ljaw2002uk

We sold pretty much everything. If it didn't fit in our luggage and two small boxes we shipped, then it didn't come.

I don't understand why anyone wants to ship electrical goods that will be useless or dangerous, when they can be bought cheaply when you get here.

Bob

If you save them on shipping, they are more likely to be willing to give you the cash, because it would still be cheaper for them.

Unless it's top quality furniture, it really isn't worth the shipping to bother.

Same for the electricals, except possibly very high end audio gear, computers and other things with power adaptors also worth bringing.

And with all relocation costs, you get the company to gross up the amount so you aren't hit with the tax on it, anything else is either being daft or naive.

Bob

Especially crap like hair dryers, curlers/straighteners etc.

Gingerert

I sold/gave away pretty much everything, except for clothes and sentimental items. If it didn't fit into two large suitcases and hand luggage then it couldn't come with me. (Granted I wasn't moving an entire house and family, but still.)

I visit the UK about once every two years, and anything I left behind was kindly stored by my parents (like, two large boxes full of stuff that wouldn't fit in my suitcases). Whenever we go back or they come over here a few items make the journey too. It's now been five years since I got married and anything I haven't needed in that time I will be getting rid of on my next trip back to the UK.

And as for GHDs... well... I used mine frequently for a while when I was constantly shuffling back and forth between the two countries. I think it was just too much for the poor things and they died after a couple of years. It might be okay if you're just doing the one move and that's it, but back and forth killed them pretty quickly, I'm sure.

Also, they never seem to get as hot in the US. Weird...

Bomjeito

If the company is paying for it all to be shipped, then ship it and figure it out later.

We wished we did.

For two reasons: we may be moving back to UK and secondly, it sure saves $ having to replace it.

We purged non-essential items, like hubby's nasty bachelor leather couch and we don't regret it. We gave away expensive electronics and regret doing some of that. Like a high-end laser colour printer that we can't replace for the same cost as a decent transformer. We kick ourselves for not shipping it and buying the transformer! But we brought a UK breadbaker. Go figure.

Many of the UK electricals that did make it over are in the attic. If we go back, then they simply will go back with us.

Even simple stuff I turfed - reams of paper, new sponges, little household things that I wished I'd simply had shipped as the container had oodles of space and I had to go out and buy it all again.

We are glad we did get rid of the TV, for example, and small appliances like hair dryers. Just easier to buy here and cheaper. We kept the stereo equipment and DVD player - simply bought a $200 transformer to cover it all. True, you can buy region-free DVD players, but in the first months of our life here, we sure did appreciate having the DVD player at our fingertips. There is so much going on when you arrive that the last thing you want to do is a trip to Best Buy. (Ugh.)

And I wish some products that I had stocked up on. Our carrier (and we had no problems) told us anything but FOOD, but wink wink, no problem with bath items. So boxes of bathroom items were interspersed with Branstons. I brought a lot of Boots items (which you can get some here now) but vitamins are not as complete here, for example. I miss John Lewis antibacterial kitchen wipes, for example. Yes, you make do, but if you have the space, bring it.

If we didn't have the option of the container being paid by the company, I'd have zero problem to turf everything but the sentimental items and 'move' over in just a few suitcases.

And remember you'll get back, too. We found American men's jeans are very saggy, so last time we went back we bought proper fit jeans from UK. Also, Marks and Spencer men's underwear.

Due to the wattage/voltage, many UK items won't heat up/work as well, even with a transformer. Some power is lost.

ETA: Why not bring the gas grill? If with a tank, leave the tank behind and buy the new tank here, and if need be, the adapter. If a natural gas grill with hook up, we have that here too! Just hook it up..why buy a new one here?

AmerLisa

Just out of curiosity.... There is all this talk about companies paying to ship items out and people are shipping lock, stock and barrel. Fair enough. But when the time is up to go back to the UK, does the company ship the stuff back?

CAdreaming

I left everything behind apart from 2 cases full of clothes and one case full of odds and ends
Each time i pop back over to the UK I take some more clothes and this time will be taking my duvet covers

I cleared out my flat and brought tons of stuff to my mums ---its all in boxes and i shall probably not look at half of it again - makes me realise that I actually surrounded myself with too much "stuff" and dont miss anything really

If i need anything its cheaper I think to rebuy in the states rather than have it shipped (for me anyway)
Maybe its because we are in rented accommodation and it might be different if we had our own place - not sure on this one.
I did take over my cheaper GHD version but they didnt get hot because of the voltage
Laptop was fine tho
Looking back I cant believe i arrived in March with so little.

Bob

Depends on their repatriation clause I'd guess and whether they had a clause to cover them moving back in the event they hated it out here and/or how much they'd have to reimburse the company with.

Callilac

We are asking for repatriation costs to be in the contract. It's a deal breaker for me.

CADreaming - I know what you mean, since we moved here 2 years ago much of our stuff is still in boxes filling up the double garage, so it has made me realise that we don't need any of that!

But we are already renting here and try to treat this exactly as we would the home we own (but don't live in anymore) So we will want all our home comforts with us in the US even if only for 2 years.

Cal x

Yorkieabroad

Furnitures a tough one, as its very dependent on what you've already got, and personal taste. We moved here from Asia, and ppaid our own way (no company shipping). We brought a lot of antique chinese cabinets, dining table, tansu chests etc with us. US BIL told us we were crazy to be shipping so much furniture over ("we have furniture stores here you know - duh") but we brought it anyway as a lot of it would have been very difficult/impossible to replace cost effectively. We sold sofas and chairs, and a nice, but unexceptional breakfast table. I wished we hadn't. After 10 years, we still haven't found decent replacements. The sofas we have found here are either crap quality, odd style, ridiculously priced, or a combination of all 3!. We're back in the UK for Christmas at the moment, and have been looking in a few furniture stores with a view to buying here and shipping over. So I'd say if you've got decent stuff that you like, and the company are paying shipping both ways, bring it over - you can always store/ditch it here if you decide you want to buy new to suit the local housing.

LillyRobeson

One thing I remember from our last stint in the US is that they don't have duvet covers. They seemed to like sheets with a duvet on top. So I've said that if/when we go back, we're shipping over duvet covers! I hate this top sheet business.

CAProgrammer

This brings to mind the situation that a couple of Americans were in at a company I worked in Scotland for that went belly up. They had a repatriation clause that included the cost of shipping stuff back, etc but only got plane tickets bought when the company shut shop and they couldn't do a thing about it legally as the company declared bankruptcy during the administration. This is always a possibility so keep it in mind unless you work for a Microsoft, Google, Coca Cola sized company that is highly unlikely to go bankrupt.

CAProgrammer

I find this amusing. When I first arrived in the UK 8 years ago and saw people washing dishes by dipping them in soapy water in the sink and giving them a gentle rub then stacking them in a dish drainer I was shocked. I couldn't imagine washing something in the dirt and food particles left by the previously washed dishes and not rinsing them under running water to get rid of all the soap suds.

Where I come from we don't fill up the sink, we apply soap to a sponge or dish scrubber, scrub a dish and rinse under running water until all the soap suds and food particles go down the sink.

This also brings to mind a chap who lived in our university's student halls of residence and insisted on having a bin in the loo that he placed used toilet tissue into. Needless to say I found that absolutely revolting but apparently where he is from that is normal as the country's drainage system seems to get blocked if you attempt to flush your used toilet tissue. Even though this wasn't an issue over here, it had become a habit for him to have this bin around and place his used tissue in it and he didn't want to stop doing it.

Made me realise that we are creatures of habit and our habits are dictated by the customs, practices and circumstances of the country we were brought up in. Are my habits and preferences better than yours? Are yours better than mine? Maybe they are all fine, just a little bit different

Bob

When a company goes into administration/liquidation, employees pay, followed by their other benefits owed are I think second in line for repayment from the selling of assets, after any taxes owed to the inland revenue....so potentially they would have gotten some of the costs back, but a bugger to do when you're out of legal status I know :/

Saying that, might well be different in Scotland.

Bob

It's more the point that a duvet cover is a hell of a lot easier to wash than a whole duvet/quilt.

As for the washing up, I've never seen folks do that myself, most wash as you said, dump everything into the second sink and rinse off in there....just like they do over here in the US.

You might have just been hanging out with a bunch of dirty mingers :lo: