TheCockneyKiwi

So... all our stuff arrived on Saturday.

It's fair to say, it really depends on what style you like. Furniture is expensive over here if you compare like for like. I would say 40% more expensive as an average?

However, you can get cheaper stuff. Also, dont believe what everyone says about there being no shops here. There are hundreds of shops similar to what you would see in the UK. DFS, Dreams type shops, etc etc

That said, when you factor in, resale value in the UK, shipping costs etc, there is really not much in it.

Another thing we have noticed is our furniture doesn't really "go" in our rental. we came from a period cottage in England and are now renting a 1940's build (old for NZ) so why would it?

As a rule, unless you have furniture that is antique or "one off', I would probably say, sell your stuff in the UK and buy over here. There are only 1 or 2 things we probably couldn't have got.

janeyk

there is no middle quality like M&S or choice its whatever came off the last boat from China, The most eye watering for me was duvet covers, I replaced my sons 18 months ago as he had grown out of the THomas Tank ones and to get 2 covers sheets etc $500 I ended up ordering from M&S the total was just over $100 and quality 2nd to none.

MrsFychan

I suppose it really does depend if you will have money when you get over to purchase new. We couldn't, we literally had no extra money (well apart from money to go back if needs be and its still there) to purchase a new car, new furniture along with all the other stuff you have to get when you arrive. stuff for the kids, school books etc, uniforms if required, money to pay Dr's visits, dentist etc. so we bought what we had and the car.

Hebe

There is no doubts that setting up costs when you move country can be very high. Rental, bonds, agents fees, all amenities which then come the same time every month or quarterly. You also have to factor in the fact that you will probably spend more on some stuff than you normally would as you don't know where to get the best prices for your budget.

I would say to anyone moving overseas permanently (or for long time) to bring everything (unless it's totally rubbish) you can always get rid of it once here and replace at your leisure once you are familiar with things. Also if it's not that great don't insure it, this will save you a fortune.

davros1984

I would have to say that TooFerrari's advice in my view is bad advice. The vast majority on here (even those who think Auckland is super affordable) would find it near impossible to say that the cost of furniture, kitchen/white goods is the same. I understand the cost of shipping, but if you are going to be here for the long-haul, in the long run the shipping costs are actually quite cheap.

NZ is extortionate in comparison to the UK on those things. There isn't a lot of choice either (compared to what you will be used to in the UK).

Again - ship as much as you can afford to ship.

Bo-Jangles

I think you quoted the wrong name there - Tooferrari agreed regarding high prices and said bring it!

WhatToDo82

So, our circumstances may have altered slightly. The budget earmarked for a container is having to be rerouted to for legal fees that I'd overlooked needing. Basically getting permission from my boy's estranged father to move him out the country. It may use just a quarter of the budget, it may need more than the budget. But looks like we're going to have to come with nothing and make do for a while.

davros1984

i stand corrected, apologies tooferrari! i actually meant cockneykiwi's reference to it working out the same. you will be so thankful having shipped your stuff over, financially and the fact that its so hard to find nice stuff here without paying through the nose.

TheCockneyKiwi

Davros - Just speaking from personal experience.

We ended up paying around $10,000 for everthing to be shipped once you include insurance and inspection charges etc. So I am thinking that plus what we would have got for selling in the UK (Granted probably not as much as over here!), I am thinking we would have close to $15,000, so there is not going to be a huge deal in it. My gut reaction is you could kit a house out for that surely???

For instance - My wife has just gone and bought 4 very solid pieces of furniture off Trademe for $690 (she does furniture up shabby chic style).

This is not a dig at anyone on this board whatsoever, but we really feared the worst when we came out here as we were thinking, sh*t everything is too expensive, poor quality and we will never be able to afford to live. In reality, we are thinking 'well...its.... OK'

Bo-Jangles

Also it takes a flipping lot of time and effort to search for and find all these thing, on top of everything else you have going on when you first get here. I remember one day being close to tears in a shop, out of sheer frustration and exhaustion after having traipsed around all day, getting lost numerous times and not being able to find some quite basic things I needed to have right NOW.

TheCockneyKiwi

That was until you realised 'The Warehouse' is your friend eh??

jmh

You make a good point. People here are saying bring all your stuff, and that's probably true if you have good quality furniture. What about if your house is full of tat that is falling apart.

Here is what is considered the cheapest place to buy stuff new:\\http://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/red/

Go through and work out what you need to furnish a home (use the search function). Then compare to the costs for shipping. If you can live with cheap imports from China that's fine. You can get good prices on better quality if you are prepared to wait for the sales and/or hunt out where the locals shop.

marooned5

We thought we had a house full of old tat in the UK - after shipping here, we find its actually quite good quality and quite stylish - in comparison to NZ stuff!!

As something of a connoisseur of tat, I also suggest that cheap crap from the UK lasts far longer than cheap crap from NZ... as an example, we bought a cheap kettle (jug) from the Warehouse to tide us over until our UK stuff arrived. It lasted a matter of weeks, whereas our UK one (which cost even less than the NZ one) was a couple of years old before it was shipped and it's still going strong. I have had similar experiences with other stuff.

I think even the cheapest tat in England (Tesco Value homeware, Asda clothes, Ikea furniture etc) tends to have some kite-mark / manufacturing / fire safety etc standards - and that is definitely not always the case here.

I think you can get good stuff here but you have to pay a lot more for it - comparing quality to quality, you'll get a lot better tat for your money in the UK!

Tom1983

I know the feeling about that, however we bought our Microwave from The Warehouse for $59.99 back in June 2012 and still to this day it's going strong . Same with the toaster that was pretty cheap

However the iron and hoover we bought from Warehouse was pants. The iron didn't understand the basics of smoothing out creases, and the hoover well was poor to say the least. We ended up buying a dyson for $479.99 (reduced) and a well known branded iron from Farmers for around $100. It does the job now

Sometimes whilst the prices look attractive, bear in mind that the quality can come into question. Hence when you go into K-Mart and see a saucepan set for $40.00, you'll be needing a new set within 6 weeks

The good ones to be fair are the ones you see on the tv ads. There's quite a few standalone stools in the shopping centres that sell these products. We waited till the vege cutter came available on treat me for $39,99. It's been the best tool bought for a long time.

jmh

I guess all you've got to do is work out, if you are quoted GBP4000 for shipping, can you fit out a house for $8000. The upside is you have a whole lot of new stuff which appeals to me. The downside is you have to work a lot harder to find good quality stuff. It's there though. Tom looks like he is picking up kiwi shopping habits. That was a good bargain on the Dyson!