[tebling]

So we're in the early stages of planning The Big Move, and our current strategy is to view the move as short term (1-3 years), for a number of reasons (contract work, poor property market, etc).

So that means we'll be renting a house in Wellington for the three of us (me, wife, 5 yr old daughter) rather than buying, and it also means that it doesn't really make sense to ship everything we own unless we eventually decide to settle permanently.

So our current plan is to sell everything we don't absolutely want to keep, ship everything we need to have in NZ, and store the rest here in the US until we either move back or settle in NZ. This dramatically cuts down on what we'd actually be shipping for the initial move.

So my question is - what makes sense financially in terms of shipping a small number of "larger" items (desktop computers, larger electronics and speakers, bedding, books, kitchen gear, etc)? We're going to do our best to keep furniture out of the shipping equation, so I don't think we'd even come close to filling a 20' container. On the other hand I'm concerned that boxing everything up and shipping via UPS or FedEx would be just as expensive.

Granted I haven't yet researched those costs so who knows? Thought I'd check here first :nice1

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

I think you can 'share' a container i.e. two or more people shipping less than a container full have all their 'stuff' in the same container. Not sure of the details of how this works, but might be worth a word with shipping agents.

[tebling]

I think you can 'share' a container i.e. two or more people shipping less than a container full have all their 'stuff' in the same container. Not sure of the details of how this works, but might be worth a word with shipping agents.

That's a good idea, and one that has crossed my mind. Based on feedback from folks here, and because they're local, I'd probably choose Rainier for a transport company. I should probably check with them to see whether that's feasible.

[dilanium]

You can't use UPS or FedEx from the US anyway. I've asked.

I think in your case "sharing" a container would be the best deal.

I'm not taking any furniture, so we're taking most of the stuff as excess baggage on the plane and shipping ourselves two boxes via USPS.

[Nathan]

That's a good idea, and one that has crossed my mind. Based on feedback from folks here, and because they're local, I'd probably choose Rainier for a transport company. I should probably check with them to see whether that's feasible.

If they say no, do a Google search for freight consolidators.
Also, since you're close to a fair sized airport you might be able to take advantage of air freighting some items on your own.

I'd check the difference between a container and consolidation and factor in that you could take furniture if you have your own container. Furniture here is quite expensive, and if/when you go back, you'll get more for used furniture (or nearly anything else) here than in the States.

[Ojai]

I used Ranier for exactly this. It's called a "Liftvan". It's 7 feet by 7 feet by 4 feet.

We took everything except the furniture and large electronics, and it fit perfectly!

[tebling]

I used Ranier for exactly this. It's called a "Liftvan". It's 7 feet by 7 feet by 4 feet.

We took everything except the furniture and large electronics, and it fit perfectly!

That sounds like just what we need. Thanks very much!