[lavenderbongo]

Hi
We are moving on a very short schedule and just beginning to get qoutes from removal companies. But since my husbands employers have put a limit on how much they are willing to pay in removal costs we are trying move as cheaply as possible.

So I just wondered if I could ask how much furniture did people bring with them and is it cheaper to bring stuff with you than try and buy things again in New Zealand? For example we are considering not bringing our sofa and possibly leaving our double bed as well - is furniture expensive in NZ and most importantly is there an Ikea anywhere near Wellington?:cheers

[JandM]

Ikea does not exist in NZ.

Opinions vary as to whether to bring everything, or get rid of it and buy again upon arrival. (Use the 'search' button and you'll find old discussion threads.) I think it would be fair to say that most people recommend bringing everything you can fit in if you're having a container, because anything you don't want will readily sell on TradeMe.

[Tui2too]

you can look at the online flyers (or download them) to check out nz prices
i like to look at 'the warehouse' and 'big save' for example
you can also check out used furniture prices on trademe to get an idea

[Flutterby]

i think it depends how much you value/how valuable your furniture is.
Most of the furniture here was either second hand, or the cheapest we could get hold of and therefore the shipping would be more expensive than the value of the furniture, so it would make sense to replace in the same way that we acquired in the first place.
If you have Expensive furniture or family heirlooms it may well make better sense to ship it, but you do take the chance that they may get damaged somewhere in transit.

[darboots]

One of the removal company guys at the London (Oct) Expo recommended that we bring our furniture with us. Specifically, beds, sofas and electricals, as he said they were very expensive to purchse in NZ(??!)

Not sure how good this advice was as he obviously has a vested interest in us having to get a larger container!! :uhoh

Dar.,

[IanW99]

i think it depends how much you value/how valuable your furniture is.
Most of the furniture here was either second hand, or the cheapest we could get hold of and therefore the shipping would be more expensive than the value of the furniture, so it would make sense to replace in the same way that we acquired in the first place.
If you have Expensive furniture or family heirlooms it may well make better sense to ship it, but you do take the chance that they may get damaged somewhere in transit.

Whilst I tend to agree with this observation you should take into account how you are shipping the remaing household effects.

For example, if you need a 20' container anyway then the advice is to fill it as much as possible. So even if some of your furniture may be inexpensive, if you have room anyway in the container then you may as well take it with you (no additional cost).

This advice is good even if you don't intend keeping the furniture in NZ as a) you can use it until you get/find a suitable replacement and b) second hand prices are generally higher in NZ than many other countries e.g. UK.

Ian