# Shipping Stuff vs Buying New



## Marriedtheenglish

If we move to Aus at the end of the year, we can't decide whether to ship a container full of our stuff over from the UK, or save the money and buy new... do you think it will be cheaper to ship or buy new??
Any suggestions welcome.


----------



## Guest

I'm having the same dilemma at the moment. I'm getting ready to move back to Oz after 9 years away. 

It's fair to say as a girl, I’ve accumulated a fair bit of stuff in that time and i'm trying to decide what to do with it all. 

Personally I think it depends what sort of belongings you're talking about and also what sort of a person you are. For me I have a great attachment to a lot of the things I’ve accumulated in that space of time and the thought of getting rid of it just to replace it back in Oz is a difficult one (doesn't help that I was raised in a family where we were encouraged not to waste things!).

As i said i haven't lived in Australia for a number of years now but I have been home 6 times in the last 9 years and what has become very obvious to me is the cost of clothes and day to day household things seems to have got very high (that's just my opinion, others may feel differently). 

A few friends got married recently in Australia and as i wasn't able to make it back for the weddings, so i decided to splash out and be generous with the wedding gifts. The online bridal registry was an eye-opener to the cost of a lot of typical household wedding gifts and I think comparative items in the UK would've been much better value for money in my opinion(relative to my wages). And of course if you're talking about things like electrical appliances, you'll have to factor in having adaptor for all the appliances. 

And then there's the shipping. I might be making an assumption based on your log in name, but I’m guessing you're based in the UK? There are loads of companies based in the UK and you can get some very competitive prices as there is so many companies. The greater the volume of goods you send the cheaper it becomes (as in if you have 5 shipping cartons it might be £60 per box but if you have 10 it might come down to £40 per box and so on, but don't quote me on those prices). But the shipping itself doesn't seem to make up the majority of the cost, it's the insurance of the goods. And you have 2 choices generally, similar I guess, to having third party or comprehensive car insurance, that there's a basic insurance or a comprehensive insurance. The insurance is based on the value of your goods and most companies will charge about 5% of the estimated value of your belongings for the 'comprehensive' version. I guess there's the option of undervaluing your goods to make the insurance cheaper and then just 'cutting your loses' if something does happen. A friend recently left Ireland for Australia and made a good point, she said to me, 'I’ve packed all my work suits and my six year old gym gear but the reality is if it gets lost or damaged on the way there, it's not that big of a deal' and as such she didn't include the value of some of these items in her insurance estimations, which to me makes sense, i guess the crux of it is insure the things that, without fail you would want to be able to replace and not stuff that you would be happy to have with you at home but wouldn't miss if it didn't make it. 

If you have access to the TNT magazine they have a number of companies that advertise their costs in there every week. The important thing to check out with the companies is that they are 'bonded'. I'm not sure exactly what all the ins and outs of this is but gives you a higher level of protection if the company happened to go broke while your goods are in transit amongst other things i think. Also i've heard of a few friends leaving Ireland recently and the shipping companies there did all the packing for them as part of the package. I haven't heard of that in the UK (god knows it would be a great thing, my boyfriend and I started packing our things into shipping boxes this time last year and it's one of those experiences that is always going to highlight the differences in personalities...)but it would be great if that was part of the package. Also it probably depends if your plans to go to Australia are long term, as in, are you planning to go indefinitely or just for a year or 2? And when you get there, will you have enough cash to set yourself up with all the things you'll need or would it work better to factor in the cost of the shipping before you leave and have your stuff when you get there (bearing in mind that it usually takes about 12 weeks to ship there and assuming there is nothing that needs to be quarantined you cane usually collect it as soon as it arrives). 

And on that note, I’ve motivated myself to start filling in my shipping inventory for the boxes I’ve already packed...

Good Luck and don't hesitate to drop me a line if you want to chat about this more...!!


----------



## Marriedtheenglish

Thanks for your message. I think you're right, the cost of buying all new stuff will be a fortune... that's one thing about the UK - there is so much choice, that you can either do things on a budget ie. Ikea, or splash our ie. John Lewis - there is so much choice that the prices are so competitive... I think we will end up getting a container for everything ie. 4 bed house - and just ship the whole lot over... my parents are planning on heading out first, and will get set up, so that if we go out and our stuff isn't there, we can just stay with them until it arrives and by then we'll have our own place etc.
Where are you heading to in Aus? We are thinking the sunshine coast.


----------



## Guest

Nore than happy to help with any info or insights on the whole shipping thing. 

We're not sure as yet where we will head to. I'm originally from country Victoria and ideally would like to go back to Victoria, probably Melbourne initailly but not set on the idea and we'll probably take it as it comes and let work opportunities be the deciding factor initially. My boyfriend is the engineering/construction industry and so we'll likely end up where he gets a good job offer i think. 

That's handy that you would be able to stay with your parents for a while when you head over. The shipping is a bit of an extra cost but I think in the grand scheme of what you would otherwise be spending to replace things in Oz probably money well spent. My friend who i mentioned who left Dublin paid only a little over €1000 for her shipping from memory and that was for her and her husband and 5+ years worth of things and included them doing the packing for her. Definitely money well spent in my book. That way when you arrive and start working, etc, you can spend your money on things other than kitting out a house and having to get new work outfits, etc.


----------



## Marriedtheenglish

I think you're right... I think the cost of buying stuff over here will be a lot cheaper and if we can arrive with virtually a house full of stuff, then we won't have to fork out for anything other than a second hand car - which I hear are really expensive over there! We did look into bringing our X3 BMW over with us as they are a lot cheaper here than there, but the cost of shipping seemed like it would be a fortune... so I think we'll just allocated $10k and buy one there! Hubby wants to take his motorbike, but I've put my foot down and said no lol!!!

Do you know anything about the Sunshine Coast at all? We are moving there blind, but hey, i'm a kiwi, so i'm bound to love it right?

Where are you living at the moment?


----------



## Guest

Oh, yeah shipping cars is another thing altogether, we looked at shipping ours (a VW Golf) but just couldn't fathom the cost of all the taxes. Our car is registered in Ireland and we've tried to sell it but have had difficulty (not least of which is living in the UK, trying to sell a car in Ireland, but never mind). We looked into shipping it and decided that if the money we would loose on selling was more than the cost of the shipping we would do it. The shipping itself wasn't outrageous (£1400 was what we were quoted), but they have all these other conditions, like you have to have owned the car for a minimum of 12 months before you can import it to oz, plus it has to have been used during that 12 months (not sure why you'd buy a car and not use it but anyway), also you have to own it outright so there can be no finance owning on it. Then the UK charge an export tax of (i think) 5% of the value of the vehicle and then once it gets to Oz, you have to pay a further 10% import duty, but not on the value of the car when it arrives but the value of what it was worth when purchased...we bought our car 4 years ago and be buggered if the oz government think i'm going to pay them 10% of the value of a car that i bought 4 years ago...anyway, it got far too complicated and we decided against it. We thought i may have been worthwhile if we'd been able to fill the car full of things we wanted to send home but they wouldn't even allow that!!! So it was definite no for us on that one! I'm not sure what the used car market is like in Oz. I never owne a car while i was there. I think you can get some real old bangers for next to nothing but if you want a used car that's only a couple of years old, then they are definitely a lot more than over here. We have been looking at what the cost of a similar car to our here would be at home and all things considered it was much the same, factoring in the exchange rates, etc. But yes it is a major expense i guess. 

As for the Sunshine Coast, i know very little about it, and i've never been there. Do you have somewhere in particular in mind? I think the weather is pretty good most of the year and it's a pretty picturesque place. Personally i'd prefer the Sunshine coast over the Gold Coast as the Gold Coast is very built up and commercial. I think it's proably a nice relaxed area to live. I'm sure you'd love it! What part of NZ are you from? My partner and I are going over for a month for the rugby later this year. I'm living in London at the moment, how about you?


----------



## Marriedtheenglish

I think you're totally right... we brought a car with the idea to bring it over, and we would have done, but it got nicked... so that put paid to that idea... and when we looked into it further recently, we decided it would be too expensive. No way we'd be able to buy a car as nice as the one we had over there, apparently they are v. expensive, but hey, a nice car isn't everything right?

We are thinking of Maroochydore maybe... we need somewhere to live that will be good for work as we are still relatively young lol... I have a NZ passport but hubby and bubs have UK passports, but they can get in on a special visa through me which is great, and very inexpensive... not sure about medical stuff though, as hubby is diabetic, but as we are moving with my folks and they are so good about stuff like that, i'm sure we'll find it all out.

I am from Wgtn - is that where the rugby is held? My brother usually volunteers to work those days at the stadium so he gets to watch it for free - good idea huh! We live just outside London in Essex! How about you - where in London?


----------



## jeremyh

*moving to Australia*

Hi there,

So you are moving to Australia. Well it's good thing that people want to move to Australia. About the question you ask.

According to me you should bring your container via shipping. There are number of *removal companies* in Australia Who help you move to Australia at a unbelievable low price and also you are bringing only your container so i don't think you will be charged too much.


----------



## YSLB

*Shipping nightmare-Doree Bonner*

Hi there

We moved to Melbourne from the UK beginning of August 2011. We decided to ship our belongings to Melbourne, however, as we were unable to fill an entire container we had to agree to a part-load service, meaning our furniture will be shipped once the shipping company can fill the whole container. We have been told, that Melbourne is a prime destination and it should therefore take 10 but no longer than 14 weeks for our belongings to arrive at the designated address in Melbourne. It has now been 8 weeks and 1 day and guess what, our furniture is still sitting in a warehouse in the UK. It is very hard to communicate with the shipping agent and we only receive vague responses and still have not an agreed shipping date. We are now looking at 18 plus weeks and have started to re-buy essential items. So all in all a very expensive and even more stressful exercise.

The company we used is Doree Bonner International - should you still decide to ship your belongings be careful in choosing your moving agent as you pay for the services in full upfront. We unfortunately have made a huge mistake.


----------



## Nelly87

I think this kind of decision really depends on the individual situation.

For instance "age" is a big influence; if you're at whatever age that you have already spent a lot of money and time gathering furniture and things you really love, that definitely makes the decision lean towards shipping it.

As for me, I'm just gonna explain my situation as an example - I realize I'm in a very different position but still it might help.

I'm 24 and so I am fresh out of college - meaning that most of my furniture was second hand and there's not a lot of it. I only had a small room to live in and not a lot of money. Therefore I am not that attached to most of my furniture. I bought my couch off someone for $30. I'm not gonna ship that obviously, no matter how comfy it is. That would just be a total waste. I didn't pick it on appearance, save up for it or invest a lot of time and money in it; it was cheap, "it'll do", I got it, now it's going to someone else for free. The few things I am attached to are going to storage at my parents'.

I am lucky enough to be moving to Australia for an Australian partner, and therefore we are merging lives and he already has his stuff over there so that limits the necessity of my stuff.

And I have to say it has been _a sweet relief_ to slowly start letting go of my current material things. It makes you realize how little you truly need and it makes you realize you can't carry your material past with you forever. Because when you have to start leaving things behind and getting rid of what you don't need, you start to realize how little you truly need and how little all that stuff in your home truly defines you. Half the books in my bookcase have been resold on a website and not only has it gotten me money for my ticket, it's also made me realize that stuff can be replaced and isn't necessary. I can always buy it again but I don't need it. It makes you feel lighter.

All I am taking is pictures, my old favorite stuffed animal, my cat (eventually), some jewelry and a few clothes (only the ones I still actually like and that still truly fit me). It feels good to start afresh.

But that is just my situation and my take on it. I can understand that people who did invest a lot in their things, would rather take them with them, especially if they have no furniture or partner waiting for them in Australia, that will make it feel more like home on arrival. Just consider how much you truly need and love out of all the stuff.


----------



## albanyson

*shipment delay/bad handling.*



YSLB said:


> Hi there
> 
> We moved to Melbourne from the UK beginning of August 2011. We decided to ship our belongings to Melbourne, however, as we were unable to fill an entire container we had to agree to a part-load service, meaning our furniture will be shipped once the shipping company can fill the whole container. We have been told, that Melbourne is a prime destination and it should therefore take 10 but no longer than 14 weeks for our belongings to arrive at the designated address in Melbourne. It has now been 8 weeks and 1 day and guess what, our furniture is still sitting in a warehouse in the UK. It is very hard to communicate with the shipping agent and we only receive vague responses and still have not an agreed shipping date. We are now looking at 18 plus weeks and have started to re-buy essential items. So all in all a very expensive and even more stressful exercise.
> 
> The company we used is Doree Bonner International - should you still decide to ship your belongings be careful in choosing your moving agent as you pay for the services in full upfront. We unfortunately have made a huge mistake.


Hi, we also booked our removal and shipping with DBI, also on a part load although its been picked up, its been on the road since a week now. Pick up was a week ago and it still has not yet made it to the depot. Its still onboard a truck somewhere.
We were also quoted the same 10-14 weeks for delivery to Perth. It was noted this is the second busiest destination behind Melbourne being the first
The pick up was not made by DBI staff, but rather another company sub contracted out I guess. The stickers they had for all our boxes were not enough and it ended up being marker pen to write the details.
The truck drivers picking up our belongings obviously could not read the word 'top' and could also not understand that the up arrows showing the correct direction of the boxes was also not understood. Neither was the packing tape printed with the words FRAGILE. This didnt seem to register either and many light items and those marked with fragile, as with our TVs and other expensive items, were loaded on bottom of the truck.
As we have packed by owner, there is no insurance for broken items. I am sure we will arrive with more items than we started with. Not all these items will be usable no doubt, but we remain hopefull.
But in reality, it will probably work out to have been cheaper to throw everything away and buy new in Australia. At least I would have saved the cost of transport and insurance, since as we are packed by owner, there is no insurance on breakages and only a pay out on complete loss. Doesn take in account for bad handling or ill treatment.
Good luck with all your belongings arriving to Melbourne within the 10-14 weeks quote timings and good luck that all your belongings arrive in one piece !!


----------



## Nic

Marriedtheenglish said:


> If we move to Aus at the end of the year, we can't decide whether to ship a container full of our stuff over from the UK, or save the money and buy new... do you think it will be cheaper to ship or buy new??
> Any suggestions welcome.


I realise I am joining this thread a bit late, but I cannot recommend 'Anglopacific' enough for shipping AND advice.


----------



## kris

*Buying new*

I prefer buying new...easier, source the best


----------



## AArshad

millie said:


> And on that note, I've motivated myself to start filling in my shipping inventory for the boxes I've already packed...
> Good Luck and don't hesitate to drop me a line if you want to chat about this more...!!


I found your detailed post very helpful. I am planning on movine by the end of the year, have 2 kids 8 and 10, so i am thinking of shipping my stuff there cos what i looked up on the net was very expensive and the process of slowly filling the house with affortable things you need together with looking up a house can be too much of a strain, the kids would be too unsettled during the time, Plus, being in Pakistan i can get a whole house furnished at a 50-60% lower cost due to the rate of exchange, i have read up much on the shipping and packing process in forums, but i have a few questions about what happens when things land there, so can pls someone answer these:
1 what do the customs charge on getting more furniture, hardly any electric appliances?
2. what do movers charge from port to some place in Sydney, cos i will be moving there.
3. who is the furnture, which will be heavy shifted from the port into a van and from the van into the house. 
4. later if i shift to any other place, around Sydney still due to work, does it cost a lot to shift house, in terms of movers?
thanks,


----------



## AUSConnect

Great responses above so I'll just inject my views having had to make this same decision about one year ago, however, moving from Australia to Europe.

Firstly, storage costs, if the UK is anything like Australia, is horrendous and for me at least provided no financial incentive other than to either sell everything and buy new or ship everything. 

Shipping costs are not cheap. Online calculators help you estimate the cost. I only shipped sentimental items, gifts etc to keep costs low and I went with Seven Seas. They had good service, decent costs, however, I did not select the correct insurance and when some things broke they had no sympathy, so just a warning there...but there are many players out there, in no way am I promoting Seven Seas, they are just one of the big ones that I reviewed that was affordable.

It was just not economical to ship everything else. Aside from the inevitable wear and tear that moving across the globe will achieve, the shipping costs can climb rapidly. I lived in Sydney and managed to sell every piece of furniture, using gumtree or poster in my apartment, prior to leaving. 

Someone above talked about the benefit of spring cleaning. I agree, it was a good practice in really forcing yourself to minimalise, which I advocate. 

Having arrived in Europe, yes you need to buy everything new (or second-hand), that is where Ikea comes in ; ) In Australia you could consider the same option.

Personal decision, but these are my experiences which worked well for me.

Best of luck

Daniel 
australiaeuropeconnect


----------



## Blondiefee

We won't be using doree .. Thanks for that post.


----------



## syd10

If you choose to ship the items, there could be surprises, such as certain items being too large to fit in the new place.

So unless the items are very expensive & new, I would go for selling the items and simply buying at the new location.


----------



## MathieuLaroche01

Shipping your goods internationally is never easy in terms of processes, costs, procedures, etc. 

The best thing to do is to collaborate with a freight forwarder that is able to ensure a permanent follow up during the process... communication is key !


----------

