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Thread: Shipping containers

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    14

    Default Shipping containers

    Hi everyone,

    We are hoping to arrive in NZ from Canada early January, my work visa has just been approved, yippee! One of the issues my OH and I can't seem to decide on is whether or not to get a container, or just cough up the thousands and buy once there...my regular search on trademe.co hasn't left me with much confidence re: nice affordable used furniture. I'm looking for all your brilliant experienced advice on shipping from Canada... I have Crown Relocations coming to quote. Any other companies recommended/stay away from? What has your average time been before receiving container? I should add we are unsure if this will be a permanent move for us, although is anyone ever sure of that?!

    Thanks for any and all advice!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Manchester > Now Tauranga
    Posts
    4,393

    Default

    From europe then it's a pretty clear thing that it's better to ship as you can bring all your electrical stuff. From the US/Canada with your puny little 120v( ) then it's not quite so clear. You'll still need to buy a lot of stuff, as despite the fact you can get transformers then that's still a big expense and hassle. Furniture choice and cost over here is not as good as over in other places, a function of the small market and remoteness.

    There's also the double edged sword of having some familiar belongings here compared to being able to buy the sort of furniture that fits your lifestyle over here.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Christchurch
    Posts
    1,417

    Default

    If you do the step down transformer route, be sure to buy them in the US.

    The ones you can buy here are REALLY expensive and not much voltage.

    Here is a place that sells them in the US.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by GrumpyGoat View Post
    The ones you can buy here are REALLY expensive and not much voltage.

    Did you mean 'not much power or current' instead?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    NZ
    Posts
    550

    Default

    Our container has taken 2 months to arrive to answer one question. Secondly we checked out trademe before coming and the stuff looked rubbish on the whole compared to what we had in the UK so we shipped. New stuff on shop websites also looked twice the price. A friend of mine moved out here a few years ago and sold her lovely expensive furniture with her house as she thought shipping was too expensive. I went to her new place in Auckland a few years back and her 'new' NZ trademe purchases were horrid - the place looked cheap and tacky and she was far worse off than when she left the UK.

    That made our minds up to bring EVERYTHING!

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    14

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    "I went to her new place in Auckland a few years back and her 'new' NZ trademe purchases were horrid - the place looked cheap and tacky and she was far worse off than when she left the UK."

    Thats exactly what I'm afraid of, seems the concensus is bring your stuff! Thanks!
    Last edited by Karla; 26th November 2010 at 03:41 AM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    CcH
    Posts
    109

    Default

    If you decide to take your stuff over, I'd go a bit further and advise you to do a big shopping spree before you come over, things are very expensive here compared to UK, although you can get things cheaper if you shop around, the last thing you're gonna have time for is shopping.

    We sent over everything and I still wish I'd taken more!! not least a couple of bottles of Grey Goose, I could buy in UK for £25-£30 compared to $100 at NZ duty free airport!!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    Actually, you risk paying duty on the booze even as an immigrant. Technically it can't be 'used' can it :-)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    New Zealand
    Posts
    162

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Duncan74 View Post
    Actually, you risk paying duty on the booze even as an immigrant. Technically it can't be 'used' can it :-)
    Depends on the brand a bit. Maybe not so much used as recycled.

    Joking aside, anything we had owned for a while was allowed through without duty - I dutifully (see what I did there...) declared a box of unused chocolate, balsamic vingegar, olive oil etc that we just hadn't ever got around to using, the customs officer said "did you buy it specially to bring over", I explained not and they didn't charge duty on it.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Canada, Ottawa Ontario
    Posts
    16

    Default

    So wait.. does this mean that if we get a shipping container, stock it with all our treasures plus, lets say, a couple bottles of grey goose, 10 bottles of wine, 3 big jugs of olive oil, spaghetti sauce jars in bulk, spaghettis, cereals..all unopened but for the purpose of starting us off so we are'nt blowing all our cash as soon as we get there (breathe) then does this mean we have to pay duty on all those food items?!

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