Guest guest52672 Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hello... Any advice/comments/suggestions on whether it is actually worth taking all my household goods would be greatly appreciated! I have had a few quotes from removal companies ranging from £3,000 to £4,000 with varied cubic foot space too! I am wondering if it is worth selling most of my things in the UK, saving the shipping fee and then buying once I arrive in Perth... has anyone done this and what would you advise? My concern is the price of items in Perth, I am led to believe it is very, very expensive? Also, if you have any websites of stores in Perth I can look at please let me know! I have seen JBHi-Fi and there electrical goods are reasonably priced, I need to figure out prices of sofas and bedroom furniture really. Many thanks peeps.... Laura :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawny Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hi we settled into a rental within 3 weeks of landing, and found ourselves buying most items as our shipping hadn't arrived! Depends how much before you your shipping would leave, then of course how long to secure a rental, Not much help really is it :wub: We had to buy all kitchen ware, plates etc, as well as blow up beds, all essentials for day to day living :wubclub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glad I Moved Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Unless you have a large wad of cash in the bank, I'd advise you to bring as much as you can since saving on shipping would be a false economy. If you do a quick comparison of the £3-£4k you'll be spending on shipping against the actual cost of replacing the contents of your home I suspect the difference will be enormous. Again, I don't know your financial situation but the first few months here are probably the most expensive as you need to buy car/s, arrange insurances, pay rental bonds etc etc which all adds up very quickly. You can pick up cheap stuff which will maybe last you a couple of years of daily use but having to replace all your lounge / bedroom furniture with decent quality stuff will put an even bigger dent in the bank balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluxsta Posted July 25, 2011 Share Posted July 25, 2011 Hello... Any advice/comments/suggestions on whether it is actually worth taking all my household goods would be greatly appreciated! I have had a few quotes from removal companies ranging from £3,000 to £4,000 with varied cubic foot space too! I am wondering if it is worth selling most of my things in the UK, saving the shipping fee and then buying once I arrive in Perth... has anyone done this and what would you advise? My concern is the price of items in Perth, I am led to believe it is very, very expensive? Also, if you have any websites of stores in Perth I can look at please let me know! I have seen JBHi-Fi and there electrical goods are reasonably priced, I need to figure out prices of sofas and bedroom furniture really. Many thanks peeps.... Laura :wub: We did a piece by piece comparison spreadsheet that was very very comprehensive and looked at same or similar products in Oz online. Our 3 bed house furniture and goods to replace would of cost about $25,000 - 30,000 approx to replace new, compared with £3500 to ship. We have cleared out some stuff, but if it fits in the container then it goes. they come 10th August Hope that helps :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I would say ship as much as you can in the container. I wouldn't bother with the fridge/freezer or washing machine. You will find that the fridge/freezer needed here will probably be a lot bigger and the space provided for one the same. We had a rental for a year and loads of stuff in boxes stored in a shed outside. We didn't have a clue what we had in the boxes and didn't miss anything. We got our own house about a year later and some of the boxes are still in the loft 20 years later. We'll have to get round to checking them one day, probably a couple of slow cookers in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Yes, I would bring all furniture which is in good condition as even IKEA prices are twice as high Down Under and the range of items is much smaller than in Europe! We were stupid enough to make the mistake to take necessary things only (partial load container) and then we ended up buying the same IKEA items again in MEL for twice the price. Phew, not very clever.:nah: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glad I Moved Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 We did a piece by piece comparison spreadsheet that was very very comprehensive and looked at same or similar products in Oz online. Our 3 bed house furniture and goods to replace would of cost about $25,000 - 30,000 approx to replace new, compared with £3500 to ship. Exactly. When we totted up the value of the contents of the container for insurance purposes, we were amazed at how much it all came to. You can see why they say people always under-estimate the cost of contents replacement! We moved from a 4 bed house and whilst our stufff was mostly good quality it wasn't mega expensive and if I remember correctly the total insurance value of clothes, tools, bikes, electronics, sports gear, furniture, china, kitchen knives, pots & pans etc was pushing 60,000UKP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil & Vikki Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 We decided to bring all of our stuff with us at pretty much the same cost as you have quoted. We also heard that things can cost a fair bit over here and thought that anything we can do to cut the cost down would be good. When our things turned it, it was such a nice feeling, a bit like Christmas with all the boxes and finding out what was in there. If you think about it, you are in a new country, in a new place, you need something to feel like it is yours. Have a few of your bits around a place will help it feel a bit more like what you are used to for the first hard few months. We are glad that we brought our things with us as it can feel like you are starting from nothing again when you move, but when you have your things come it does not feel too bad. Feels like your hard work in the past has got you a few belongings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steen1976 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Exactly. When we totted up the value of the contents of the container for insurance purposes, we were amazed at how much it all came to. You can see why they say people always under-estimate the cost of contents replacement! We moved from a 4 bed house and whilst our stufff was mostly good quality it wasn't mega expensive and if I remember correctly the total insurance value of clothes, tools, bikes, electronics, sports gear, furniture, china, kitchen knives, pots & pans etc was pushing 60,000UKP Yes totally agree with all said. Unless of course any items of furniture are old and you want to replace them then ship the lot. I also would not have liked to have had to look for stuff either. It was hard enough looking and securing a rental never mind then having to go out and furnish it too. Our shipping arrives tomorrow and for a month we have 'survived' with the clothes we came + a few other items of clothing purchased. We needed a new sofa as we left ours behind due to it being old but bought a good sofa bed from Ikea and it has been very comfortable. Borrowed a TV and bought a plate, mug, bowl each along with a set of pots and pans as again we were replacing. Another consideration is that you will get nothing selling your good second hand in the UK. People always just want brand new these days. We did sell some stuff as knew we wouldn't have the room here. One example was an amazing sleigh bed that was too big for a unit here - it cost 800 quid new and I sold it for 60 including a 300 quid mattress. Lots of stuff ended up being freecycled or dumped. Ship it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish.01 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Hello... Any advice/comments/suggestions on whether it is actually worth taking all my household goods would be greatly appreciated! I have had a few quotes from removal companies ranging from £3,000 to £4,000 with varied cubic foot space too! I am wondering if it is worth selling most of my things in the UK, saving the shipping fee and then buying once I arrive in Perth... has anyone done this and what would you advise? My concern is the price of items in Perth, I am led to believe it is very, very expensive? Also, if you have any websites of stores in Perth I can look at please let me know! I have seen JBHi-Fi and there electrical goods are reasonably priced, I need to figure out prices of sofas and bedroom furniture really. Many thanks peeps.... Laura :wub: Here is a list of stores I did a while ago.....note this is a queensland based list but has some national stores on it that will exist in perth. Click on link to go to store website. Note there is also a bunch of online only stores that compete with these bricks and mortar stores and you can play one against the other sometimes. Also note that haggling is expected so the list price is rarely what people pay especially in appliances. Bedroom Furniture Discount - Large shops; More than one state Super AMart Ikea Fantastic Discount - Bedding specialists; More than one state; Some just do ensembles. Fortywinks Makin Mattresses Sleepys The Sleeping Giant BedShed Beds R Us Captain Snooze Discount - Local state based chains (Mainly Qld); Most states have plenty of these Furniture Galore SleepZone (Apollo) Dial A Bed Beds Plus Eureka Street Aussie Living Bali At Home Mid range Harvey Norman Domayne Freedom Myer David Jones Far Pavilions (Qld) Higher End - A few examples; These tend to be one off stores in flash inner city suburbs Inspirations Dare Gallery Bedding but not beds: Adairs Pillowtalk Lounge Room Furniture Discount - Large shops; More than one state Super AMart Ikea Fantastic Discount - Local state based chains (Mainly Qld); Most states have plenty of these Furniture Galore Eureka Street Aussie Living Bali At Home Mid range Oz Design Nick Scali Harvey Norman Domayne Freedom Dare Gallery Myer David Jones Far Pavilions (Qld) Higher End - A few examples; These tend to be one off stores in flash inner city suburbs Ambrose Charcoal Interiors Inspirations King Furniture Appliances Discount - Large shops; More than one state Bing Lee The Good Guys Betta Electrical Retravision KMart BigW Harris Scarfe Mid range and above - Large shops; More than one state Clive Peeters Harvey Norman Myer David Jones Brisbane Appliance Sales (Qld) Largest inventory is usually with Harvey Norman, Clive Peeters, The Good Guys....then usually the superstore versions of Retravision, Betta Electrical, Bing Lee...then dept stores like Myers, David Jones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Just to add a differing opinion, we shipped nothing but a couple of palettes of personal goods and bought new here. I have no regrets. Now, in my case the UK furniture was far from new. I had a few nice pieces but most would have been replaced anyway had we not been emigrating--we stopped buying new stuff as soon as the decision was made to move. A second consideration was that I had a grown son and daughter who were both setting up in new places for themselves, so my old stuff was gratefully received. Certainly I wouldn't have got much for selling it. The positive side though is that, even if it had been worth shipping, my UK stuff wouldn't have fit very well in the style of home here. What works in a "cosy" UK house with smallish rooms doesn't work so well in the bigger rooms and open-plan living of Australia. A second positive is that even the few things we shipped didn't arrive until almost three months after we got here. We would have been buying stuff anyway as we got sick of camping out. Third, we've furnished a four bedroom house and spent a lot less than the $25-$30,000 figure being tossed around. What we bought is a mix of new and second hand but it's certainly not junk. I estimate that, including 2 large screen TVs, 2 lounge suites, 1 king bed, 1 queen bed, 1 single bed, 1 futon, dining table, bedside tables, coffee tables, TV stands, dressers, desk, flat pack shelves, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, etc. etc, we spent something between $10 and $15,000. (My mental add up got to just over $10k but I'm sure I forgot something!) But all of it is new (or new to us) and chosen to specifically fit the layout of the house. We also got it as and when we needed it rather than waiting for a slow ship from the UK. ....and most of my old stuff is still being used by my kids (and now grand daughter). So...the alternate view! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest52672 Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Wow... thank you all so much for taking the time to send such lengthy and detailed responses... I will defo look in to this further. I shall start with doing an itinery cost of goods in the home and seeing what they are worth... we have nice things but they are not expensive! I will also check out the websites and shops fish 01 has suggested (big thanks!). I will repost in a day or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glad I Moved Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 What we bought is a mix of new and second hand but it's certainly not junk. I estimate that, including 2 large screen TVs, 2 lounge suites, 1 king bed, 1 queen bed, 1 single bed, 1 futon, dining table, bedside tables, coffee tables, TV stands, dressers, desk, flat pack shelves, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, etc. etc, we spent something between $10 and $15,000. (My mental add up got to just over $10k but I'm sure I forgot something!) Bloody hell that's cheap! :notworthy: Next time you go shopping, will you take my wife with you? I fully agree that there is an alternative approach to the ship / not to ship debate but leaving aside the financial implications, maybe something that has been overlooked is that having one's own possessions in the new Aussie home may help some people (and certainly younger family memebers) settle in and not fall prey to the dreaded homesickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EasyTyler Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Third, we've furnished a four bedroom house and spent a lot less than the $25-$30,000 figure being tossed around. What we bought is a mix of new and second hand but it's certainly not junk. I estimate that, including 2 large screen TVs, 2 lounge suites, 1 king bed, 1 queen bed, 1 single bed, 1 futon, dining table, bedside tables, coffee tables, TV stands, dressers, desk, flat pack shelves, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, etc. etc, we spent something between $10 and $15,000. (My mental add up got to just over $10k but I'm sure I forgot something!) I'm with "Glad I Moved" that's awesome - would you mind sharing where the best second hand places are to get furnishings? So far I've been looking at Gumtree (over-priced) and eBay (never sure)... And I'm pretty desperate to save money as my gf and I want to furnish a lot of the place we're renting with some nice key pieces - and then save money by going second hand for other items. Any other suggestions or help is welcomed! Just a thought.. Do people post on the forum regularly when they're selling up and moving back? I didn't see anything specific... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I can tell you but it probably won't help. In our city (Toowoomba) there's a weekly free ads magazine that you can pick up at petrol stations, news agents and so on. All the ads are local and we got all of our "good stuff" (much like new) through that. We also picked up a full sized pool table (with balls and cues) for $200 and even got our cute new puppy through it. It might be worth looking to see if there's a local equivalent where you are. (And, for the new stuff, most of the furnishings came from Super A Mart and appliances from The Good Guys....except for our dishwasher with was Hardly Normal and TVs which were JB HiFi after some negotiating.) Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I can tell you but it probably won't help. In our city (Toowoomba) there's a weekly free ads magazine that you can pick up at petrol stations, news agents and so on. All the ads are local and we got all of our "good stuff" (much like new) through that. We also picked up a full sized pool table (with balls and cues) for $200 and even got our cute new puppy through it. It might be worth looking to see if there's a local equivalent where you are. (And, for the new stuff, most of the furnishings came from Super A Mart and appliances from The Good Guys....except for our dishwasher with was Hardly Normal and TVs which were JB HiFi after some negotiating.) Bob We sold a few things at the tender centre in Toowoomba, seemed a great place to buy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I would ship as much as you can but be selective with your insurance. We insured everything going out to Oz (listed each item...and it was a 40 ft!) on our return to UK we just insured computers and electrical goods or goods of high value. Everything else just adds up too much to be honest and we didn't feel it necessary. The other point to note is that to replace things you will have the poor exchange rate to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EasyTyler Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 The other point to note is that to replace things you will have the poor exchange rate to consider. Great point... with all that in mind, if I was arriving now, I'd bring extra Trainers, Brand new cookware, bed linen and inexpensive clothes... but in contrast, if you're you're into the latest labels/trends consider the price of these is more than double what it is at home: SuperDry Le Cruiset Bodium Zara And good quality (White/Green) Tea seems to be more expensive.. or perhaps just trendy.... T2/Chinese Tea-house case in point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rikyuu Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 depends if you have an Ikea close to where you are moving to!! LOL Seriously, our goods took a very long time to arrive (covered by another thread) so if we had shipped furniture, we would have been stuck with buying new stuff before ours arrived months later. We got most stuff from Ikea, very nice and well priced. But then the stuff we had in the UK was mostly cheap Argos stuff, apart from our 2 lovely leather sofas which we sold cheaply, only to find they are very expensive here. Mind you, leather in the summer is not nice and if you shop around you can get sofas for a reasonable price. Fridges are very expensive here too, but also don't like being shipped. Top loader washers are reasonable. If you have a Dyson, bring it, very expensive here too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EasyTyler Posted August 11, 2011 Share Posted August 11, 2011 depends if you have an Ikea close to where you are moving to!! LOL Not sure if you've been recently; but it's more expensive than a lot of other local shops. Definitely if you were into IKEA heavily then you want to bring stuff with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paisleylass Posted August 12, 2011 Share Posted August 12, 2011 Not sure if you've been recently; but it's more expensive than a lot of other local shops. Definitely if you were into IKEA heavily then you want to bring stuff with you.I both agree and disagree! Heehee. Reason is, I've been looking at the Australian IKEA website and a lot of items are similar or even cheaper than here - our bedframe is crazily cheap in Australia $109 for queen - we paid just about the same in £ for the same size! Hjelmas mattress is about the same. However the same coffee table we have is quite dear, and the real killer is bookcases - we have a few tall ones we paid between £20 and £50 for, and all the Aus IKEA ones are quite a bit more expensive - they don't even have the cheapie Kilby ones. They may be bulky, but in the container they will go! Similar tale with the 9 CD towers we have. My beloved Effektiv cupboard also appears pricier, and the floral doors have been discontinued, so that's a no-brainer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rikyuu Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Not sure if you've been recently; but it's more expensive than a lot of other local shops. Definitely if you were into IKEA heavily then you want to bring stuff with you. We never shopped at Ikea in the UK and looked at many other places in Oz, such as Fantastic furniture and other stores before we (I reluctantly, wife loved it) went to Ikea. Their stuff looks great and if you research online first, they're well priced against other stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supa Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 What a useful post; thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cal2 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 thanks fish01, really useful list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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