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To sell or not to sell home contents

To sell or not to sell home contents

Old Apr 23rd 2014, 7:48 pm
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Default To sell or not to sell home contents

So it has been a month since we sent all of our information, applying for the K1 Visa, I know we have a wait yet, but my mind has turned to the actual moving of belongings.
I have a friend who emigrated to Australia and after paying expensive shipping, decided once there, that she should of just left most of it behind and bought new.
Admittedly for me the only furniture items I plan to take, is one sectional corner sofa, an arm chair and foot stool.
Other than that it will be clothing, shoes, a few ornaments and sentimental effects like photos etc...
Christmas tree and ornaments.
Obviously all of my electrical items, I assume will be no good with the power difference (anyone have experience of taking some?)
I do not want to be like my friend and have them die one after the other or be dangerous in anyway.
I paid £4000 for my suite and so am reluctant to sell it as it's only 3 years old and I know people will offer silly money for it.
But considering shipping (I have no idea of the cost for such few pieces) would it be worth taking maybe £1500 -£2000 for my suite and just buying new?
I have no clue as to the cost of furniture there and me and my fiance have different views on what constitutes good quality, he is more cheap and cheerful and I am a pay a little more for good quality kinda girl
As always your help and advice is appreciated, thank you
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 7:59 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Reminds me of when I moved out here. I'd just bought a new suite for £3,800 a few months prior and hated to think of selling it cheaply. 8 years later the leather backs and wood accents still look amazing, so much so that we just spent $1,800 having it recovered at Christmas, rather than buy a new one. The upholsterer said the quality was the best he had seen.

If I were to do this again, I'd definitely sell the UK electrical appliances. You can get adaptors and the like, but it is not worth the hassle. Some items, like laptop chargers, will run on 110v or 240v, but your major items will need an adaptor/step-up-transformer, or simply will not work.

Your furniture may offer you some grounding and familiarity once you arrive. If hubby is 'cheap and cheerful', you may not be able to agree to get one you both really like when you get here. The £2,500 hit you might take on selling the suite will likely pay the complete cost to ship everything you want to bring.

Appliances here are cheap, and in general don't last long. I was amazed to buy a DVD player and it break after 4 months of use. I took it back to Radio Shack and was told the DVD player only had a 90 day warranty. It was still brand new in my eyes.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:16 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

I sold almost everything, made it much easier once I got here since I knew I didn't have to sit in an empty place while waiting weeks for it to arrive. I never had much furniture of value in the UK though, but it was still relatively new stuff in many cases. Sell cheap, it will go quickly, and you'll stress less about it.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:19 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

I'm having the same dilemma. Had a shipping company round two weeks ago and they quoted £3500 for contents of a 4 bed roomed house, that was only taking 1 sofa, 2 x dressing tables, chest of drawers and a wardrobe plus personal items. We have since had another company round today and I'm waiting for their quote - we've reduced furniture items down to 2 x dressing tables and 1 x bookshelf as these were my Grandma's so of more sentimental than monetary value so I'll see what they quote. I was in Philly 2 weeks ago which is where we are moving to and went to some nice thrift stores to see if we could buy second hand furniture - they had nice, solid wood chest of drawers for 90$ which I thought was quite good. We did contemplate ditching it all and buying new, but I panicked the next day - think I'd miss some of my things around me, whatever the cost.
It's hard isn't it?!

Clare
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:21 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Wow that really surprises me, but my fiance did tell me electricals are cheaper over there, maybe that is why?

I do really like my suite, but also we have to consider the size.
We intend to rent first and then eventually buy a house, from what I see many homes appear to be rather roomy out there, so it may not be a problem.

I am also thinking about £2000 exchanged for dollars, may not be so bad?
I may need my sweetest smile to make him let me spend it though haha
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:22 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

I can't see the point of bringing a Christmas tree.

If the sofa is the only furniture you're bringing, it's probably not worth it to be honest.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:28 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by Clrsth
I'm having the same dilemma. Had a shipping company round two weeks ago and they quoted £3500 for contents of a 4 bed roomed house, that was only taking 1 sofa, 2 x dressing tables, chest of drawers and a wardrobe plus personal items. We have since had another company round today and I'm waiting for their quote - we've reduced furniture items down to 2 x dressing tables and 1 x bookshelf as these were my Grandma's so of more sentimental than monetary value so I'll see what they quote. I was in Philly 2 weeks ago which is where we are moving to and went to some nice thrift stores to see if we could buy second hand furniture - they had nice, solid wood chest of drawers for 90$ which I thought was quite good. We did contemplate ditching it all and buying new, but I panicked the next day - think I'd miss some of my things around me, whatever the cost.
It's hard isn't it?!

Clare
Yeah this is the reason for me thinking what do I absolutely not want to leave behind, luckily for me my sentimental pieces are small, ornaments and such.
You see I do not mind cheap, cheap is good. But like you, I would want sturdy pieces that last and well you can't go wrong for $90 solid wood...
Hmm this has given me something to think about, maybe selling the beast of a sofa is not so bad after all, even at a loss
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:38 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
I can't see the point of bringing a Christmas tree.

If the sofa is the only furniture you're bringing, it's probably not worth it to be honest.
It is sentimental, my children have opened every Christmas present under that tree is all, plus my fiances mother is getting older and she has been dividing up her decorations that have been passed down through the years by her family and has some put aside for me ready.
I know it seems silly, a tree?
But last Christmas, me and my fiance opened our gifts under that tree, it was our first together and I had a special glass bauble made to mark the occasion.
Ugh I have turned into my mother, lol when did that happen?

It sounds really corny but for me as a child what I recall about Christmas was the tree, the lights, decorating it, people smiling, just a nice time of year.

As another lady commented, sometimes what is most important to a person doesn't have any monetary value at all, but those are the things we are least likely to part with
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:43 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by Besenyi
It is sentimental, my children have opened every Christmas present under that tree is all, plus my fiances mother is getting older and she has been dividing up her decorations that have been passed down through the years by her family and has some put aside for me ready.
I know it seems silly, a tree?
But last Christmas, me and my fiance opened our gifts under that tree, it was our first together and I had a special glass bauble made to mark the occasion.
Ugh I have turned into my mother, lol when did that happen?

It sounds really corny but for me as a child what I recall about Christmas was the tree, the lights, decorating it, people smiling, just a nice time of year.

As another lady commented, sometimes what is most important to a person doesn't have any monetary value at all, but those are the things we are least likely to part with
Just bring the bauble

I understand, of course.

With shipping, it's kind of all or nothing. If you're bringing some stuff, might as well fill the container.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:48 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

i would def forget the tree. we brought ours across as we had free shipping, and what looked like a normal sized tree in the UK looked like a scrawny twig compared with everything we saw here. We went out and brought a larger bushier thing straight away as ours looked pathetic lol)

I would bring the more unique ornaments though (ie don't bother with just regular easily replaceable items). That way you put those memoruies on the new tree, best of both worlds.

other things to bring -
pint measuring jugs to use with your English recipes.
Yorkshire pudding 'tin'.
Steamer basin for xmas pudding/treacle pudding type of thing.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:51 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
Just bring the bauble :lol
With shipping, it's kind of all or nothing. If you're bringing some stuff, might as well fill the container.
Exactly
My rocks and fossils and found objects are what I chose...but then there were 19 ft. of empty space in this 20ft. container to fill
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:54 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by MsElui
i would def forget the tree. we brought ours across as we had free shipping, and what looked like a normal sized tree in the UK looked like a scrawny twig compared with everything we saw here. We went out and brought a larger bushier thing straight away as ours looked pathetic lol)

I would bring the more unique ornaments though (ie don't bother with just regular easily replaceable items). That way you put those memoruies on the new tree, best of both worlds.

other things to bring -
pint measuring jugs to use with your English recipes.
Yorkshire pudding 'tin'.
Steamer basin for xmas pudding/treacle pudding type of thing.
Oh yes good points on the cooking stuff. Also the shallower tins for mince pies.
Originally Posted by MMcD
Exactly
My rocks and fossils and found objects are what I chose...but then there were 19 ft. of empty space in this 20ft. container to fill
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 8:57 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by Sally Redux
Just bring the bauble

I understand, of course.

With shipping, it's kind of all or nothing. If you're bringing some stuff, might as well fill the container.
Not sure I agree with that. There's a middle ground where you don't bring furniture or anything else heavy, but you fill a few cardboard boxes and send them via Excess Baggage or similar.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 9:00 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Originally Posted by Owen778
Not sure I agree with that. There's a middle ground where you don't bring furniture or anything else heavy, but you fill a few cardboard boxes and send them via Excess Baggage or similar.
Yes, agreed. I was thinking something like that would work for the OP if she left out the sofa and tree.
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Old Apr 23rd 2014, 9:04 pm
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Default Re: To sell or not to sell home contents

Just an aside (maybe subject for a new thread)....if you return to UK - what do you take with you (aside from your ..ahem.....fond memories)?
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