Shopping before we move

[Tntaglia]

We're probably a month or two away from packing up and moving across (that's if the priority processing for the visa actually gets us some action!) Anyway, we're trying to figure out whether there are any things that make sense to buy in SA and ship across since we're paying for a container anyway. So far we're looking at upgrading my husband's collection of DIY tools, since those seem to be MUCH more expensive in Oz, and one of the forum members have suggested that we look into buying a kayak since the kids and hubby love rowing. Again, much more expensive in Oz. We've decided not to upgrade our beds now since we're pretty happy with them.

 

What else should we look into? Anything that is particularly expensive in Oz that we will regret not bringing, or stuff that is hard to find? I'm not going to bring a whole lot of SA products along since it seems most of them are relatively easy to come by, but I want to make the best decisions possible overall.

 

Thanks!

[RYLC]

I'd suggest any clothing that you can only get there or are quite specific about such as Woolies underwear, Senqu shirts, rugby shorts etc. Also antihistamine CREAM cos in my experience we can only find tablets not cream and the mozzies here are vicious. We all get round red welts the size of a teacup - no lie - from a bite. 

[Riekie]

Some OTC medicines in South Africa are much harder to get here in Australia without a script.  If you're using anything on a regular basis, check if it's available here and also if you'll need a script to get it.  At least to keep you going until you manage to find a similar product here. 

 

A few links which may be helpful:

 

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/over-the-counter-medicines

 

http://www.mydr.com.au/medicines

 

https://www.tga.gov.au/entering-australia

 

 

[TamTam]

20 hours ago, RYLC said:

mozzies here are vicious

Is that problematic in all states? Mozzies love me unfortunately! They fly straight past my hubby and make a bee line for me and I tend to get horrible welts.

[RYLC]

Yes everywhere. Even some locals seem to have the same skin reaction.

[RedPanda]

2 hours ago, TamTam said:

Is that problematic in all states? Mozzies love me unfortunately! They fly straight past my hubby and make a bee line for me and I tend to get horrible welts.

Yup, unfortunately this is so. They don't affect all people equally, and sometimes different mozzies go for different people. But we also get a much stronger reaction to the bites here. I have one on my foot now, that I got last week, that's still a red mark. And I didn't break the skin or scratch a lot or anything, it just takes forever to go away. We've found Voltaren Emulgel works ok for the bites, at least to stop it itching. (I also recommend the Voltaren gel for sunburnt skin, it addresses the inflamation and numbs the area. I've found it work waaay better than any OTC 'after sun' or aloe vera, or coconut oil or whatever. Take it from a red head: Voltaren Emulgel works! I've even prevented peeling if I get it on quickly enough. But of course sunscreen before you go in the sun is Plan A)

No, the Aussie Mozzie is something else.

[Pell]

This may sound silly, but toothpaste is very expensive here compared to SA. Stock up on that, seriously!

Also, my teen liked Sissy boy clothing, especially jeans and dresses which you can't really find here. 

I wouldn't stock up on underwear, as the choice here is much better than in SA (probably a bit more expensive, but hey...).

 

[SimpleSimon]

Electronics are similar price in Australia but you will be shocked at set up costs, so spending money in South Africa feels better. If you want to upgrade your laptops, tablets, phones, printers, audio systems, portable air conditioners, kitchen appliances etc. , Now is the time to do it. Not sure whether TV's are compatible.

 

Definitely buy a R/C helicopter. Once hubby learns to fly it, he can show me how to get mine to work.

 

Buy South African tourist merchandise - rugby shirts, kruger park T-shirts, hand-made ornaments, coffee table books, jewelry - you will enjoy reminders from home and appreciate them when you are out of the country.

 

If you want to upgrade lounge, office and dining room furniture also buy those. Other forumites have chatted about different bed sizes.

 

Sydney is a beach side city so buy swimming stuff: goggles, snorkels, flippers,beach tents, body boards. Also road and mountain bicycles are good - lots of places to explore. As Sydney is hilly, consider eBikes. Camping is also great fun here for the kids, not so much the adults.

Edited January 26, 2018 by SimpleSimon

[Mara]

Just remember, anything with a serial number, could be a problem, as you have to have owned all that you bring for a year, or pay import fees/gst when you bring it in.

[Tntaglia]

On 1/26/2018 at 2:45 AM, SimpleSimon said:

Definitely buy a R/C helicopter. Once hubby learns to fly it, he can show me how to get mine to work.

 

How about he just learns how to fly yours?  

 

Thanks for all the advice everyone. Luckily we've known about the move for a while so we did most of our shopping for electronics etc. a while ago - hesitant to buy anything more right now because of the import duties issue. But will definitely stock up on the mentioned items, and thanks @SimpleSimon for the reminder about goggles and flippers etc. We also followed your advice about the kayak, should get delivered any day now 

[FromDurbs]

There are so many opinions on whether to bring things over. 

Someone said you get two kinds of people: underbuyers and overbuyers.  I am definitely an underbuyer and it bothers me to have bought stuff I do not use.  So think what you are and then take my advice based on whether we are the same.  I would not buy ANYTHING to come here.  Things will be different than you thought and you might never use the stuff you bought.  Bring the things you already have, since you loose so much money selling it in SA.  Shoes might be nice (I had a favourite shoe brand in SA), but I also suspect that shoes fall apart after spending 3 months in a hot container, so it might be a waste of money.  If you do not mind second hand just buy what you want off gum tree once you realise what you really need in Oz.  Gumtree is great and cheap. 

You might also live in a small home originally with no space for all the "just in case" things you brought. 

I would have stocked up on Marmite.  It is all my son eats on bread and he claims vegemite does not taste the same.  You get many SA products here, but I have not seen Marmite.  (They probably believe people would just switch to vegemite).  

 

[SimpleSimon]

Vegemite is the joke Ozzies play on the rest of the world. It's disgusting. We decided our kids would acclimatise and eat vegemite sandwiches. Big problem is when you spread stuff on kids sandwiches, what do you do - lick the knife. Huge mistake with vegemite. My mom used to wash my mouth out with soap when I swore. Luckily vegemite wasn't around in South Africa then. Marmite is actually a UK product made by Unilever. It is available in Woolworths in Australia.

 

I think some material goods help the transition as they certainly make me feel good. My wife says humans are like magpies, we're attracted to bright shiny things.

 

South African Woolworths and Edgars clothing used to be fantastic value and quality. However, I think now everything is made in China so Australian quality matches. 

 

It's more an issue that you arrive in Oz trying to conserve money. It's a psychological blow if you have to shell out big $$$'s for goods.

[TamTam]

When we move we will need to buy a new fridge, dishwasher and microwave. Any recommendations on where to shop? Alternatively what items do rentals typically include?

 

[SafferBlue]

Stoves are generally "fixed"/ permanently installed so they're always part of the kitchen setup in rentals.  In my experience in WA dish washers were fairly standard in rentals too.

 

Sometimes your rental might have a microwave too, but this is less standard especially in older houses and apartments.

Edited January 30, 2018 by SafferBlue

[Mara]

In Victoria, stoves, ovens, and window coverings are a requirement, before you can rent out your property.

[RedPanda]

Vegemite is NOT the same as Marmite, and neither are the same as Bovril (my personal favourite) But we eat Vegemite and don't complain too much, especially if you add cheese.

Yea, Gumtree.com.au is amazing. I still go on there every month...and we've been here a year and a half.

Dishwashers are also often included in rentals. And if you don't have any of the things you find you need, try gumtree, the secondhand appliances are dirtcheap!

[Tntaglia]

I was planning to take our dishwasher along, it's pretty new and works great, but decided against it just because it sounds like there's a good chance the rental has one. Really don't want to pay to get it to NSW and then sell it! Thanks for the heads up on gumtree, I would probably not even have thought of that for appliances but it's a very good point. 

 

I'm still torn on whether to take our fridge. We have a very good fridge/freezer combo that we're selling this side, because it's large and I have no idea what would fit in the rental. But we also have our "outside fridge" i.e. older fridge which is smaller and very serviceable. I am thinking about taking that along so that we have *something* at least. But on the other hand it doesn't make much sense considering we're going to be in Sydney probably 2 months before our stuff arrives, and we'll end up buying a fridge in that time anyway, right? Or am I missing something? I can probably use the fridge space in the container really well for something else.

[Sunet]

@Tntaglia we are struggling with the same questions now, what to take and what not.

 

Good point about the fridge, you might end up buying one while waiting for the container.

[Ta2Bryan]

Do yourselves a favour.

Go to Gumtree Australia, limit searches to the area you will be living in, search under household goods and reduce the options to 'free'.

You can literally furnish a house for free, or very cheap, with good quality stuff.

We will be purchasing a vehicle soon after landing and we will ensure that it has a towbar. Trailer hire is between $40 and $60 a day.

We have decided to send a small movecube with keepsakes and toys only.

 

[Ta2Bryan]

1 hour ago, Tntaglia said:

I'm still torn on whether to take our fridge. We have a very good fridge/freezer combo that we're selling this side, because it's large and I have no idea what would fit in the rental. But we also have our "outside fridge" i.e. older fridge which is smaller and very serviceable. I am thinking about taking that along so that we have *something* at least. But on the other hand it doesn't make much sense considering we're going to be in Sydney probably 2 months before our stuff arrives, and we'll end up buying a fridge in that time anyway, right? Or am I missing something? I can probably use the fridge space in the container really well for something else.

Leave the fridge, an Australian friend has informed me that they use a different refrigeration gas is Aus so once the fridge is done you will have to pay to have it dumped.

[SimpleSimon]

We brought our fridge from South Africa. Once we bought a new one in Australia it ended up as a second fridge in our garage. A couple of years ago we bought a new 2nd fridge and taking away the old one was part of the deal. I can't imagine what sort of CFC's were in our 35 year old fridge but the shop was happy to deal with it to get the deal. Our electricity bill dropped by a third after the old fridge went.

 

We moved into a very small apartment and left our stuff in a container in South Africa for 18 months until we bought our first house. We took the option of renting a furnished apartment and hiring electrical white goods until we brought our stuff over. (see: https://www.rentacentre.com.au/rent/appliances/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItuDcrtaD2QIVioePCh3YWAq6EAAYAiAAEgJscfD_BwE and https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-property-for-rent/sydney/furnished/numberbedrooms-3b/k0c18364l3003435?sort=rank ).

 

I would bring as much as possible. You can always store you stuff in a storage area for around $6,000 per year (see: https://www.spacer.com.au/blog/kennards-storage-vs-storage-king-vs-spacer-how-much-does-self-storage-cost-in-sydney ). Once you're settled, you can decide what you want to discard and there are organisations that will take it off your hands for a grand or two.

Compare that to: new lounge suite = $4,000 - $6,000, new fridge = $2,000, dining room suite = $3,000, bed and mattress and linen, doona = $2,000 - $3,000, TV = $2,000, Laptop = $3,000, cupboards = $2,000, BBQ = $1,000, bicycle = $2,000. Total ~ $25,000 if you get decent stuff (which being South African you will want).

[Sunnyskies]

I would agree on being careful about overbuying (it took me the better part of 5 years to work through all the heavy duty PnP tinfoil (aluminium foil) I brought over) but I do try and bring a bottle of Woolite back everytime I go to SA (it just smells so much nicer than any equivalent I've managed to buy here), and in that first couple of months it was nice to use some familiar products.

 

Definitely buy Anthisan for the mozzies (I haven't found anything here that works as well), and I would pack some Peaceful sleep (non-aerosol type) and Tabard - I still find they work a treat here.

I also always bring in some Myprodol when I go back to SA - although having said that they now have brands here that have both paracetamol and ibuprofen in them.

Bactroban is also very useful - you can get in Australia now but it is by prescription only.

 

Remember that Woolies now own David Jones, and now you can find Studio W and JT One in David Jones - but as for most of the other Woolies owned Australian brands like Country Road and Mimco the pricing here is higher.

 

I agree don't buy any appliances to bring over - you can always get a deal.

 

We brought absolutely everything with (other than fridges), and then we proceeded to move 5 times over 8 years.  I can tell you it can be very tricky fitting SA sized furniture into an Australian sized house.  We never gave up and got rid of our stuff (although we did downsize a lot of the loose items that came over with us), but occasionally I do wish that I hadn't been so gung ho about bringing it all over.  Also, furniture options in Australia have improved a lot over the last number of years and you can get some really nice furniture here - sometimes on Gumtree. 

 

Although having said all that, when I walk into my traditional Queenslander with its wooden floors and VJs (vertical slat walls) and I see my beautiful dark wood furniture with slightly colonial touches in the decor, I know that there are very few houses in my area that have the same interior look as mine.

[SandraDee]

If you are bringing your beds, then bring linen to fit - the beds here are obviously different sizes, even the duvet covers are a different size.  A couple of fitted sheets and new duvet covers a must.

myprodol,   cataflam , bactroban and anthisan , zambuc.

 

I also bring  liquid hand soap and cream sets from woollies for my bathroom and diffusers. Great as gifts - the ones here cost a bomb and are not nearly as pretty.  The only gifts you seem able to buy here for people are candles - they are everywhere!

 

 

We brought our fridge- what a pain- far too tall for any of the fridge spacers here- it sits in the garage. 

 

[RedPanda]

On 31/01/2018 at 7:28 PM, Ta2Bryan said:

Do yourselves a favour.

Go to Gumtree Australia, limit searches to the area you will be living in, search under household goods and reduce the options to 'free'.

You can literally furnish a house for free, or very cheap, with good quality stuff.

We will be purchasing a vehicle soon after landing and we will ensure that it has a towbar. Trailer hire is between $40 and $60 a day.

We have decided to send a small movecube with keepsakes and toys only.

 

This ^^ is the BEST ADVICE in my opinion. Really.

I know it's a time filled with anxiety and doubt, and people want to horde for the unknown. But honestly, if you immigrate for the long run, the quicker you get over it the better. Unless your things are sentimental, or you've really done your homework and checked out the alternatives here, just leave it behind. So they don't have *insert brand here* in Australia? So what. Try the local stuff, you're going to be using it eventually anyway. Once you've been here for a while you can see what stuff you really do mis, and then you can ask for it with family or friends who visit from RSA.

We brought over elegant solid wood furniture (that was not in the typical huge RSA style), our bed and mattress (which we regretted, because it didn't travel well. The bed itself is fine though). A Venter Trailer, because they don't have them or anything like them here...long story...bottom line: if you want one in the next 5 years of your life it has to come with now (and we're really glad about it), sewing machine Bernina 1630, laptops, truckload of books, combo washing-drying machine (it was new, and the double-up feature proved its worth). Oh, and hubby's Lego collection (don't laugh, it's quite a bit, and has its own display case)

We left the rest: cars, fridge, garden tools, some garage tools, lounge furniture, a mountain of sentimental 'crap' we'd collected over the years, a lot of kitchen stuff (anything that wasn't used recently or looked like a hand-me-down), old speakers, study furniture...

We replaced a few things here from Gumtree, like an excellent leather lounge set that sold at 1/4 of the new price (and way less than we would have paid for anything comparable in RSA), a bed for the guest room, coffee table(free), sewing room shelves, bookcase(free)..  And I don't know where people buy their linens, honestly, but I've found really good quality stuff at totally reasonable prices. Look out for sales, and keep an eye out at various different stores. When you get here, realise that you don't know squat about the shopping landscape and go explore it, especially the places that look weird to you. Chuck your assumptions out the window and just go learn new stuff! It's fun! It'll keep you young, and best of all: your info will be really recent and very accurate.

The sooner you 'go local' the better it'll be for you.

[FromDurbs]

Oh, and on the topic of furniture.  We moved from Durban with a lovely solid wood table and it is starting to fall apart in Melbourne.  Wood adapts to the humidity levels where it was made and changes when moved to different humidity.  I also heard of people who had yellow wood furniture that fell apart.  I guess if you move to a place with similar humidity you dont need to worry about wood, but if it differs you need to worry.