SETTLING UP
Once upon a time I travelled with two suitcases, when I first arrived to Switzerland, I was a free spirit and if I didn’t have shampoo, I would use soap. Fast forward 20 year (ouch! 20 already?) and I have full collection of plates, 3 different types of duvets and a less than healthy collection of shoes. I’ve moved quite a few times since then, but when my husband struck an amazing opportunity on the other side of the world the question of, what do we do with our stuff? Came immediately to mind.
In our case, there was consensus, the entire family agreed that we could not part from the couch and started looking for a relocation agent. Hong Kong is an expat enclave so there were companies a plenty to choose from, quotations were hefty but we thought that the emotional value trumped the monetary one.
All this sounds very romantic, until you actually receive the quote, some of the largest companies had video calls and apps to see all our items and decide which size of shipment did we need. Ask all around, quotes tend to be free so it’s a good idea to compare between them. Once they’ve seen how much you have, they will offer you a full container, or half. There are 20 feet containers, or 40 feet and from some destinations there might be the possibility to share a container with some other people.
If you’re on the fence, I strongly encourage you to make the calculation of the boxes you will ship and see what’s the cost. For us, we quickly realised how expensive bringing around 10 to 15 boxes would be compared to a full container.
The first step for us was to decide what was worth putting in the container and what didn’t make the cut. Basically, Marie Kondo your home. Lesson #1: if you have decided to have a full-sized container bring everything, chances are, if you decide you don’t need something, it’s easy to sell -I am still annoyed that I didn’t bring my rooftop dining set-. CDMX has every range of furniture, from cheap stuff that is sold in the street (yes, you can buy your bed frame on any given corner) to very expensive brands like Roche Bobois, prices are, however quite high. Linen and glassware are pricey, and I’m still looking for wine glasses that don’t cost an arm and a leg. Furthermore, it’s hard! you’re arriving to an unknown city, there might be Williams Sonoma, but you don’t where is it. If you were the odd person that brought too much and wants to get rid of something, here’s a WA group to sell used furniture.
Lesson #2: Prepare your furniture times right, one thing one forgets through the whole buzz is how important furniture is, trust me, you will never appreciate a table until you are forced to eat takeout on the floor. Relocation is maritime, and Customs Procedures will take time so your furniture will not leave nor arrive with you. The average time from North America is 3 weeks but coming from Asia is around 3 months. There are a ton of circumstances that can make this even longer: if your container arrives on any given holiday you will need to pay extra for the storage; if your container has any item Customs contests, the time will be extended and so will the bill. Think thoroughly how liveable your space will be, once your items are collected and before they are delivered. We decided to take advantage of the empty flat and we did all the bucket list staycations that we kept postponing. Upon arrival, we found our flat way before our container came, and we spent three challenging (read, miserable) weeks with some plastic chairs and two small towels, (again, linen is expensive). If we move again, I will rent an Airbnb until I know for sure my stuff has arrived.
Lesson #3: Insure at least a portion of your container. Normally your agent will suggest you to purchase insurance. We were on the fence, but decided to do it, and we were actually super glad we did. They will push to ensure the totality but you can just buy a specific quantity. The average cost is 3% of the amount you decided to insure. You will need to specify which items you want to insure to your packing list with their approximate value. On our end, it was a blessing, our dining table had suffered humidity damage and thankfully the insurance paid for the carpenter and the woodwork.
Lesson #4: Follow thoroughly through the recommendations of your relocation agent. Let’s be real, as much as we might love Mexico, there is no escape around this: Customs are incredibly challenging, there are two major ports where your items will most likely arrive, Veracruz in the Atlantic or Manzanillo in the Pacific. Manzanillo is known for being extremely strict, borderline inflexible, and we heard several nightmare stories of containers that stayed for over 8 months because there were forbidden items on them. (If you want to know the list of forbidden items read our article here)
Lesson #5: Don’t fight with your agent until your items are already at your home. I must say, our relocation was relatively smooth, despite the plethora of documents we had to sign and re-sign, 3 months after we arrived our container was ready to be delivered. We, however, had a very unsavory end to our experience. Our container arrived just before the Christmas holidays and we kept emailing our agent for news, suddenly, they told us we would be receiving our things that weekend. We prevented our apartment complex and everything was going to plan but just when they had started bringing in the boxes, we received a call from the agent asking for 12,000 extra pesos for “storage purposes”, baffled we started fighting this uncalled cost and next thing we know they stopped bringing boxes. Let’s be honest, when you paid thousands of dollars it seems a bit petty to halt everything over a couple hundred of dollars, however, when we later talked to the manager, she explained the high amount of people that just don’t pay once they receive their items. Be what may, we learned our lesson, don’t discuss any further payments until after they’re done unloading.
Finally, Lesson #6: Consider tipping the guys that are bringing your stuff in. On our case, we had around 8 people in HK to which we bought some drinks and we tipped the equivalent to an inexpensive lunch. When in Mexico we only had 2 guys and we tipped approximately the same amount. They worked super hard and had to drive from afar.
Finally, enjoy everything you brought, and if you can, collect some new items in your new home, Mexico does some fabulous decorations and furniture to add to your collection read our favs here!
Total extra costs:
12,000 MXN for storage purposes (this can quickly go up if you hit holidays or there is any issue with your container contents)
6 nights hotel HK
3 weeks airbnb CDMX
Tip for the movers in HK
Tip for the movers in CDMX
3% insurance policy
Timing:
The process will last around 3 weeks coming from North America to 3 months coming from Asia. Remember time your move well!
Additional Info:
Customs in Mexico are tricky, get a relocation agent and don't forget to check our list of what not to bring on your container!
תגובות