[T-and-L-PDX]

I have often wondered what I should cram into the remaining space of my container that would:
1) fetch a nice price at a second-hand store and thereby finance some aspect of the trip (furniture, etc.) or --
2) be too hard to get in NZ.

This board is good for answering #2 but I am still curious about #1.

Tigerlilly's post on what to leave out helped crystallize the question.

[acisman]

I think the simple answer is, take whatever you have. Second-hand goods sell very well in NZ. In fact there are many shops that sell goods on your behalf, taking a commission for doing so.

We are going in a few weeks time and with the exception of our washing machine and dish washer ( will be difficult to get spare parts), telephone equipment, and things such as wicketr chairs and baskets ( too much aggro with MAF), we are taking the lot. Some of it wil be replaced in NZ if and when we fine better, but I know from my mother's experience of some years ago, that there is a very good market for second-hand goods and it will be ashame to let the container go without it being full.

Given prices of some things in NZ, it would be great to fill the spare space with things like wallpaper and paint ( very expensive in NZ). Of course this is difficult as paint cannot be shipped inthis way and anything new will attract customs duty and GST.

Dave

[Tate6]

This is such a great question!!
I remember reading that clothing is expensive. I am no fashion guru, nor is my hubby. But we have teenagers (boys) and they are a little more particular about clothes. We buy the cheap Walmart, KMart, Target clothes, as they get worn quickly. So we don't buy the big name stuff. Should I bring all clothes that fit and are wearable??

What about my little ones toys? Stuffed animals, dolls, and larger Little Tikes items. Expensive there?? Are stuffed animals going to be a problem as they are difficult to clean? (Some cannot be washed in washing machine).

Anxious to gain knowledge from others experiences in this instance.
Terry

[Moorf]

I think the simple answer is, take whatever you have. Second-hand goods sell very well in NZ. In fact there are many shops that sell goods on your behalf, taking a commission for doing so.

Definitely the way to go :nice1 Unless it's a huge item that will bump up the cost of shipping or an item that you may not find parts for here.. then bring it :nice1

[Diny]

Apart from 2 x king size mattresses (sp), the fridge/freezer and a couple of scabby bedside tables we're bringing the lot !!

The above items all need dumping so we reckon there's no point shipping them over. We just figure that if we use/need everything else here, we're going to use/need everything in NZ.

Besides, I'm quite attached to my furniture ..... every piece tells a story.

Diny

[Moorf]

Drat - I could have done with 2 scabby bedside tables :? :laugh

We sold all our furniture as it was very tailored to the house we were in - kinda regret it in a way.. :( but hey ho, nothing we can do now... at least I get to go out shopping for more :nice1

[Iain & Liz]

I think that you would be wise to bring everything that will fit.
Most of the second hand shop's sell rubbish and are not cheap at all!!!
which is ok if you are selling but not good if you are buying.
Bedding is a must as we have found that the duvet's, sheet's, are really naff and cost loads.
If you are going to be waiting for a container to arrive you will still need to buy the basic's eg ,toaster,kettle,cutlery, t -towels,pot's pan's (unless they are really good one's) so it might be worth leaving them to make more room for other stuff and it saves you having to use adoptors,
our neighbour is a fireman and said that most house fires are caused by eletrical stuff being left on stand by and advised us to use NZ plugs(not adaptors) and turn everything off at the plug.
you can pick them up for about $11-upwards depending on the sort you want.
the cost of stuff works out a little cheaper then in the uk but some items are not,i wanted a cake tin and they were £21 and up,a turn handel whisk was $22.

[Iain & Liz]

$11 for a kettle or toaster not an adaptor

[Moorf]

We are a little disappointed with 2nd hand stuff here too... especially 2nd hand electrical stuff like fridges/cookers - the 2nd hand prices can be nearly as much as new and they can be truly awful..

There are a couple of "refurbished furniture" places springing up but most of the stuff in 2nd hand shops is 1970's stuff and pretty dire. I would liken many of the "second hand warehouses" to an architectural salvage place in the UK :? Of course, they are worth trawling around if you have the time, there's always the chance you'll find that "gem".

Kmart, Farmers (bit like Debenhams http://www.farmers.co.nz/info/Homepage.htm ) and Warehouse are great for kitchen bits and bedding.. we found v. reasonable priced stuff there. Our wool duvets were $40 each, feather pillows $19 each, duvet covers upwards of $50 for a double. You can buy a "kitchen starter kit" with cutlery, plate settings etc for $40 :nice1 we bought one way back when we arrived and it's still intact - we love whiteware and bought lots of funky single items such as salad bowls, dip trays etc for $8 upwards!

Trademe.co.nz is also a great place to find cheap stuff (it's like Ebay but for NZ).

We've also been told to get to the garage sales - there are "notices" of where and when they are being held in The Press - you need to get there early though - most start at about 8am - next door had one last Dec and they were queueing from 7am!! :eek Two ladies even turned up the day before to see if they could have a sneaky peek!

[wilson182]

The buy and sell newspaper is also a good place to get bargains.

[T-and-L-PDX]

I was actually considered not only not selling the stuff I already own but filling up the remaining space of my container with some nice items from second-hand shops here.


The biggest problem I see is that, as others have pointed out, the second hand stores and even trademe.co.nz sell a great deal of rubbish. If I were to load up on old mid-century bric-a-brac and chairs and such to stuff in the empty portion of the container (or maybe even get a bigger container if the math works) I'd still have a concern there is no market for collectibles.


When it comes to cool or fun vintage goods, is NZ an untapped market or an uninterested one?

PS -- I know about having to register as a dealer if I sell more than 2000 dollars. Of course, I am talking about $1,999 worth of goods.

[richard]

Re: What did you take, that you wished you'd brought more of?

MONEY! :(

[sarahw]

Bring everything you can guys - I wish I hadn't thrown out so much stuff before we moved & I wish I'd bought more Ikea gear/Argos stuff as there's nowhere like that!

Bring a decent dirty laundry basket (but not wicker) we have loads of choice in the UK - but hardly any here & I don't really fancy a 70's style plastic one. I've really struggled to find one I want to buy & have been using a plastic bag the last few weeks - still with no success!!!

Re. kids clothes & cheap clothes - I can't believe how cheap they are here (but we did arrive during the summer sales!) - we have K-Mart and the Warehouse that sell cheap kids clothes & with regards to shoes I can't believe how cheap No 1 Warehouse is! I got 4 pairs of Jandals last week (3 were leather Birkenstock style) for £12!!!!

Squeeze every last bit of stuff you have into that container!!! :nice1

[wilson182]

Re. kids clothes & cheap clothes - I can't believe how cheap they are here (but we did arrive during the summer sales!) - we have K-Mart and the Warehouse that sell cheap kids clothes & with regards to shoes I can't believe how cheap No 1 Warehouse is! I got 4 pairs of Jandals last week (3 were leather Birkenstock style) for £12!!!!



K-mart and warehouse are always having sales of some kind and quite often it is clothes. Farmers (like Debenhams) also often have clothes sales. In fact most of the shops over here are always having a sale of some kind. :nice1

[lindajax]

hi all.

My cleanser - boots brand ... had to get mum to send 4 bottles a couple of weeks ago.

Lucys chewy vitamin pastilles - here i can only find suckable sweets or lollipop ones

MONEY

I'm sure theres other stuff but those are the things I've really wanted and can't get!

Linda x

[Carol]

Oh Ok - I have to dmit to sending home for supplies of......


Anadin Extra
Quick-jel
Net curtain whitener
Body Shop stuff (lots at the beginning but I think I am weaned off it now)
Heinz tomato soup
proper can openers
proper vinegar bottles
proper veggie peelers


they are a few that spring to mind..... ;)

[sarahw]

Carol - you are sooo right about the vinegar bottles - if I'd known they were going to be bottles with an opening like a big water bottle I'd've washed out the one at home and brought it to re-fill!!! (sorry missing vinegar bottles - how sad is that?! :oops: )

[leslie]

we'll eventually recover a huge sofa (20m+ of fabric) and several chairs (15+m) so am wondering if you can buy plain wool felt (upholstery fanric) in wooly nz and how much it would cost/ metre? i can see the blank looks...

to anyone on the know - should we buy here? i'd rather buy nz but have an insider at des guild who can get me 40% off - imagine arriving in nz and find cheap rubbish is double the price...

[Diny]

Leslie

My mum in law was wanting to re-cover a couple of lounge chairs but was totally put off the idea by the high price of the fabrics. She also had new curtains and they cost a fortune - and the choice was very limited. This was in rural Manawatu might I add - I guess the bigger towns would have more choice.

If you have a chance to get the fabric you like and the quality you want with a 40% discount if I were you I'd go for it.

Diny

[AliJax]

I think so far the single biggest thing I wish I'd brought more of is:

socks
trousers (for work)
slippers

These sound funny things to post but my grandad slippers we're really comfy (and £8gbp is alot to pay for them here).

can't seem to find a good shop for blokes clothes - we all know blokes hate shopping.

[Moorf]

I wish I'd brought more of my family ;)

[Gran]

There are several Body Shops in Auckland and the local Chemist in Whangaparoa has a Body shop section, might be an opening for a franchise in Welly?
Gran

[Carol]

Hi Gran -
THere are Body Shops all over now near here-

I just find them ridiculously expensive here so dont bother buying anymore.
So much for their philosophies! :P

[Jo and Andy]

I thought about some of the things I would like to take extra of, like getting loads of my clinque stuff on Bonus time, so I can take spares.

The comment on bedding was an intersting one, I thought of getting new sheets etc (especially some winter ones), but thought they would be good out there, will head off the the sales now.

I suppose the best thing is to work out how much would fit in the 20ft and then check the extras you can cram in.

About the bikes, pitty father chistmas gave me one this year (bike that is). :mrgreen:

[Diny]

pitty father chistmas gave me one this year (bike that is).

:eek :eek :eek :eek

Diny

[Hannah-NL]

So how much does fit into a 20 ft container?
Or should I maybe make a new post about this? Maybe it's been posted before, I better do a search...

[Diny]

Hi Hannah

There was a post about thinks ages and ages ago. I've just tried to have a look for it but I'm totally c**p at doing searches - I never find what I'm looking for.

So - I apologise if I'm repeating myself on this one, but for the sake of Hannah (and anybody else who may be interested) - here's rundown of what we're getting into a 20 foot sole use container:

HALL

Wall mounted coat stand
Pine chest
Telephone table

CLOAKROOM

Large shoe cupboard

KITCHEN

2 x high breakfast bar stools
Microwave oven
Kettle
Toaster
Large bread bin
George Foreman Grill
Various pots and pans
Various dishes & casserole pots etc
All the usual kitcheny stuff

DINING ROOM

Large stripped pine dining table
Wall mounted corner cupboard
Stereo
Small cabinet
Long pine refrectory/side table
Plant stand

SITTING ROOM

1 x 3 seater couch
1 x 2 seater couch
Tall book case
Large knee hole desk
Foot stool
Small side table

LANDING

Pine wash stand

BEDROOM 1

King Size bed
Dressing table
bedroom chair
portable TV

BEDROOM 2

King size bed
Tallboy
Bedroom chair
Towel stand

BEDROOM 3

2 single captains bed
2 tallboys
2 desks
1 pine chest of drawers
1 set of shelves (floor standing)
2 swivel chairs

OFFICE

Computer table
Swivel chair
Large bookcase

GARAGE

Tumble dryer
Lawnmower
Several tools & general equipment
1 mens bike
2 x Kids bikes

MISC

All the ornaments, pictures & mirrors etc which are strewn around the house. Rugs and lamps etc. Also, all curtains, bedding and clothes etc.

Now ..... I have my doubts as to how all of this will fir into a 20 ft container. Everytime we pass one on the motorway I proclaim to PB that 'there's no way my house will fit into that'. He assures me it will, and the man for White & Co assures me it will. Who am I to argue.

Hope this helps.

Diny

[Hannah-NL]

Hiya Diny,

Wow, your list sounds about like mine I think, I really should make one too now :laugh
That's why I have my doubts too as to if it will fit into one of those 20ft containers.
When the time comes we will get one of those movers to come over to check out the goods I bet he will tell us what and if it will fit in :?
Going to try if I can find the posty you typed about now, Thanks again!

:flower:
Hannah

[Glenda]

Hiya Diny,

Wow, your list sounds about like mine I think, I really should make one too now :laugh
That's why I have my doubts too as to if it will fit into one of those 20ft containers.
When the time comes we will get one of those movers to come over to check out the goods I bet he will tell us what and if it will fit in :?
Going to try if I can find the posty you typed about now, Thanks again!

:flower:
Hannah

Is it this?: http://www.emigratenz.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=412

[Diny]

That's it Glenda !!!!!!! :nice1

Diny

[Hannah-NL]

Thanks Glenda!
This is just what I needed to read, I'm all grinning now...
The last 24 hours I got a few answers here that are worth GOLD I say! You're all so :nice1