What about furniture? Solutions to moving the heaviest items.
Seven Seas Worldwide will ship abroad your personal belongings anywhere in the world via our trustworthy global network. However, we cannot ship large items of furniture. If you're planning to send your furniture abroad, the cost of moving overseas may force you to consider the options of selling or replacing them before you leave.
- It is in your best interests both financially and logistically to be more austere with your possessions before shipping abroad. Don't forget, the less you take, the less you pay.
- Shipping overseas items of furniture such as sofas, beds, armchairs, wardrobes, bookcases and kitchen appliances will be an extremely costly operation. These items will require special handling, packaging and shipping fees which in some cases will exceed the original cost of the items in the first place!
- Two or more handlers will probably be required at every stage to professionally wrap and crate each item of furniture for shipping abroad. The process of shipping your furniture overseas in sea containers is a long and complicated affair that will require a lot more time, energy and paperwork than it would do if you simply bought new stuff into your new country.
- It is also worth noting when moving abroad that some countries will spray wooden items for woodworm as they enter the country and then charge you for doing so. Something else you may want to consider is the changing climate. If you're moving to a country with a tropical climate, you may find certain antiques and works of art reacting badly to the rise in temperature and humidity.
- You may find that your items will be shared with other people's consignments in order to fill a 40ft container; naturally, this will minimise the cost. However, it will also mean unscheduled delays as removal companies will wait for the most suitable consignments to store with yours before releasing them.
- The cost of a container holding the possessions of a medium-sized, three bedroomed household could cost between US$3,500 and US$4,000, and that's not including the additional moving costs on either side of the ship's journey. If you intend on shipping a US$20,000 item of furniture such as a sofa, you will be expected to pay around US$500 duty.
- Furniture stores in the EU are known for helping customers make considerable discounts on complete packages. For example, furnishing a two bedroom apartment could cost you as little as €5000.