Donnyvcpt Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Is it wise to sell all our furniture her and start afresh over in Oz? Or should we ship it all over? Furniture in Oz seems really expensive and we have really nice good quality furniture here, but shipping it over would mean living without furniture for a long while. What is the best option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhino1 Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 We did the math and in our case it worked out way cheaper to ship most of our stuff over. If you are young and just starting out then I don't think it is worth it. We booked an exclusive 40 foot and filled it. Would have cost us about $80 000 to replace all our stuff that side and would have been surprised to get maybe $15-20000 if we sold everything in SA (auctions are bargain hunts). Yes, we are paying about $13000 to get it there but for us it made sense. We looked at reducing our stuff so we would only use a 20 foot but this meant selling all my industrial woodwork machinery and tools. After pricing this in AUS there was no way I was leaving this behind. We also replaced a couple of old items such as beds in SA as this was way cheaper and it meant we could also take solid wood sleigh beds etc across. If you have quality items then it is worth taking it over. This way you have the household content expenses covered for a while and can then focus on other settlement expenses. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyvcpt Posted November 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Thanks for sharing Rhino. That is a large amount of money to replace your valuables so in your case it is very good idea to ship out. We're a young couple with a young daughter. We don't have a massive amount of furniture but what we do have is of a very high quality. All solid wood and leather, my wife loves coricraft. Having done the math I can see its gonna cost more to replace, but I'm not sure if the cost outweighs the inconvenience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magenta Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 We don't have loads of furniture but when doing the comparison, it would cost a lot to replace our furniture in Oz. So we took our stuff in a 20 foot container. Can you not stay with friends/family or make some kind of a plan? How long will you be without furniture? You say that you don't want to be inconvenienced but with the money you save, you might just kick your self when you get to Oz and have to fork out loads of cash. I would suggest doing a comparison of how much it would cost to replace the furniture in Oz and then convert it to rands. It might help you make a decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiermelk Posted November 24, 2014 Report Share Posted November 24, 2014 Ship it. Even the small things which you think is not worth a lot is going to cost you in Aus. I would think about shipping the container well before you leave SA, so that it arrives in Aus shortly after you do. It should be easy to get some loan furniture and house hold items from friends and family to use while still in SA. Best of all is you just hand it back to them, no worries. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeferg1 Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Its not only the big items that cost money - think about just what's in your kitchen that you would need to replace - pots, pans, cutlery, crockerly, spatulas, chopping knives, peelers etc etc, the small things add up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maligso Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 We are shipping a 20ft container. The other nice thing about shipping your things is the familiarity and history of your old stuff. I have three little boys and I think that will help big time with them settling in. We decided to sell all our major kitchen appliances though as they are about 7yrs old and even though in good order things should start to go soon and my sister-in-law who has been in Oz for 4 years said it became expensive to fix her stuff she took across as sourcing parts became an issue due to different models in Oz. She also said her electricity bill dropped when she bought Oz energy compliant appliances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
followmylead Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Ship it. After a while you will be so happy to see your familiar furniture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoot Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Ship it remember you are starting from scratch in oz. You can always get cheap make do furniture on gumtree or free through freecycle whilst you wait for your container. You have enough money pouring out in the beginning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neels Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 I agree with all the posts... Ship it!We also did the math regarding the white goods. Our Washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher will not make the grade over in Aussie, they are still very good, but older models. Their energy consumption in the long run would be more than replacing it with more efficient models. The rental that we will be moving into already has a dishwasher and dryer, so we would only need to replace the washing machine for now. I will already be earning Aussie Dollar so we'll be replacing it here and saving about Au$220...Here is a couple of websites to give some info regarding energy consumption etchttp://www.energyrating.gov.au/http://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/energy-efficiency/home-appliance-energy-ratings-explainedBest of luck with your choices.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 Agree ship it. Work out the cost of a furnished apartment if you don't want to rough it and add it a move cost and then work out if it is worth it.We shipped everything 6 years ago. All we have replaced is our fridge, 2 TVs, 1 bed and a bedside table. Also means that you have more cash to buy things like nice kitchen stuff 'cause you haven't had to fork out for the basics, eg I've bought a magi mix, kitchen aid, fantastic italian cookware and other assorted goodies I wouldn't have if I had to restock the basics.My one caution is the size of SA furniture in normal Aussie houses. Our furniture is large. Newer houses accommodate it easier than the older character homes. If you want to live in a Victorian terrace you can struggle to fit it in unless you just have a few pieces (I think they were designed for a simpler time and for simpler people who didn't have a lot of stuff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiermelk Posted November 25, 2014 Report Share Posted November 25, 2014 ...simpler time and for simpler people who didn't have a lot of stuff...Sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouiseMark Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 I was just googling this very topic.What about fridges? i did see somewhere that it must comply with Australian rules regarding gases etc? Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heymanse Posted November 26, 2014 Report Share Posted November 26, 2014 You can rent furniture here on short time basis, days, weeks, months. There are quite a few places that provide this service. Our container arrived 2 months after we got here and we stayed in furnished rental for 6 weeks, then got our own rental place and rented a couple of beds, couches, tv set, fridge, washing machine and microwave oven for the 10 days we had before our container arrived. A few fellow South Africans who came to know gave us a few bit and ends like bedding and kitchen stuff to help out. South African fridges are taller than the ones in Aus and won't fit in the space provided. I've always just placed my fridge on the side until ine day it will need replacing. You can rent furniture here on short time basis, days, weeks, months. There are quite a few places that provide this service. Our container arrived 2 months after we got here and we stayed in furnished rental for 6 weeks, then got our own rental place and rented a couple of beds, couches, tv set, fridge, washing machine and microwave oven for the 10 days we had before our container arrived. A few fellow South Africans who came to know gave us a few bit and ends like bedding and kitchen stuff to help out. South African fridges are taller than the ones in Aus and won't fit in the space provided. I've always just placed my fridge on the side until ine day it will need replacing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyvcpt Posted November 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2014 Thanks everyone for the advice. I've decided to ship now, but one last question. Electronics, can they be shipped too and if so, do they work in Australia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Aussie Posted December 1, 2014 Report Share Posted December 1, 2014 Electronics will all work here. Bring sa to aus adapters initially and then change the plugs when you are here. If your electronics are old you you may considder replacing here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGP Posted December 3, 2014 Report Share Posted December 3, 2014 Agree with all of above - ie ship it. Electronics do work here. A tip is to bring plenty of South African multi-plugs and then just put Aussie plugs onto them. If you have to start worrying about space in your container, I suggest leaving kids beds and dishwashers, then if still space problem, leave your bed. most houses seem to come with dishwashers, double / queen / king size beds are longer here so you can't get mattresses or bedding and the aussies seem to throw away kids beds every week, so you can get them for free. Corricroft - I share your pain - just think twice if you have enormous couches because you will limit where you can stay. the newer houses have areas perfect for the big couches, but the older houses seem to have smaller rooms. Also, moving house with 2 corricroft couches was not fun.You will be surprised how quickly the time goes between arriving and the container arriving, so don't let that be a factor. If you are struggling without something, google "Ziilch" and see if there's not something there for free (I got tv, microwave, couch, table and chairs for free which sufficed until our stuff got here.) Then there's always hard rubbish, which is like a treasure hunt.At very least, bring your sentimental items and expensive kitchen stuff. It will help you feel at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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