Moving to Barbados
 

Hello all expats,

We have bought a house on the west coast and it is partially furnished. We were wondering if it’s possible to bring household items (non electrical) beds, sofas, crockery linen and personal effects. If so does anyone know what the best way of bringing it over.
We intend to stay in the 5 yr visa and we know how expensive things are there to buy. We are coming from the UK ask any help you can give would be of Great help. Siân

Re: Moving to Barbados
 

Firstly - remember you will pay duty and tax and fees on anything you import plus any freight and insurance charge - dont know specifics for barbados but often whats new is different to used, and there are usually some sort of discounts or duty free for some things. Be careful - in Grenada for example 100 pounds value of new clothing might be 120 pounds shipped. That value is +50% duty, +15% VAT +6% fees, all cumulative....

Secondly you are moving to the hot humid semi tropics. Any metal that might rust WILL, its not like Wales, bed frames, bed springs and tools are examples. If you are buying anything metal, think marine or cooking grade stainless steel.

Any furniture or thing incorporating chipboard, particle board or softwood is ant and termite food, which rules out most european furniture. Ikea do sell some acacia wood furniture which is inedible, but you might find locally made hardwood furniture actually good value. I have occasionally given a woodworker an ikea photo and said make that, but 9 inches longer, out of teak, and it costs only a litle more than the chipboard original, but thats in Grenada where hardwood forest is common.

Do bring lots of hot weather clothes sandals and shoes, they are much cheaper and often better in the uk. In cool climates you wouldnt know the difference, but 100% cotton is miles better than 60% cotton in the heat.

Quite rightly forget transformers, buy US electrical goods like kettles, toasters etc, but i find british LPG cookers can be of much higher quality if you need one.

Medications are cheaper in the uk and your GP will happily write you a private prescription for a few years worth, you pay for the drugs, but they will be less. Personal use prescriptions with your name on are duty free if brought via the airport here..... If you are sending a big case of stuff [you are believe me] chuck in cases of expensive foodstuffs that last - like tins of anything, im probably weird but the tinned tuna you get in the UK or US is better and much cheaper. American baked beans are horribly sweet. Dont know about Barbados but we get tesco and waitrose here plus us stuff.

The biggest personal effects shipper is RAM shipping, not the cheapest but reliable and safe, you might pay in total 130 pounds to send a barrel, 1000 pounds for a car sized case. They send stuff every 2 weeks and have lots of containers on every vessel. Based in Silvertown in London now, used to be Barry docks when the banana boats sailed. They will collect from you anywhere at silly oclock in the morning usually.

Re: Moving to Barbados
 

UK_Grenada. Thank you for the reply. We have emailed RAM so am awaiting a response. Do understand furniture it’s just you have a few pieces that you want to keep and feel hard at parting with. Mail us crockery, linens, kitchenware, things like that. Alas no baked beans as we don’t like them 😂 maybe tin spaghetti and tons of tea bags. Thank you for replying most kind of you

Re: Moving to Barbados
 

OK, corned beef? spam? real coffee? favourite jams jellies etc, tea bags yes, i usually take a kilo each of smoked paprika and 5 spice powder, much cheaper, but maybe i do more BBQing than most.

You should thoroughly treat any ant food wood with solignum clear - just put it in a garden sprayer and give all wood several soakings so long as its not something you actually sit on/touch, its highly toxic but it works for a few years.