sell everything?

[superade]

has anyone moved to new zealand & just arrived with bag of spare socks & pants?

dont realy know if its worth bringing any of my old stuff with me.......if i am starting a new life why not go all the way and start from scratch?

[diogenese]

I nearly did, but I have a very expensive tool box for work so I got a container and filled it with all my junk! otherwise I think I would have taken very little.
It all depends on what your stuff is worth, some goods are expensive to replace in NZ.

[Aquarian]

Take it all - I asked several ex-pats out in NZ on our recent recce mission.
Those who didn't bring the lot regretted it, even stuff you don't want to keep will fetch plenty of $ in the booming second hand shops & trade me markets.
So if you have a container - fill it.
: )

[JandM]

From what people say on these threads over the years, there are two camps - some have the impulse to leave everything and start over, and others are happier bringing their familiar stuff and seeing how it fits into the new life (and if it doesn't, selling it on). A really personal choice.

[Ana&Steve]

As JandM said there are many on the forum that have done both. I will likely handle it by weighing a few things:

1. emotional attachment to items
2. opening up a container of familiar stuff after going though months of disorientation in a new country
3. replacement costs verses shipping (heard it can be pricey replacing everything, but also if you don't mind used, trademe can reduce the costs)

Very personal choice in the end. Perusing old threads on the subject will help you weigh the pros and cons.

[Familyofmonkeys]

Bear in mind that the cost of replacing all of the little everyday items often adds up to way more than most people expect when you need to replace stuff....not to mention the time and fuel costs associated with shopping over here. Try and work out the value of all of your little inexpensive things like teatowels, oven gloves, cutlery, crockery, knives, chopping boards, tupperware, pots & pans, baking trays + other kitchen stuff, bedding, duvets & pillows, towels, sheets, vacuum cleaners, ironing board, clothes pegs, furniture, books, DVD's. electrical items (which are much more expensive here on the whole), etc etc.

I could go on, but there are many, many threads on this subject. Many people have later regretted not bringing more stuff over with them. If you are young and don't have much to begin with, or everything you currently own is very old then there probably isn't much point bringing too much stuff. But if what you have is halfway decent then consider carefully. Things like furniture, matresses, bedding etc can be much more expensive here with nowhere near as much choice.....there is no Argos equivalent here to re-stock and although you could replace basic items in The Warehouse, the quality of many items is shockingly poor. Also as a result of the lack of choice here, there is a thriving second hand market (Trademe) where you can sell on things you find you don't want or need at a tidy profit.

There are also places such as DTR where you can hire basic furniture/whitewear etc while waiting for your own stuff to arrive from overseas.

[hosebergine]

I'd echo much of what's been said. I know two families who chose to ditch most, if not everything, and they have really struggled to get on their feet. I'd come over with a bed at the very least - our daughters' cost an arm and a leg! We brought everything and if I'd known how much stuff cost / the quality of some things, I'd have bought a bit more in my pre-departure shopping trips.

One really useful thing is to list stuff out and estimate the cost to replace with new. It was unbelievably clear when we did this for insurance purposes that the cost of the container paled into insignificance when compared to the cost of replacing our worldly possessions in NZ$ and on an NZ wage. It was stuff like clothes, CDs, books, towels and kitchen stuff that caught us by surprise and we were only estimating.

[Familyofmonkeys]

One really useful thing is to list stuff out and estimate the cost to replace with new. It was unbelievably clear when we did this for insurance purposes that the cost of the container paled into insignificance when compared to the cost of replacing our worldly possessions in NZ$ and on an NZ wage. It was stuff like clothes, CDs, books, towels and kitchen stuff that caught us by surprise and we were only estimating.

And be sure to work out the replacement cost for goods in NZ, not just in UK/other home country.....certain things are a lot more expensive here. Books, for example, are often more than twice as expensive in real terms, even at the most unfavourable exchange rate. We order most books from Amazon because even with shipping it still works out significantly cheaper than buying anything here. For example a Bill Bryson book I wanted was about £7 on Amazon a fortnight ago, and was on a 'great price' deal in Borders for $49.99. I checked in Whitcoulls and it was also $49.99. Even with a 30% borders discount voucher (which you can't use with 'great price' books) it would still have worked out at about $35 which doesn't even compare to £7 + about £5 shipping.

[Flutterby]

we came with just our bags and 6X30kg boxes and virtually no money.
It was hard to let go of some things and we both have items we regret leaving behind BUT in time we have replaced a lot of things we need, Garage Sales are common and very useful but things like chests of drawers are expensive to replace so if you have good stuff where you are you have to weigh up the costs V's loses.
Our furniture was mostly either cheap tat or belonged to the landlord so not bringing the furniture basically meant it wasn't worthwhile getting a container but some items had to be shipped as we could not take them in our luggage and would not part with them (tools of the trade etc)
If we had enough spare money i probably would have chucked the whole lot in a container as it would have been so much easier than all the hassle of selling/donating/tipping the items.

[Shones]

I'd echo above. We've done sabbaticals abroad twiceand a four year stint once, and I've been horrified at how much the small things have added up to, kitchen scales, baking trays, spatulas, spoons, towels. We're undecided about container (we're leaving Mexico and customs are a nightmare and half our stuff is not brilliant quality -plus we'll probably be letting our house furnished) but I am sure I am going to send boxes over with my bamboo chopping board, cutting knives etc. at the very least.
If you do choose a container, then checking out prices online for a lot of things will be a great way of helping you purchase stuff in the UK in bulk before you leave (you could always have a list and each week choose one thing off the list to stock up on with your weekly shop).
Also, I found that taking odd things like my favourite pictures or even favourite kitchen implement helped me feel much more settled - I remember one forum member stating how he'd always considered himself unattached to material things and being shocked at how happy he was when his container arrived.