - so I can't say whether the insurance that Martijn provided (another $3k!) would have paid out easily. By agreement with Martijn, I held back 10% of the fee until 3 days before final delivery - I would recommend you do at least the same. But when the US mover asked me for a check the 10% was included - I had to call Martijn to remind him of the agreement. Martijn then tried to get me to pay the 10% earlier than agreed - which I said no to. So, there you go. Overall, an above average experience - I think - in a pretty bad industry. read more

I moved from San Francisco to Zurich a few months ago and Bloom Relocations was the best choice of movers I could have made. From getting a quote to the actual move, Martijn and his team made it a very painless process. They patiently answered any and all questions and when we encountered some hick-ups during the days of packing and loading (elevator out of order and unannounced fire alarm testing) the moving crew never complained and just worked around the complications without losing a beat. Communication throughout the process was also very good. We were always kept updated about where our container was, when it was expected to arrive at the destination and what the next steps would be once it got there. This was not only helpful but also very much appreciated. The company Bloom worked with to handle the move on the Swiss-side were also super professional and quick. I highly recommend Bloom International Relocations! read more

I just moved to London from San Francisco (for the second time, no less), and I have never had such an easy time of the shipping process as I did with Bloom International. Every shipping company I've used in the past (found online) has been a mess of hard-to-reach people, convoluted forms, insane prices, dodgy last-minute fees ('last minute port charge--pay up if you want your goods'), and mysterious delays of my delivery (in the form of months overdue, not just weeks). I was beginning to despair of ever finding a shipping company that operated with any sort of integrity when I came across this yelp review of Bloom. It had only been reviewed once, but Heather L. was convincing and I was desperate, so I went for it. I too worked with Martijn, and he was not only present and attentive during the entire (remarkably easy) process, but he answered all of my questions promptly and honestly. He even (patiently) answered my thousands of inane emailed inquiries while on vacation, which was unbearably nice. I never felt once like he was just telling me what I wanted to hear. He was forthright about the entire process and straightforward about costs and timings. His rates were notably better than the other companies I used, and he was also willing to tell me how to save money, even if it meant at a loss to Bloom. I would use Bloom for any future overseas relocation; they made it easy and took away the stress of what's always been (for me) the worst part of moving. read more

The only thing wrong with Bloom Relocations is that it'll make you dangerously naive that moving around the world is easy. I have nothing but good things to say about Martijn and his team. Everything was straight forward-- they showed up exactly when they said they would, the final bill was exactly what the quote was, our stuff arrived in Norway exactly when it was supposed to (to the day, I think!), and not a thing broke. They were easy to reach and flexible with our requests. We went with "door to port" to save some dough, but next time I would do "door to door" as the only time things got a little difficult was when it was out of Martijn's hands and we had to deal with another company. Let them handle it the whole way. read more

My family and I moved from the Netherlands to Texas and Bloom coordinated the operations between the Dutch moving company, the shipping company and the local Texan movers. The whole process has been a nightmare! We were supposed to have paid for everything including delivery and assembly but we ended up having to pay an extra $1500 for our stuff to be unloaded from the ship (after 2 weeks of exchanging nonsensical emails) and it took 4 weeks after our stuff arrived until they completed the assembly job on our wardrobe. To be fair I am not sure how much is Bloom's fault and how much is the fault of the other parties involved. But there is clearly a lack of communication between them that led to all of the problems we encountered. In the end (after many phone calls and emails) the people from Bloom took responsibility and arranged the final assembly of the wardrobe but I feel like I really had to push them, otherwise they would probably have ignored us. read more

My husband and I used Bloom for our move to London recently. Martijn was extremely helpful and available throughout the process, and took a lot of time to explain the process to first time international shippers. He also went out of his way to explain any comments in yelp that I had questions about. His people who came in to retrieve our boxes and paperwork were also friendly, efficient and helpful. We had most of our house packed, but decided to ask them to pack our kitchen. They were in and out in an hour and a half. It was fast and efficient. All of our stuff got to our flat in London in perfect condition, nothing missing and nothing broken. We packed quite a bit of fragile materials so we were pleasantly surprised when we unpacked to find everything in tact. I would recommend these guys for any and all moving needs. Thanks a lot, Martijn! read more

So when I decided to move clear across the world I had absolutely no idea who to turn to. Did a few yelp searches and got nada. Did some yelp posting questions and then was even more overwhelmed. I was given a lot of great information but really when I just did a simple google search I found Bloom International. Martijn is the person that I spoke to and dealt with for the entire process. Lucky for me they are located in San Francisco so I just drove on over to see what would happen to my things once I handed them over. Martjin was very nice and gave me some great information that I took with me when I called other places. After a lot of research I felt that Bloom was the most cost effective, friendly and trustworthy out of the bunch. They can do whatever you want. You can drop your things off, they can come pick it up or they can even pack everything for you. I decided to do door to door service as I had no desire to deal with customs or movers in New Zealand. Moving day came and it was a snap. Two very professional guys came and got all of my things. They were in and out in less than 30 minutes, including paperwork. My things arrived in New Zealand in less time than I expected (3-4 weeks) and all were in good condition. Martijn coordinated with a moving company out here who got my things through customs and hand delivered them to my home. I HIGHLY recommend Bloom International if you are considering any kind of overseas move. I can not tell you how nice it is to have your things when you are so far away from home. read more

Having done the international relocation thing a few times before, I was ready for the worst as I planned to move from SF to London. But Martijn and his team were phenomenal! First they dropped off boxes for me to do any self packing, but were more than happy for me to leave the fragile items to their team. I had my items in storage for a few months with them and when everything did ship, it arrived in four weeks without a scratch. As I sit here unpacking the boxes, buried in a sea of wrapping paper, I can see just how carefully everything was packed up - from my furniture to my stemware. The local agents here in the UK were great as well. They did charge me for my higher than first floor delivery, but it was only £75 for fourth floor, which was perfectly reasonable in my book and I knew this would be the case as it was clearly documented in the contract. All in all, it went better than I could have imagined, fast, nothing broken, great service all around. Anyone considering a long distance move should definitely check out Bloom. read more

Bloom made our move ridiculously easy, with excellent customer service from the very first email in SF, all the way 'till our boxes were stacked in our London apartment. Not only were their prices fair and accurate from the estimate to the bill, but their speed and efficiency for the pick up and delivery days was really impressive. All my stuff was in the shape we left it, my sensitive computers and glassware made it through no problem. To top it off, when we got to London and had a horrific time finding a flat, Bloom (and their London affiliate) were able to keep our stuff in storage for three months for a totally normal flat fee, when I was fully expecting to get reamed. A+ If the next move goes half as smooth, I'd be lucky. read more

After a failed attempt using ShipSmart, Bloom came through quickly and hassle-free. They showed up on time, charged a reasonable amount, and took care of everything without any issues. Impressive company. read more

We used Bloom International Relocations for a move to Spain. I am American, my wife is Spanish. The Good: The company did a good job at getting us ready for the move, packing us up, and shipping us off. Their rates were reasonable as well. The Bad: We were moving a car to Spain. It was just in my name, and I asked if I needed to put the car in both my wife's and my name. I was told that it wouldn't be necessary. This caused our entire shipment (because the car was packed with the rest of our house) to be held in a dock in Valencia for a month with us paying the dock fees. In the end we had to pay 3200 euros in import duties as well to bring the car into the country. We then had to spend months going through all of the paperwork required to register the car to be driven in Spain because I had to get my residency first. That was another 3 1/2 months of us renting a car during this time. If the car had had my wife's name on it, none of this would have happened. I can understand that mistakes are made. What I can't understand is that Bloom International didn't really help at all during this time, nor did they offer any refund, or even just a simple apology. Especially since I specifically asked if not having my wife's name on the car would be an issue. It is now 11 months after the move and today we finally got the 3200 euros returned with zero support from Bloom. (Note that the company that they hired to handle the move in Spain did help us with some of the paperwork.) read more

I recently moved from SF to Copenhagen and since there were so many good reviews for Bloom Int. I decided to go with them. The service was great from start to finish. After first contact Martijn had assisted me with a rough estimate of how much everything would cost. He gave me a few options to choose from and broke out the pricing in a very understandable way for each option that I chose. They are pretty flexible and allowed me to save a few dollars by bringing my stuff down to the warehouse myself for packaging and shipment. When I got to the warehouse the guys there were friendly and helpful, and even helped me unload my stuff into a crate. The estimate was spot on and there were no changes to the price like a lot of other moving companies I've dealt with like to do once they know there's no turning back. Everything was packed away well and they gave me a rough idea when I would see my stuff again over in Copenhagen. The company they chose to bring my stuff from the port to my apartment was also top notch. My stuff came a little earlier than anticipated but the company here allowed me to delay delivery free of charge so that I could have them deliver my stuff the same day I had other furniture delivered. They brought the boxes all the way up to my door and offered to take away the cardboard once I was done unpacking. They also gave me a little welcoming package with some snacks and cleaning products to help me get started here. I had a great experience, and most important of all there were no sudden changes in price at any step of the process. I'm really glad I found Bloom to help me with my move. read more

Absolutely amazing. I have never seen this good service. Thanks a lot to Renato and Rocky - awesome work!! Would take these guys again any day!!! read more

WARNING! Do not use this company. They ruined all our stuff and did not even care. They even lied about it. We chose them because they had good reviews here on YELP but those must be made up because we have never encountered a worse international mover - and we have moved overseas four times. Stay away from this company if you want a professional company that keeps your stuff safe. read more

THE WORST. Blum & Co. picked up our shipment in mid May. Our delivery arrived in London in mid September. (!!) The packers and Blum himself were pleasant and prompt, but apparently their control over our shipment ended once our furniture left the shores of San Francisco. After waiting for months, we were told to contact a second, completely new company in the UK and when we did they were rude, dismissive, and refused to give us a delivery date. When the shipment did arrive it was sent via a THIRD company about whom we knew nothing. I'd urge you to find a shipping company that has some degree of communication and control over what happens to your furniture once it lands in the country of destination, because Blum & co. were clueless. Four months, I mean, c'mon! read more

Long response from the owner maybe? Honestly Martin just didn't care much...called, left msg, emailed and at first shucks, no prob everything fine as plenty of time to deal with my shipment...then nothing for days while I'm sorting out a USD vs RMB wire which remit forms from the bank was sent to both Bloom and China counterpart. But no response from Bloom as I was kept getting ignored...I have the email thread and phone records etc. The movers were good guys (even tip them after paying $840 cash) and my own movers helped them move about 1/3 of the stuff from truck. But I had to pay the CASH before unloading....in this day and age who does that! On top of that...I'm missing items but that could've happened in China or transit. Just be aware when contracting with China Movers that you have an agreement with the US agent too as basically Bloom listens only to their China client as they treated me not as their customer! read more

I was relocating from the Bay Area to the Czech Republic. The shipment took about 2 months (about 2 weeks longer than estimated) but everything arrived in order and undamaged. Martijn gave me suggestions on how to save money (pack myself and bring my boxes to his warehouse myself) and was very responsive to all my inquiries about the status of my shipment. Would definitely recommend his company. read more

To Martijn at Bloom: This is a belated thanks for my move from San Francisco to Australia's Gold Coast. It all went perfect. I couldn't be happier. Your personal service and the providers you used were fantastic. The price was very good too. I couldn't have been happier. Please feel free to use me as a referee. Andrew (This is a cut and paste of an email I sent Martijn). I moved from SF to Australia's Gold Coast in April 2012. read more

Martijn Blumenthal provided clear and helpful information and status updates throughout the import process, followed up fast and patiently on any questions I had, and went out of his way to address any exceptions arising during the often unpredictable container arrival process. Thanks for your great support! read more

Martijn was great. He helped us get our belongings after a long and arduous relocation from the Far East. Fast and responsive. Very courteous and professional. read more

Our family has lived all over the world through the military. Now that my husband is retired we had the daunting task of entrusting our most sentimental items to a moving company. The owners of Bloom Movers , Martyn and Michelle were so reassuring and understanding. I was so relieved to find even our tiny Japanese tea cups arrived safely. You are in good hands with Bloom read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS COMPANY !!! Very unprofessional. The company has no ethics and does not believe in customer satisfaction. Delivery was deliberately delayed for weeks (now ... may be months after reading this review) without any updates and information. I am seeking legal option to sue them for delivery and condition of goods. read more

Martijn was very nice, professional, helpful and available throughout the whole process! Great experience! We recommend this company to anyone who needs a relocation. read more

Our family has done multiple moves internationally (England to California), within California, and within countries in Europe. We are therefore familiar with the difficulties involved in moving overseas. Our initial contacts with Martijn were adequate. That said, Bloom's movers (4-5 men) were of varying experiences, ie two were unpaid interns from Ireland with no experience - this is what they told us. Hence compared to other companies we have used, the packing and loading was quite long and drawn out for a moderate size living space. The packing and loading took two days in total. Our biggest problem occurred up to and during the delivery of our goods to our European destination. Bloom contracts with a locally based company and this local company was very inadequate. We agreed services with Bloom which were not carried out by the local company (services that are written in the contract and were paid to Bloom) and we were left / are left to sort this out ourselves. Bloom and the local company did not usefully communicate what was needed from us, and as stated did not fulfill the agreed contract between Bloom and ourselves, and Bloom has washed their hands of all of the problems. A tried and tested international moving company is a better bet. read more

Made my relocation to London an absolute breeze. Martijn is great to work with, provided a very reasonable quote, took care of everything he promised, and everyone involved in the moving process were great to deal with as well. There were no surprises (which is exactly what you want with something like this) and I'd recommend Bloom wholeheartedly. read more

Considering using Bloom? You'd be well advised to keep looking. We used this firm for our move from the Bay Area to Asia and were quite disappointed. We were happy enough with the service we received initially (i.e. the estimate, packing, and moving stages), but Martjn Bloom's helpful demeanor vanished once we had left the country. The terms of our original agreement were changed and ignored. Before leaving we were assured by Bloom that all expenses were included in his price. Then, when our shipment arrived in Asia, we were presented with an invoice for nearly seven-hundred additional dollars and told that this was some kind of local handling fee. When we contacted Bloom, he said that this was not his problem and refused to do anything about it. We were simply stuck with the extra bill. Also, upon receipt of our things we noticed minor damage to several items and significant damage to a piece of furniture. When Bloom sold us insurance as part of our package, we were told that we could deal directly with him should anything in our shipment be damaged or lost. When we notified Bloom about the table, he sent us a brief email with the name and number of an insurance company and told us we had better contact them directly. Bloom denied any further responsibility for the situation. Adjusting to a new place is stressful enough. Choose a moving company that will facilitate your transition from start to finish and treat you with the respect that a customer paying thousands of dollars deserves. Bloom is NOT that company. read more

I have moved many times. Now i am moving to London from San Francisco. This is the first time i have ever felt nervous because i had never moved internationally before. Bloom made this move so easy and stress free. They were patient with my many questions, calls and emails. They treated me with respect and were helpful in how to prepare my belongings. The paperwork was a snap with their help. I totally recommend Bloom for international relocations. These folks are absolutely the best. The value for service is very high. Call them! Oh, btw, Martijn rocks! read more

I just moved from the SF Bay Area to the UK, using Bloom International to ship my stuff. I was dreading having to find a shipper, having never done so before, and felt I was flying totally blind. Then I got a lucky break as a friend moved from the Bay Area elsewhere in Europe and said they had had a good experience with Bloom. I checked online for complaints (couldn't find any) and that they were listed positively with the BBB (they were). I waited until my friends had actually received their shipped goods and then called Martijn at Bloom. He was very helpful and answered all of my questions. When I emailed follow up questions he always replied within one business day. I packed all my own boxes except for 2 small pieces of furniture and 5 mirrors which Bloom packed. The drivers/packers showed up exactly on time, were in and out very quickly and packed the mirrors etc very well. The next day, after Martijn confirmed the cost (which was very close to the estimate he had provided) I sent my check to him. I must admit, after waving goodbye to my stuff and my money, I wasn't entirely convinced I would ever see my things again, or at least not in once piece. It didn't help that a couple of weeks later Martijn informed me there was a potential longshoreman strike and he wanted to hang on to my boxes until we knew what was going to happen. There turned out to be no strike and my stuff was promptly driven to the east coast and put on a ship to London. As soon as it passed from Bloom to the UK shippers, the UK company emailed me and then kept in touch until my stuff was on the home stretch. The delivery guys in the UK were great too, coming exactly when arranged, and again in and out quickly, taking all the packing from the mirrors and furniture. Everything made it in one piece. No damage, nothing lost. This was a great experience...thanks Martijn for taking such good care of everything. I would thoroughly recommend Bloom International. read more