Just deciding what we should take and reading another thread about a container of stuff costing £4000 to ship.....why dont people just save the
£4k and buy everything brand new???????? im looking around at a rather manky pair of sofas and thinking we could buy them brand new for a grand, 3 new beds a grand and so on.......no idea whether I should bring the treadmill or whether itll just collect the dust as it does in the UK!

so to cut a long story short....why bother shipping?

Hi Speargun
It depends on what your circumstances will be when you get here, and what your financial position will be. We shipped at least half of our stuff but I wish we'd brought it all. Some stuff we sold for peanuts and the rest we gave away on Freecycle.com - only to then have to go out over here and buy it all again - a bit sickening really! We didn't have jobs to come to so are starting again financially so could have done without having to spend our savings on new beds for the kids etc!
Is that your child on your avatar? Have you got someone in Perth to look after him/her while you drag around furniture shops every weekend? Settee shopping with a grumpy kid is no fun!
You may find it hard to get credit when you first arrive.
In all I wish we'd brought everything but you may be better off than us!
Hope this helps, Sue

we've given loads away on freecycle, and ended up with 3/4 of a container.

Wait till you go around to work out the insurance to see the value of what you've got, then you'll know if its worth it

We are shipping at a total of £4049 including £500 insurance because our leather suite is only a year old and cost £2000 and beds and mattresses another £1500 so thats £3500 add to that pool table, computer, dolls houses, bikes, clothes etc...etc... we have found it much cheaper to ship than it would be to buy. If your furniture is dated and you want new then maybe best for you not to bother. As in the world of emmigration it comes down to personal preference and choice........ I think if you went round your house and added up the cost to buy everything new you'd be surprised just how much your stuff cost over the years.

Good Luck making your decision

Andreaxx

We were ...........

definately not shipping then the next minute definately shipping, then we weren't sure whether to ship,now we're thinking of not shipping at all, oh except for the beds!

We have good quality furniture had the sofa etc for 6 years, it's still in fantastic condition but I'm just bored with it now and am thinking will it suite our home in oz?

I've worked out it will cost us about £5000 to get new stuff, obviously the sofa won't be as good quality as our last one but hey it'll be new and my current taste!

It's a tricky one if your debating!

I was really surprised when I did our valuation for the insurance - its not really furniture thats the issue but if you add up all the small items you would be surprised - its amazing what a few shelves of dvds and a cupbard full of lego and board games add up to - + power tools computers etc - its well worth us shipping talking of which I shouldn't be here - shippers coming Weds

OK so we have decided to take most stuff that is any good, but how on earth do you start sorting out when i think of the loft i want to cry!!
My husband is a horder he wont even sort his clothes out until we get the visa, god knows how long it will take his to sort his 3 sheds out.

I was like that about the loft! kept putting it off and putting it off, but finally had to do it as moving out in a couple of weeks. Wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Like your OH I'm a hoarder. Just dragged in family to help and onlt took 6 hours and 3 trips to tip. Was gonna car boot stuff too good to throw but can't be bothered and probably not worth it, just opened house to family and friends to takw what they wanted toys etc my son grown out of and donating rest to charity tombolas etc

From years of moving with the British forces we know that we are taking as much as possible. The expense with a new move soon adds up, stocking up with teabags, coffee, washing powder, sandwich boxes, sauces, showergel, toothpastes, tinned food, salt, pepper, even house plants...ok, you get the picture, I'm stopping as I'm beginning to bore me! But this is only from our experience. Rather have as much of our own belongings with us, also your own things can become reasurring at first.

Our friends who moved to Brisbane a few years ago regret not taking more over with them.

thanks for all the advice guys! I know exactly how you feel spent all sat and sunday clearing loft for a car boot sale today...got up at 5am..then spent 3 hours in the bank holiday rain getting wet!!!! all for £30 freecycle sounds a good idea!!

Shippers come tomorrow!

We are taking everything we can as it seems to be as expensive to take everything as it is to take some things - and we want to take a lot of personal stuff.

20 foot container £3200 London - Melbourne, John Masons.

Buzzy

One day ahead of us them... complete madness in our house.. shredder going overtime, removing batteries, cleaning tools, some flatpacking.. no food in the house...

Just a tip, when you clear out the loft, see if any stuff sells on e-bay before taking to the tip. My OH was about to throw three old motorbike jackets in the skip at work but at the last minute looked on e-bay & saw same selling for £20 - £60, so on they went and he got about £200 in total. He'se now got a pile of other stuff to sell from toys to old Levi jeans that he cant get over his spreading tum!

Sara W

When I got my quotes, I asked the shippers to include what their costs were per cubic metre. When I looked at the cost of shipping a fridge, it was cheaper to buy a new one. Meant I left a lot of bulky things behind (sold them), and had lots of new things when I arrived!

When is the best time to start to get quotes for the shipping. we hope to go for january to cairns does anyone know any good companies in the northeast. Got our acknowledgment yesturday how long do you think we are looking at now for visa? (136 Nurse)