Janneman Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 When we moved to the USA, a big question came to mind: "Do we take our furniture with, or not?"We decided to ship as much as we could to our new home. Why? We felt by surrounding ourselves with familiar things in a foreign (and sometimes hostile) country, will help to soften the transition.En dit het - veral vir ons twee woelwaters, 'n tweeling seunskinders. Hulle was Graad 5 toe ons hier aangeland het en dit was moeilik.The container was delayed somewhere at sea and we practically camped in our apartment. Not the nice house we had, but an apartment... Everything at school was now in English, or rather, American which can be very different to the Queen's vernacular that we are used to Gelukkig is die mannetjies geseënd met gesonde verstand en het hulle die aanvanklike aanpassings oorleef. Die dag toe die vraghouer uiteindelik opgedaag het en ons meubeltjies uitgepak was, kon ek sien hoe blink die ogies."Dis lekker om ONS goed te hê, Pappa!" Hulle vreugde was die versendingskoste deur en deur werd.How do you feel about shipping one's belongings over to Australia? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 We have only been married for 3 years and most of our furniture is very new. So we decided to take everything. Also my husband says he feels so at home now he is surrounded by all our stuff and I think it will be good when I get there and everything is familiar. The replacement cost of furniture is also quite high and you never know if you will find what you like on the other side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindylou Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 My brother and family took a container as most of their belongings were fairly new and the replacement cost was frightening. I've been told to take as much of your white goods as possible.My Mom was lucky enough to already have a floor plan of her new house prior to leaving SA so she knew which of her furniture she would have space for and which she would leave behind. (Remember that the houses in Aus can be an awful lot smaller than what we're used to in SA) For her it was the issue that most of her belongings are old and collectable. It was so lovely to walk into her new home and see familiar things that I had grown up with and that all went towards making the house "her space". She also included a kreepy krauly and a new leather lounge suite for my brother which they chose while in SA on holiday as it cost half the AUD price. The one thing that caused consternation was that she has an antique oak and zink "fridge" - blocks of ice were placed in the top half to keep the lower section cool - and the shipping agent wanted confirmation that the fridge was CFC free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 On the topic of fridges, here's a copy of the basic letter you should have if you purchased your fridge more than 4 years ago (all fridges after that complied, but they may still want proof....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sa2auz Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Hi thereWe bought a container and I am very grateful, I wish I had squeezed in extra linen and clothes as I find them quite expensive here. We paid about R32 000 for our container and didnt' ensure, nothing broke or got lost so we were fortunate. I know people who have paid R15 000 for about 20 boxes so I say either take the lot you will be surprised what you fit in or leave everything and start new. The houses here depend on where you stay the older houses dont' have built ins so bring a drawers etc if you are bringing over a container. If you are bringing your vaccum bring spare bags and the bands, elastics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZHigh Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 We brought most of our belongings to New Zealand in a 20 foot container and sold the rest. It was simply a cost thing. The cost of shipping was much less than the cost of replacing the furniture and other goods. Then there are the books and books and books amongst others that we wanted to retain.I think a slight difference ( in terms of this discussion) between USA/ Canada and Australia/ New Zealand is that we could bring all our elctrical goods as the volatges are the same, TV's are also PAL, Cellphne networks were/are on the same frequency, etc.Simply put it was a cost benefit issue for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherman Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 Hi there,I have been searching the forum for linen sizes. We have a king size bed and are unsure if we will be able to buy linen for it in Aus. Please can someone tell me if it is worth taking your bed or rather buying a new one.ThanksFM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Parsons Family Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 (edited) Hi Bed Type Metric Measurements Single Bed 92 cm x 187 cm Double Size 137 cm x 187 cm Queen Size 153 cm x 203 cm King Size 183 cm x 203 cm Hope this helpsGaille Edited April 2, 2007 by The Parsons Family Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SASydneysider Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 (edited) Hi there,I have been searching the forum for linen sizes. We have a king size bed and are unsure if we will be able to buy linen for it in Aus. Please can someone tell me if it is worth taking your bed or rather buying a new one.ThanksFM Hi Fisherman,There have been discussions on bed sizes and linens before. Do a search on the site and see if the info is what you need. I do know the queen size beds here in Aus are a different size to the ones we had in SAfrica. If you decide to bring your SAfrican queen bed, you would need to bring sufficient linens to cover the life span of your bed.Read more about it here http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=2201&hl= and on this thread towards the end, there is also some information http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=597&hl=.SAS Edited April 2, 2007 by SASydneysider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matman Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 We shipped lock, stock and barrel in a 20ft container when we came over. Nothing better than when you get your container and you unpack all your familiar belongings, ESPECIALLY the kids toys - it was like Christmas all over again. There were a few things we left behind because of the pain or possibility it may slow our container through customs.While on this note - if you do ship a container - do make a plan to take some of the kids favourite toys as unaccompanied baggage with you - it makes it so much easier when you get here and the kids have some familiar/fun things around.If your white goods are only a few years old (4 or less) - I would say ship it, otherwise get rid and buy new stuff here. There is a catch 22 - yes you could buy the stuff in S.A. and it might be cheaper, however think about the warranty and if it breaks - bear in mind the warranty may not be valid here in Aus even though it is a brand you could find here - have a look at the warranty as many of them stipulate - only valid in country of purchase and item must be shipped back to that country for repairs. Also if the brand is not common, you may not be able to find spare parts or a place that can repair the item. Touch wood we were lucky and everything arrived safely. We did take out insurance on our container.Rgdsmatman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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