Moving to US - Shipping Items

iPanda

I am moving the the US soon and have been looking at methods of getting some of my things there such as my PC/Monitor etc. I've got some rough quotes from companies like UPS and FedEx and the prices are through the roof because of the weight of the items.

I am very confused on what to do. It almost seems cheaper to buy a new PC and TV when over there but it's such a waste and I'd rather just have my things. Does anyone have any experience moving things across to America?

rockonollie

iPanda wrote: »

I am moving the the US soon and have been looking at methods of getting some of my things there such as my PC/Monitor etc. I've got some rough quotes from companies like UPS and FedEx and the prices are through the roof because of the weight of the items.

I am very confused on what to do. It almost seems cheaper to buy a new PC and TV when over there but it's such a waste and I'd rather just have my things. Does anyone have any experience moving things across to America?

Sadly.....shipping generally goes by weight so bulky items like decktop pcs are always going to cost a fortune......most of the time more than the item itself cost.

When we moved, backed up our harddrive, wipe and sold our pc and printers and just bought new when we got here, between the money we got for our items and the lower price of electronics over here, we weren't too far from breaking even.

ProudDUB

It's not a waste, really, not when you consider the cost of electronics over there compared to here. You can get a new TV and a new PC there for a fraction of what you'll pay for them here. If can you get rid of your Irish ones on donedeal or some where like that, that's money you can put towards new ones.

Also, your Irish appliances will not work in American electrical sockets, as they operate on different voltages to ours. You can get travel adaptors to convert them over, but those travel adaptors are largely meant to be used for low voltage items such as hair dryers and electric razors etc etc, that people use for short periods of time when they are traveling. They would not be safe or suitable to use for higher voltages items (such as a telly) on a permanent basis.

InTheTrees

Check out the craigslist ads for the area you're moving to and you can find used hardware and save even more.

iusedtoknow

I think you should just wait until you get out here for bulkier items. Laptop etc is easy to bring, but PC/TV is not worth it IMO.

They are both really cheap out here, less than it would cost to ship the items in the first place

ProudDUB

Airlines enforce the 50 kg per bag weight restriction a lot more strictly these days. They also only allow one checked bag per passenger, before they start to charge you per bag. Putting a computer (assuming its the older style one with a hard drive) into a suitcase would eat up a pretty big chunk of the weight allowance of that one bag that you are allowed to check in. The penalties for going over it and/or paying to check additional bags would be more than the cost of a new computer imo. And if you buy your new stuff over there, you get appliances that are already set up to operate on the US electrical system.

gnfnrhead

Take the HDD out and only bring that. It's light and not much bigger than a phone. Just check to make sure it wont go through any scans that could damage/corrupt it. Unless the monitor is really top of the range, I'd sell it and buy a new one instead.

Palmy

I moved the Family,Four large sports bags +laptop and the dog.
Brought everything new.Dont waste your time bring to much its alot easier to just buy here.