AaronS Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 That's my current question. Looking like door to door will cost us about $8000usd for a 20' container. That includes packing and loading on both sides of the trip. I'm having thoughts that we sell everything but pots, pans, computers (that switch to 220v), etc. Basically cut it down to a pallet or two to ship over. We could easily sell our larger items (bedroom sets, couches, dining set, TVs - which are 110v anyway, etc) and pocket another 4K or so. So we'd have 12K extra when we land (because the 8K for shipping is already in hand) to pick up things we need. We would keep it to a minimum at first and just get the essentials and slowly build back up to the things we want. Anybody else go that route or does anyone have an opinion on it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ebstar Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 We have just made the move 6 weeks ago and have only shipped personal items. We are so glad we took this option.If you ship all your furniture, you need a furnished rental for longer or need to buy/rent/borrow basics. We secured our rental and shopped loads over a few days so our home was set up and ready to move into. It s not for everyone as many people prefere and feel more at home with their own familiar things around them but has worked great for us. Depending where you shop your furniture can be delivered the same day. Really do your homework with shipping as they don't all appear to honest. We used a well known company and were told from collection to arrival would be about 6 weeks and maybe a couple of weeks if any hold ups at customs. We got a fair price and thought our stuff would be with us within 10 weeks max. The company collected our good 7 weeks ago and are not replying to emails. I have managed to speak to the manager a few days ago who told me our stuff is still i the UK and that i should not have been told 6 weeks,the time scale is 10-12 weeks.He appologised and said he would chase it and personally email us the same day.That was a few days ago and nothing yet. We were expecting our things by early aug but now looks like oct/nov (thats if they've not lost it) Don't want to worry you there are some great companys but check them out well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yike! Sorry to hear that! We honestly have more than we need and probably don't need half of it to go over with us. I worry about the honesty of some of the shippers we have quotes from. None of the websites they link to give a really professional feel. Hell, one of them sent a .pdf file of a scan of a brochure. Really? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Once your removals have left the house dock bound, you are reliant on the freight shipping. In my instance Singapore docks had a problem hence my shipping was delayed by a few weeks which I accounted for in the great scheme of things. There are more positive stories about shipping I find than negative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marta Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 @ebstar: Hm that doesn't sound good especially if you expected to have your things by a certain date. I mean the weather will change from September/October too so you will need some other clothes if you haven't brought the over. I would feel very angry if it happened to me. We also expected our shipment to arrive late August, so we only brought over winter clothing. BTW did your relocation agent give you the tracking number for the vessel? Our shipment is still to come to our home but I could already see on the internet that the load arrived in Melbourne last Saturday, and we already received a letter from the relocation partner in Melbourne as to what the next step will be, and we had to pay the customs fee. (In fact I checked the status of "our" vessel all the time as I was particularly worried something might happen around Somalia. But maybe I just watch to many films...:wacko:) Still, I am excited to find out what Aquis unpacked of our stuff and if something is missing or destroyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest siamsusie Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yike! Sorry to hear that! We honestly have more than we need and probably don't need half of it to go over with us. I worry about the honesty of some of the shippers we have quotes from. None of the websites they link to give a really professional feel. Hell, one of them sent a .pdf file of a scan of a brochure. Really? Many organisations send our their brochures in pdf format these days, we are striving to work in a paperless society. I gave you a link to Crown yesterday, they are professional although every company has its blips from time to time... to question the honesty though is a bit strong! My advice would be to have a physical presence to quote, obtaining estimates on line can work against you on occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Many organisations send our their brochures in pdf format these days, we are striving to work in a paperless society. I gave you a link to Crown yesterday, they are professional although every company has its blips from time to time... to question the honesty though is a bit strong! My advice would be to have a physical presence to quote, obtaining estimates on line can work against you on occasions. I'm getting a quote from Crown as well...haven't got that back from them just yet. So it wasn't them I got that from. I think I'm getting overwhelmed by the flood of quotes and different services as well. So much to sort through to make that decision. On the .pdf, it was a scan of a brochure, not an electronic brochure. There was wear on the edges of it even. It just didn't have a feel of proffesionalism that I would trust giving all my worldly belongings and $8000 to. I won't mention the companies name because it's just my opinion and slandering them would do no good for anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 That's my current question. Looking like door to door will cost us about $8000usd for a 20' container. That includes packing and loading on both sides of the trip. I'm having thoughts that we sell everything but pots, pans, computers (that switch to 220v), etc. Basically cut it down to a pallet or two to ship over. We could easily sell our larger items (bedroom sets, couches, dining set, TVs - which are 110v anyway, etc) and pocket another 4K or so. So we'd have 12K extra when we land (because the 8K for shipping is already in hand) to pick up things we need. We would keep it to a minimum at first and just get the essentials and slowly build back up to the things we want. Anybody else go that route or does anyone have an opinion on it? Bring it all in your own container. By the time you get here the USD will be worth peanuts - your US$12k won't even buy a bunch of bananas, let alone a household full of soft furnishings, beds, dining tables etc. But seriously, bring it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleW Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Given the exchange rate and how cheap furniture is in the US then I would seriously think about getting a fair amount of it shipped over. Think seriously about your electrics as well, we actually moved a fair amount of our US 110v electrics from the US to the UK and then onto Aus and have just bought some step-down transformers so that we can continue using them. Admittedly they are not items which are on 24/7, i.e. vaccuum cleaner, Bose home theatre system, kitchen goods but given how much we saved by buying them in the US we think we have done alright. Good luck with it all :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 Given the exchange rate and how cheap furniture is in the US then I would seriously think about getting a fair amount of it shipped over. Think seriously about your electrics as well, we actually moved a fair amount of our US 110v electrics from the US to the UK and then onto Aus and have just bought some step-down transformers so that we can continue using them. Admittedly they are not items which are on 24/7, i.e. vaccuum cleaner, Bose home theatre system, kitchen goods but given how much we saved by buying them in the US we think we have done alright. Good luck with it all :biggrin: My wife being the more level headed of the two of us is convincing me of the same....and getting a step down converter. She reminded me that to replace the tele we have alone would cost $3000 usd. Thank goodness for smart women! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleW Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 My wife being the more level headed of the two of us is convincing me of the same....and getting a step down converter. She reminded me that to replace the tele we have alone would cost $3000 usd. Thank goodness for smart women! Your wife indeed sounds very smart, however it is very likely that your TV is based on the NTSC format and therefore won't work on the PAL system in Australia. Even within the PAL format there are variables and to get our UK PAL TV to work we have to go through the equivalent to a cable box (eg, Comcast box). You may be lucky and have one of the very few US sold TV's that also work on PAL but make sure you check it out very carefully. Alternatively I found a website (http://www.world-import.com/samar.htm) in the US that does sell NTSC/PAL convertors and so if you really do love your TV it could be worth spending the $100-$150 for the converter. Another thing to remember is that any DVD's you purchased in America will also be NTSC format and so you will need a multi-format, mutli-region player to play them. We picked our multi-region player up in the UK and so not too sure how easy it is in Australia to get one of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted August 17, 2011 Author Share Posted August 17, 2011 I'll have to look deeper on the TV thing. It has HDMI input so I kind of assumed that any device with an HDMI output would work....another item on the list of things to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ebstar Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 @ebstar: Hm that doesn't sound good especially if you expected to have your things by a certain date. I mean the weather will change from September/October too so you will need some other clothes if you haven't brought the over. I would feel very angry if it happened to me. We also expected our shipment to arrive late August, so we only brought over winter clothing. BTW did your relocation agent give you the tracking number for the vessel? Our shipment is still to come to our home but I could already see on the internet that the load arrived in Melbourne last Saturday, and we already received a letter from the relocation partner in Melbourne as to what the next step will be, and we had to pay the customs fee. (In fact I checked the status of "our" vessel all the time as I was particularly worried something might happen around Somalia. But maybe I just watch to many films...:wacko:) Still, I am excited to find out what Aquis unpacked of our stuff and if something is missing or destroyed. It was our relocation agent who recommended the company and as we were moving so quickly and the quote was ok we went with them.Don't get me wrong i have heard lots of positives about the company and the guys who collected and packed our things were great. I'm just really peeved as we don't know whats happening and they won't tell us anything other than our things are still in the UK. The least they could do is tell us when our things are due to leave the Uk.They were quick enough to take our money.I'm just panicking that they may have lost it and there are lots of things that have sentimental value i cant replace. No i have no details on the vessel at all,thats another thing i had asked for but not recieved. Hope your things are all ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluster13 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Sorry but i don't know your position with regards to visa. Are you comming over on perm or temp visa's ? We asked the same question 12 months ago and as we wernt ready to sell up (property) in the uk decided to sell off the bulk of furniture in the uk and just ship lots of boxes. this has worked out ok BUT in reality we have spent a lot more re-purchasing things here than we got for selling our stuff in the UK. If you are buying a house here, i suggest you ship the lot ! if you are renting mid to long term then perhaps sell off the big furniture. at the end of the day if you used it in your home country you'll want it here. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cacoonkitty Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Hi, i am born australian (32) but i nhav lived in the uk for 22 years now , my partner ad i have recently decided we want to go back and live there together (sydney region)and so we are appying for his visa soon...my family pretty much all live in N.S.W, appart from my mum who is in the uk...i asked my dad what he thought about shipping and he said that some times you will be charged on arrival tax depending on what you bring in...esspecialy on cars!!...and he said it wouldnt be worth bringing electrics (hes a retired electrician) appart form australian copmatibal ones like t.vs with australian settings... and lap tops...he said everything else you can re buy at an ok price, esspecialy if you shop around......he also said not to bring the furniture...juts the fav possissions that could be shipped in a few tea boxes like bedding (pricey) and the other memorable favourit items.....so we have decided to sell up all our stuff on either ebay or a carboot and do private sales for the more pricey stuff lik sofas, beds ect......and then re buy new stuff when we arrive...they still have places like ikea and simler furniture stores with big sales out there....not to mention australian ebay too !!..so why not get all new and start afresh when you arrive!! ..less hassle and how nice to go shopping for new bits !!....after all , you will juts need the bare essentials to start with and can buy in the other bits and peices as you go along cant you...i am from sydney myself..and i know that there is SO much to look at there, some pries some not to bad.....and shops are fab!!...just go with the bare essentials....you can do it !!!. good luck hun. x:spinny: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BevF Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Have a look on the net for Fantastic Furniture and Super Amart. You can kit a house out with all the big furniture for $6K. I havn't seen the furniture myself so it might not be the best quality but it would do for starters! All the best! Bev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinkydoo Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 If you dont have a full container then you share a container with someone else so they wait to fill it before they ship it, this happened to us but the company we used told us this and told us that it may cause our stuff to leave a bit later, we were kept informed by the company and we could track online, although a bit frustrating to start we were happy to see our stuff arrive and glad we took it with us, furniture is not cheap in Oz so maybe worth bringing it with you, I found it helped me feel 'at home' when we finally got it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BevF Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I think if you want to start over again then you can fairly cheaply if you want to. There are some fantastic stuff on Gumtree etc. We have decided to do this and cant wait till we get over there to start shopping!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronS Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 Thanks for all the tips. We have a shipping company coming to our house friday for a walk through. Depending on the outcome we will decide if we are going to leave the large furniture behind or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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