shipping and housing and stress. . .Oh My!

doubtful
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Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: PA

shipping and housing and stress. . .Oh My!

Post by doubtful »

I should probably just wait until I get the information from my school this week to ask these questions, but we are in a situation where we have to make some decisions about what to keep to ship overseas and what to sell or give away. We have so far been unsuccessful trying to sell our house (nobody has even come to look at it!) but that's another story for another day.

My school says that they are giving us a shipping allowance, and it appears to be a fair amount (about $5200 US). Does shipping allowance typically mean an up front amount of money, or is it typically reimbursement with receipts? It just seems asinine to ship over things that will cost more to ship than to purchase new. . .but we are going to be cash poor for a couple of months until we get established. We aren't shipping any large/heavy items like furniture.

How did other people make decisions about what to ship and what to just buy new upon arrival? I have never even visited the area where we are moving, but from what I've read, household items are pricier there than in the U.S.

What are some reputable shipping companies? I've googled and read and gotten estimates, but I've never moved overseas before and have no idea how to decide which company to use.

To complicate matters, we are going to be out of the country on a family vacation (booked two years ago and nonrefundable) for a good portion of the summer, so we have to make all of these decisions and arrangements by the beginning of June. The stress of all of this (plus finishing up the school year in a less than ideal situation--and that is the sugar-coated version. . .) is a bit overwhelming.

Also, is there any value in renting a vacation rental property for a month or two to familiarize ourselves with the city and be able to make a more informed decision about where to live for the time of my contract? Has anyone here done this with success? Would you do it again? We've seen some properties online that are quite reasonable, furnished, have good reviews, etc.
travelert
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Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2012 12:16 am
Location: Central Point

shipping and housing

Post by travelert »

I recently signed a contract and will also be asking these questions. I have been told that my school will reimburse when I get there IF I have all of my receipts. I have also read that I need to have receipts for items that I have packed for customs purposes.

It has also been suggested to me that I not bring along too many appliances that need adapting because it's just not worth the hassle. Of course, that depends on where you're going I suppose.

It sounds to me like you have a healthy allowance. I only got $1000 !
doubtful
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Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: PA

Post by doubtful »

Yes. . . I definitely have no complaints about the shipping allowance. I just have no idea what that will cover and I am allowing it to stress me out :)
PsyGuy
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NICE

Post by PsyGuy »

Thats a really nice allowance. Many schools reimburse with receipts. I dont know of any schools that pay movement allowances upfront (unless its bundled as part or the relocation allowance).

Depending on where your going, I would avoid bringing electronics with you outside of your laptops, and smart phones (if they are GSM). Even with transformers they dont run right, and its easier to purchase home/bath/kitchen electronics cheaper once you factor in the costs. High end electronics like TV's can also be problematic depending where you move, they likely dont support the same television standard/format. Things I bring:

Laptop
Ipad
Iphone
Electric Razor's

Things that ive had problems with

Printers (not that they didnt work, but the ink replacements were slightly different, making ordering them more expensive)

DVD's region coding means I can only play them on my laptop.

Alarm Clock never kept accurate time, ran fast because of the transformer, radio reception was the same way, transformer caused too much interference.

XBOX/Wii was a waste of time TV standards were different, didnt even bother bringing them.

With $5200 if you do the packing and slating yourself you could get a pretty decent amount of stuff (half a container at retail, lose to a whole one at whole sale). It doesnt really matter which company you use. The reality is they are all middle men for the actual shipper. They all use the same boats and containers, the difference is what level of service, and insurance they offer. You contract with them, and they hand off your stuff to someone else who actually moves your stuff onto the boat, across the ocean and unloads it, and then delivers it.

Depends what your school does. Most people when they arrive get some sort of temporary housing (either a hotel, or short stay/vacation rental), your school is the best source for how to handle that. I stayed in temporary housing a pretty long time when I was in Italy, its expensive, and ate away at my relocation allowance very quickly.
doubtful
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Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: PA

Post by doubtful »

Thanks Psyguy. Those are some helpful tips. I got estimates from several different companies for shipping, but they were all wildly different (often off by more than $1000 from one another). I also have no real idea how many boxes we will have. I should probably double my initial thought.

We had originally planned to bring very little with us and had planned to bring most of it on the plane as excess baggage (clothing, laptops, a few books), but with the shipping allowance we are being given, we may rethink our pack/sell/give away list a bit. We'll still leave the small appliances/electronics behind (other than laptops/ereaders/iPad), but it probably makes sense to bring other household items with us instead of buying new upon arrival.

Thanks again!
Overhere
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Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:29 am

Post by Overhere »

Find out how much free storage time your shipper will give you at both ends, this can impact on the final charges and also find out what type of taxes you might be paying to bring items into the country. When we moved to China we paid about $50 while the people across the hall paid over $1000 in import duties. Get a door to door price so you won't have any surprises.

Ask how much involvement do have in getting your stuff to your house. In one situation I had to find a truck with a driver, go to the warehouse and move my stuff and in another I had it all delivered to my house. You could also ask the school how much help they provide. My warehouse experience would have been even more awkward if the school hadn't provided a translator/driver.

I would try to find a shipper that has offices at both ends. That will make your life much easier. Having said that, its not always possible to do if you are moving from a small community with local movers.

I wouldn't worry about insurance. My understanding is that the ship essentially needs to sink before your stuff is covered.

Don't discount the possibility of air freighting your stuff. We have gotten some really good prices on air freight in the past and that gives you a bit more control because your stuff isn't at sea for months and won't end up at a port city while you are trying to move into a home miles inland.

Find out ahead of time what the school policy is on accommodation when you arrive. We showed up once only to discover the school had booked a single room for the 5 of us in a guesthouse without food or facilities to help keep our kids busy. The situation was definitely fixable but its those little things that can make your first few days in country more difficult than they need to be.
PsyGuy
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Location: Northern Europe

Differences

Post by PsyGuy »

The differences depend on the volume of freight and route of the shipper your carrier is using and what level of service they offer. Costs can very widely, as overhere described the level of services can very greatly. If you pack, and pallet, your own stuff and can pick it of at the warehouse at your destination you can get pretty cheap prices, but you have to have a truck, driver, translator, and be close to the pier yourself. if people are coming to your home packing your stuff up, shipping it in a truck to the pier, loading and palleting and packing your stuff ina container, and then doing the revers at the destination, those are going to have very different costs.
Your school may offer different levels of help, if they dont have a lot of new staff coming in, and they are well organized and staffed, they might be able to help you with a good chunk of that. If they are going to be busy, they might not be able to help you very much.
Import duties may also be an issue, and check with your school if those are costs you can charge against the moving allowance, and research what those costs would be. You have to pay duty on all of it since your shipping it into the country and not entering the country with it.

Unless you ship at the beginning of the summer, your likely to have to wait several months for your stuff to arrive. What are you going to do in the meantime without your stuff?
Unless you live on the coast, air freighting is a great option, and usually faster (3-6 weeks instead of 3-4 months), and as long as your not moving furniture is pretty economical.

There are different levels of insurance, some cover just the boat trip, and yeah the boat has to sink. Some cover losses and damages from door to door, of course they cost more money as well.

Im single and i dont have a lot of stuff i travel light. Ive always gotten by with maxing out my extra baggage. I bring cloths, electronics, and some personal items.
stellalocal
Posts: 82
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 5:21 am

Post by stellalocal »

For the cost of shipping you could often have just bought new stuff, depending on what it is you're shipping. Also, watch out for fees that aren't included even if you pay for door to door, in the UK this often included 'terminal handling charges' which can add an extra few hundred dollars. In Egypt my school helped us to collect our things and clear customs, so it's well worth checking out what support you'll get.

Definitely check with your school whether the allowance is only paid on production of receipts, if it's just a cash allowance then you might be as well off using it to buy new stuff and making the most of a good airline with decent baggage allowance.
sid
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Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:44 am

Post by sid »

Just as a general note, it's fairly common that shipping costs twice what your written estimate is, and takes twice as long to get there as they claim.
I wish these things weren't true, but they often are. Deal with a reputable company, get things in writing, and then expect to double the time and cost. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.
And it's not always the shipping company that causes the issue. One time I shipped with a fantastic carrier who charged me exactly what they said they would, and delivered exactly when they said. I was amazed and pleased. But the shipment got caught in customs, who held it against my will until the expected time had doubled, and then charged me storage fees that doubled the cost.
PsyGuy
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Location: Northern Europe

Long Term

Post by PsyGuy »

Also think long term. I dont know what position you took, but is this the school you can retire from? If not and you ship $5K worth of belongings what are you going to do at the end of the two year contract? Just hope the next school pays the same amount. You might end up paying out of pocket to ship the majority of your belongings to the next school ,and when you consider that, you might have just been better off buying new items.

You mentioned being cash poor, but almost all schools only reimburse (and even then it takes a while) so your going to be paying for the shipment out of your own pocket and just hope the costs come in below your allowance, and that you get reimbursed for everything.
Overhere
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Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:29 am

Post by Overhere »

Speaking of cash poor, from my experience you'll be cash poor for the first few months. No matter what you ship over, its amazing how much starting a household up in a new country costs. Its happened to us all three times we have moved, we look at each other after a couple of months and go "where is all our paycheque going?"
hallier
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Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2011 4:54 am

Post by hallier »

There's lots of great advice here.

If I can put my 2 cents in, I would communicate with teachers who are already at the school and find out what they did - what could they buy more cheaply there? what was not available over there? etc. They will also be able to recommend the best shippers.

From the size of your allowance, I suspect you are headed to a school that will provide you with a lot of that information anyway.

Just two things to keep in mind - first, make sure your allowance covers tax and storage fees. Some schools, believe it or not, only pay for shipping, not for other things. Second, in some places (China, for eg) you can not access your shipment until your residency permits etc have come through. This can take until September/October in some cases.

Whatever the case, this is definitely a situation of contacting the school and getting 1st hand advice.

All the best with your move - I am also moving schools and am about to start thinking about this as well. It is a bit of a headache!
Overhere
Posts: 497
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:29 am

Post by Overhere »

"If I can put my 2 cents in, I would communicate with teachers who are already at the school and find out what they did - what could they buy more cheaply there? what was not available over there?"

This is very good advice. We have found school packing lists can often be outdated, for example we were told that good toothpaste was difficult to find in SE Asia so we went out and bought a two years' supply. On our first visit to the mall there was a huge display of Colgate Total at the front of the grocery store and that is just one example of something that we brought with us that would have been easier to purchase and transport in country.
doubtful
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Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 5:59 pm
Location: PA

Post by doubtful »

Thanks for all of the great info and advice, everyone!

I should be getting a packet of info from the school this week--at least that is what I was told. They are also supposed to hook me up with a current teacher to help with locating housing, etc., so it sounds like they are going to help make this a smooth transition (as smooth as moving to a country/city I've never even visited can be, I suppose. . .)

Thanks again!
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Wait

Post by PsyGuy »

They are having a "teacher", not an HR rep. play housing/apartment realtor?
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