onepearlyb

Hiya,

Can I ask what any of you did with regards to selling off stuff you didn't want to take back to the UK with you?

We've got a big silver Bosch Fridge/Freezer, Bosch washing machine, a dryer, brown leather sofa with chaise and footstool,wooden table and chairs, a Queen size bed,a 42in flat screen silver Acer telly and a dark wood coffee table/side tables to shift before we leave in early January!

I really want to sell it off to save on our shipping costs and definately don't want to take any electrical items back.
Trouble is - Ozzies seem to want things for next to nothing - or is it just me they do that to? All items are about 15months old so not selling it off to them for pennies!

Was thinking of talking to some rental agencies incase they knew of people about to rent who might need the full whack of stuff for a house to get started.

How did YOU do it and what's the best way to do it do you think????

Cheers,
*pearly*

3 go mad in Adelaide

Really, I would find the shipping money - it's gonna cost you a hell of a lot more to replace all these things the other end. And you're right, they will want it for next to nothing which would I personally would just really begrudge

onepearlyb

Grrroooaaannn - so it's not just us then??
We've tried selling stuff on ebay and they are SO tight. We've had disputes just because someone doesn't want to pay $10 for postage and they wanted to pick it up to save the money! Also had a guy round to collect something last week - it had to be at a time which suited HIM - and when he eventually appeared he wanted to use our loo. Felt like he'd take his shoes off next and make himself at home!!!! They just take the p*ss!
I don't want to take our electrical stuff back incase it breaks and we'd have to pay for repairs, coz the International warranty thing has screwed us in the past. Nope - it's all gotta go unfortunately.
I thought stuff would be cheaper to buy in the UK anyway?

Reading fan

Believe me it is the world over .We are having the same problems going the other way. Leaving Nov 3rd for OZ having no luck selling stuff.Did a car boot sale 2 weeks ago - boy people really p*ss me off - VULTURES the lot of them :curse:- going to take the lot to the charity shop.

When we left Oz 3 years ago we had a garage sale made over a $1000 !- maybe thats the way to go.

onepearlyb

Did think about the old Garage Sale - but just doesn't seem right when it's all new shiny stuff! Know what I mean?
This is gonna be a problem,isn't it.....

MrsB

Advertise the stuff on the Australia-here-we-come forum!!!!! There must be loads moving out!!!!

busterboy

Hi Pearly

What about 'melbourne exchange' and 'gumtree' trying to sell the lot as a job lot?

rabsody

Don't bother with a garage sale. It's good for stuff you are selling for 0-$50 but they will offer you silly money i.e. $50 for a decent settee. If you are selling off crockery and kids clothes, toys etc it's still worth doing one.

I have advertised items in the Weekend Shopper which is part of our Saturday paper before. It's free to advertise if it's under $500 (not sure where you like but it's part of our Courier Mail, I think they have something similar in every state?). I've got the best prices from this .. in the $100's anyway!

The Trading Post could also be worth a punt too, they have a website (as do the Weekend Shopper).

Good luck!

Fleaflyfloflum

We are goibg through the exact same hassles right now. PH is still in Sydney but hoping to join me early November and we were talking via webcam last night about what to do with stuff.
As you say the Aussies wants stuff for peanuts. We have decided to bring my fave sideboard as i paid $3000 for it only 18mths ago and i am NOT giving it away for a hundred bucks!!!
OH got a couple of quotes for shipping a small amount over. For the sideboard, our yummo leather king size bed frame and 10 tea chests he has been quoted $1770 door to door from Hellas removals. Worth it in my opinion!! As it means i can also bring a lot of smaller items that added up would cost a fair bitof money to replace in UK and certainly a hell of a lot more than i will cost to ship.

P.S. I can relate to the lack of respect for other peoples homes. I remember being at a friends house in Sydney. She was selling a friends car. This guy came round to view it with his 2 sons ( we are talking 7 - 10yr old range not toddlers). He allowed the little "angels" to jump up and down all over her sofa WITH their shoes on!! Never said a word about it!
When he left i said to my friend (who is an aussie) how could you allow them to do that and say nothing. She said......... " coz us aussies are ignorant pigs"...pmsl!!

3 go mad in Adelaide

Pollyana

We had a guy sent round by the agents to give a quote to do some work in the bathroom.
He brought his kid, about 8 years old. Said kid picked things up, dropped them on the floor, moved stuff, opened cupboards, then arrived in the bathroom clutching a can of The Bloke's whisky and started playing with my bath sponge ......when I found him taking the batteries out of the TV remote I started making "ahem " noises quite loudly, at which the guy told his kid "best not do that here son" Needless to say the child took no notice.

I told the agent that over my dead body did they get the work and she muttered something about "difficult to get childcare".

I muttered something about "difficult to get agents, complaints to landlord"
Funnily enough someone else got the work.

Its just bad manners, I don't know how anyone can let their kids do that.

onepearlyb

BB, whats the Melbourne Exchange?? Is that a paper??

Might try Gumtree - good idea!

kez81

i agree we sold everything before we came here then had to buy all new again when we do go back i wont make that mistake again.

PenzanceWVR

Just thought I'd drop a line or more here as I went through the same.........
Hopefully moving soon to the UK in OCT 08 with my family....waiting for my MRS Visa and son's UK Passport etc.......

Anyway regarding selling stuffs........... it was an ordeal trying trying to get people u know .....friends friend, colleague, advertisement etc..... its true that they want it for next to nothing and to top it off.... we gave some away especially electrical stuffs.... pots and pans.......etc etc and were all in very good condition.........for free

From my experience..........just look in the yellow pages for companies/shops that buy used furniture, kids stuffs etc........although you won't get $$$ in the thousands but at least in hundreds.... and trust me.......it's not worth spending $7-8k to get a container and ship them back to the UK as its too much time wasted and will equal up eventually......

I've put it all down to experience and my MRS and myself have told each other that we will get either get second hand furniture when we are in the UK or just normal ones that are not expensive as ......... stuffs like this don't last forever and get outdated and also we never know when or where we'll move...in the future even if it is within UK...........

I'm in Perth and if I was able to find a company that took used furniture, I'm sure you'd be able too as well............ just let your fingers do the walking....thru the internet or yellow pages........

We sold our fridge, washing machine...... sofa set, bedroom set with tallboy etc, baby cupboard n drawer set for under $1000 and it was heartache but at the same time shipping it to the UK was going to cost us approx $6-7k

Its not a win-win situation..........but nevertheless............its not worth the hastle either.........

We are only taking our good clothes.......our baby's clothes and some toys, laptops.....whatever baggage limit we can take on the plane........ some extra stuffs like our prized shoes, clothes, souvenirs from travelling abroad that we have good memories off, we will be sending them in seamail by Australia Post...approx 20kg/$170

Good luck on yours...........

Penzance WVR
waiting to go home

rabsody

you tell 'em girl!!!