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Thanks for your reply, amdaloia, I have emailed customs and am waiting for their reply.

Yes, thank you, of course I read your post. And of course I can't chose where to pay tax, we will certainly be paying tax in Australia not the UK (plus we're currently not living in the UK but mainland Europe). I will be looking at a financial advisor closer to the time. That way I will have a much clearer picture of what to do with our money especially if buy-to-let isn't a good idea. I will also find a forum that is purely about investments and monies, rather than being on a general forum. I had just wanted to stick my feelers out and get a quick overview. I should have asked which reputable website and government websites are good to get information from rather than phrasing my question how I did. (The part about Melbourne was in reply to many people on here speaking about Melbourne.)

Thanks, that makes sense. We'll have to have a think about that. I don't like cheating and prefer just saying that it's new. It's annoying, we have things we used for our son, and they won't be 12 months old by the time we ship - with those I feel that I can say we have had them 12 months, though.

You're right, we won't know exactly how we will live. That is true for buying things as it would be for already owning them. I am just thinking about the hassle over there, having to shop around - we will be busy trying to settle. This end we will have more time to buy and pack and have it all arrive in one hit. Just thought it might be easier than having to rent a van or pay for delivery on many different trips out there, when we don't know the area, the shops and the quality of things just yet. Suppose it comes down to personal preference in the end.

It's really confusing... I asked Ikea if we can get VAT back, and they said yes. But if I look at the HM website, good that are being shipped don't qualify. Annoying. Perhaps we just have to pay the 10% the other end and not worry.

We couldn't afford a buy-to-let in Melbourne. We'd look at Bendigo or Ballarat, or perhaps Bacchus Marsh. at the moment we're just playing with ideas, to see what might be possible. I will definitely look at a financial adviser, especially if the selling isn't straight forward, in terms of which tax to pay...

Yeah that's my worry - it's probably a bit too nice for our budget....

Thanks for your reply. It sounds lovely. Can't wait to check it out properly. Perhaps we're looking in the right area!?

Anyone done buy to let? What are your experiences? Where in victoria would you invest? we are thinking of splitting our money on smaller private house and one to let out. good idea or bad?

Hi what are your opinions about the Eltham area? Is it nice for families? Affordable? What are the public (non paying) schools and kindergartens like? What about the commute to CBD? any advice and tips and experiences would me much appreciated. Thanks x

Hi, for various reasons we don't have much furniture in our currently rented out (soon to be sold) house. But still enough that we need shipping. Checking prices in oz it seems substantially more money to furnish a 3 bed house, to buy children's toys, beds, bikes etc. So, I am tempted to buy pretty much the whole lot. From dyson to sofa, from balance bike to a new bread maker. One of the shipping companies said you can reclaim VAT and then pay GST the other end. It would theoretically mean 20% off on anything bought! then 10% added at customs for importing = savings of 10%. Does it work? HaS anyone experience with this?

We are flying emirates (return) for our recce trip. 30kg per adult. 10kg for infant. 7kg hand luggage per adult. 5kg hand luggage for infant. on our one way flight we will use emirates again. I had gone to pickfords website to get a quote, and ticked off the "get info from other companies". I got an email from anz with promo offers if we who open a bank account with them: free packing worth 200£ at pickfords. EXTRA BAGGAGE 15kg with emirates! And fee SIM cards, plus a hertz rental deal. Might be worth checking out for the extra luggage alone.

I hope you don't mind me piggy backing on your thread.... We have a ton of ikea whicker baskets. They are quite expensive and I want to take them. Has anyone ever had trouble with taking them? Cheers

Anyone used Simpsons? Their quote came in ok so far, and their communication has as been good up to date. How does one negotiate the price? Do you just say: we want to go with you but need it cheaper as xyz is cheaper? Tips please, thank you.