# Shipping



## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

What did you ship besides clothes?


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## Chocoya (Dec 9, 2013)

It depends upon how you intend to live here. Will you entertain at home (for your husband's work) etc? If not, it will not be worthwhile, IMO, to ship furniture etc here. There are plenty of very cheap furniture shops such as ikea, homes r us, home centre, where you can buy presentable furniture that will last the time you stay here. Whites goods are cheap here (but I come from Australia where everything is expensive). I suggest you come and see what you will need etc and decide to ship later if need be.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

Chocoya said:


> It depends upon how you intend to live here. Will you entertain at home (for your husband's work) etc? If not, it will not be worthwhile, IMO, to ship furniture etc here. There are plenty of very cheap furniture shops such as ikea, homes r us, home centre, where you can buy presentable furniture that will last the time you stay here. Whites goods are cheap here (but I come from Australia where everything is expensive). I suggest you come and see what you will need etc and decide to ship later if need be.


Thanks for the list of furniture stores. We plan on staying there for a long time. There is no going back, maybe for vacation but that's it. What we don't take will be given away. That's why it's important to know now. I think I'm bringing the all in one, printer/copier/scanner/fax machine; DVD player; Internet router; phone; vitamix; books; blankets; and laptops. I guess I'll have them shipped.


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## Chocoya (Dec 9, 2013)

There is no going back? Nothing here is permanent - life is contract to contract and things change quickly here. I would not sever all ties with your home, you will have to return eventually. Life as an expat in the UAE can be tough in many ways. My husband has been here 30 years and I, ten years - it is considered a lifetime here. I think most people rarely stay beyond 2/3 contracts, often their leaving is not their decision.


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

Computer (large iMac), scanner, rocking chair things, occasional tables, bedroom drawers, lots of clothes, linen galore, towels etc, cool box, my wifes wardrobe, kitchen bits n bobs which Dubai doesn't seem to have, DVD collection.

My UK home is now completely devoid of Ikea stuff as its all here


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

Is shipping covered as part of your move?
if yes, and you are not planning on going back to your house any time soon, it is cheaper to bring it here than to buy it all again.

Along with our nice furniture, we brought our ****ty Ikea furniture too. Free is cheaper than new.

Also, long-term letting is easier with a vacant property than a furnished property.


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## sammylou (Oct 29, 2012)

agree with vantage. if you are getting a shipping allowance or free container then stuff it with everything you've got. no reason not too. just remember a few things:

- don't bother with anything that isn't already dual voltage. trying to use hair appliances and kitchen gadgets with a converter will still probably burn them out. just get those new here.

- don't bring the printer. the ink cartridges here are different than north america. i don't believe they will fit. all in ones are cheap enough as it is and you can easily get another here.

- also stock up on personal products and non-perishable items that you don't want to live without as many things aren't available here. or they are but are much more expensive

- white goods are not cheap here compared to NA. bring a good supply of quality towels and if you bring your NA mattress then definitely bring several sets of sheets. i actually buy sheets when i go home and bring them back here as you pay a lot for only mediocre quality.

there are several other threads from the last year discussing what to bring etc. you can use the search function to find those and get more opinions. good luck!


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

sammylou said:


> agree with vantage. if you are getting a shipping allowance or free container then stuff it with everything you've got. no reason not too. just remember a few things:
> 
> - don't bother with anything that isn't already dual voltage. trying to use hair appliances and kitchen gadgets with a converter will still probably burn them out. just get those new here.
> 
> ...


Great! Thanks for the info. I can now give those things away. I would hate to bring things only to throw them away here. What about the laptops and the voltage situation?


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

vantage said:


> Is shipping covered as part of your move?
> if yes, and you are not planning on going back to your house any time soon, it is cheaper to bring it here than to buy it all again.
> 
> Along with our nice furniture, we brought our ****ty Ikea furniture too. Free is cheaper than new.
> ...


I hear you. Relocation is included but I don't know what that entails. There's been no communication since before Christmas. I hope all will be back to normal after New Years.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

Chocoya said:


> There is no going back? Nothing here is permanent - life is contract to contract and things change quickly here. I would not sever all ties with your home, you will have to return eventually. Life as an expat in the UAE can be tough in many ways. My husband has been here 30 years and I, ten years - it is considered a lifetime here. I think most people rarely stay beyond 2/3 contracts, often their leaving is not their decision.


We will always have family in the US but I doubt (unless the Lord says different) we will be returning on a permanent basis. There are other countries besides Dubai. 

What do you mean by it's not always their decision? I would think companies would be happy to renew contracts. Please advise.

PS. Nothing in this life is permanent.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

Bklyn said:


> Thanks for the list of furniture stores. We plan on staying there for a long time. There is no going back, maybe for vacation but that's it. What we don't take will be given away. That's why it's important to know now. I think I'm bringing the all in one, printer/copier/scanner/fax machine; DVD player; Internet router; phone; vitamix; books; blankets; and laptops. I guess I'll have them shipped.


You can bring some electronics and you can bring some transformers (buy them from Amazon before you leave the US). Don't bother with anything that will draw a lot of current such as irons, vacuum cleaners and that printer/scanner. As others have pointed out you can get those here. 

US DVDs may not play on a DVD player that you purchase here. They are programmed with regions. I bought a dual region DVD player but I have never bothered buying a DVD here as I use iTunes instead. 

Smaller electronics such as laptops will be dual voltage. However, they also will be more expensive here than in the US and may have some features crippled (an example being FaceTime on Apple products). 

When you get here your apartment or villa may or may not come with appliances. I had to buy all mine. They weren't that expensive and the stores here will deliver and install. It would be pointless bringing them from the US because (a) you might not need them, (b) the voltage will be wrong, and (c) appliances here are teeny compared to the US and you won't be able to get yours to fit. That said, I really miss my big, dumb, cheap and effective US washing machine and dryer. 

I don't agree that furniture is particularly cheap here compared to the US. Frankly, very few things of any kind are cheaper than the US - except for obvious things like carpets. 

I'm very happy that I brought my Tempurpedic from the US as they are much more expensive here. If you do bring a bed bear in mind that your linens will have to come from the US too as the bed sizes are different. Also quite a lot of furniture here is utterly hideous to my eyes. If you are contemplating buying stuff I would take a trip to North Carolina and ship it over. 

I brought a car but that was because it was paid for and I would have lost my shirt selling it and also because my employer paid for shipping. Cars are marginally more expensive here than in the US but only very marginally. 

Bear in mind that if you are planning to move into an apartment it will almost certainly be smaller and have less internal storage than what you are accustomed to in the US. I wouldn't bring everything for that reason alone. Storage units are available but don't seem very convenient. Apartments don't usually come with storage cages in the basements as they often do in the US. Villas are often pretty big though. 

I left some financial records in storage - big mistake. Never underestimate how much of a pain the IRS is and how unaccommodating US law is to private sector expatriates.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

Simey said:


> You can bring some electronics and you can bring some transformers (buy them from Amazon before you leave the US). Don't bother with anything that will draw a lot of current such as irons, vacuum cleaners and that printer/scanner. As others have pointed out you can get those here.
> 
> US DVDs may not play on a DVD player that you purchase here. They are programmed with regions. I bought a dual region DVD player but I have never bothered buying a DVD here as I use iTunes instead.
> 
> ...


All paperwork is coming with us. I use my DVD player for kids educational DVD's so that has to come. We don't want our car because we are still paying for it. It's cheaper to sell it back to Honda. They've been harassing us to sell anyway because there is a big demand for 2011 Pilots here. From what I've seen, it's cheaper to buy a Pilot there but prices also tends to fluctuate.

IRS is a pain period! Speaking of, we better pay our taxes before we leave. Ugh!

My Tempurpedic will be joining us. I love it!!!

Where do all of the American families live?

Thanks so much for your input. Thanks everyone. Whoever created this forum is a genius. This is a very wonderful place.


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## nerd_deluxe (Nov 19, 2013)

Bklyn said:


> We will always have family in the US but I doubt (unless the Lord says different) we will be returning on a permanent basis. There are other countries besides Dubai.
> 
> What do you mean by it's not always their decision? I would think companies would be happy to renew contracts. Please advise.
> 
> PS. Nothing in this life is permanent.


Whoa... I'd like to second this note. "Not always their decision"??? I have a pending offer from a company to work at EGIT. They want a year minimum commitment. But for me to uproot is significant.

My contracting company has been good, although slow in getting paperwork to me. To make this kind of move I want some safety is doing so.

Can you give any insight regarding what circumstances surround these early departures? I mean, was there incompetence or a business / budget decision?

Thanks!


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

Bklyn said:


> Where do all of the American families live?


Americans by any large live in the areas that are predominantly expat. Expats tend to cluster together but not in my experience so much by nationality within the expat group. You'll soon have friends from other nationalities and that is a good thing. I would not try to limit your circle to just Americans as there is a whole world of nice people to get to know. Americans are a very small minority here - far smaller in number than many other nationalities.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

Simey said:


> Americans by any large live in the areas that are predominantly expat. Expats tend to cluster together but not in my experience so much by nationality within the expat group. You'll soon have friends from other nationalities and that is a good thing. I would not try to limit your circle to just Americans as there is a whole world of nice people to get to know. Americans are a very small minority here - far smaller in number than many other nationalities.


I wasn't looking to be amongst Americans that's partially why I want to leave America. Lol
The area chosen to live would give me an indication of where I would like to live. 
I'm from NY. I'm used to being around different nationalities. I really want to live around my Hispanic people to keep the language alive. I just can't get an answer as to where they live.


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

Bklyn said:


> I wasn't looking to be amongst Americans that's partially why I want to leave America. Lol
> The area chosen to live would give me an indication of where I would like to live.
> I'm from NY. I'm used to being around different nationalities. I really want to live around my Hispanic people to keep the language alive. I just can't get an answer as to where they live.


I'm sure there are some Spanish speakers here. I would guess most are from Spain itself, but I don't think that is a particularly large number. No doubt there are a few Hispanic Americans, but that would be a small number within a small number. When you get here you should join the American Business Council. That probably gives you the best chance of finding them. 

Other than that I have not met many from other Spanish speaking countries. There is almost certainly not going to be a particular place where they live but they will probably be in the major expat areas - Marina, downtown, Arabian Ranches, etc.

If you are coming from New York you will be struck by how small Dubai really is so I wouldn't worry so much about being close to the friends you make. Few places are much more than 30 minutes apart unless you go to Sharjah a lot and that is just bad traffic.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

Simey said:


> I'm sure there are some Spanish speakers here. I would guess most are from Spain itself, but I don't think that is a particularly large number. No doubt there are a few Hispanic Americans, but that would be a small number within a small number. When you get here you ould join the American Business Council. That probably gives you the best chance of finding them.
> 
> Other than that I have not met many from other Spanish speaking countries. There is almost certainly not going to be a particular place where they live but they will probably be in the major expat areas - Marina, downtown, Arabian Ranches, etc.
> 
> If you are coming from New York you will be struck by how small Dubai really is so I wouldn't worry so much about being close to the friends you make. Few places are much more than 30 minutes apart unless you go to Sharjah a lot and that is just bad traffic.


If they are there, I will find them. My friend, a native of Spain, told me that I would never find platanos or Dominicans in Barcelona. I told him if they are here I will find them. I can't live without my platanos and I have to get my hair done. I found both. He was shocked. He said he was born and raised there and never knew that the community even existed. I will find them and come back with a post. lol

I will meet people anyway. I have to meet people and explore my environment. Ah thoughts of warm weather as I hear the shovels outside plowing snow.

Well, it looks good they took down the job posting. Lord willing, he will get the job. Be well.


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## airedale (Jan 15, 2013)

"Relocation is included but I don't know what that entails. There's been no communication since before Christmas."

Be sure to get the details of how your employer will cover your relocation expenses.
Do not take their word for it.
See it in writing and ask others at the company for their experience.

Some companies will only accept the lowest bidder for your packing and transfer of goods.
The low bid will not include all charges and fees. Something the HR department often misses. Get a full breakdown of all costs door to door.

In addition, they will expect you to pay for relocation and be reimbursed upon arrival of the goods and processing of your reimbursement request through their finance organization several months later.
Some companies process the reimbursement through their HR department which can expedite receipt of your funds in the next paycheck.


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## Chocoya (Dec 9, 2013)

A good idea is to look for accommodation close to your kids' school as driving the school run morning and afternoon can be a huge pain and take much longer than you could ever imagine. The traffic is horrendous!!!! 
From my observations, expats to do not gather according to nationality here in the UAE but rather choose accommodation locations with regards to schools and employment locations rather than where they are from or their friends.
You will find your feet quickly, don't worry. Don't bring too much with you, as has already been pointed put, accommodation is getting smaller and smaller here with the newer more modern apartments and villas offering minimum storage facilities and very small rooms. Gone are the days of large spacious villas and apartments in the UAE. Therefore, if in doubt, don't bring it!


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

airedale said:


> "Relocation is included but I don't know what that entails. There's been no communication since before Christmas."
> 
> Be sure to get the details of how your employer will cover your relocation expenses.
> Do not take their word for it.
> ...


Thanks, good to know. Hopefully, we will hear from them on Sunday.


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## Bklyn (Dec 11, 2013)

Chocoya said:


> A good idea is to look for accommodation close to your kids' school as driving the school run morning and afternoon can be a huge pain and take much longer than you could ever imagine. The traffic is horrendous!!!!
> From my observations, expats to do not gather according to nationality here in the UAE but rather choose accommodation locations with regards to schools and employment locations rather than where they are from or their friends.
> You will find your feet quickly, don't worry. Don't bring too much with you, as has already been pointed put, accommodation is getting smaller and smaller here with the newer more modern apartments and villas offering minimum storage facilities and very small rooms. Gone are the days of large spacious villas and apartments in the UAE. Therefore, if in doubt, don't bring it!


I homeschool my son, no worries. Hubby will arrive first then I'll follow with the kids in 2 months. NY is legendary for small apartments. Unless it's Tokyo small, we should be fine. I'm in love with the Arabian ranches but it may be too far.


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## earthworm88 (Jun 14, 2013)

Bklyn said:


> We plan on staying there for a long time. There is no going back, maybe for vacation but that's it. What we don't take will be given away. That's why it's important to know now. I think I'm bringing the all in one, printer/copier/scanner/fax machine; DVD player; Internet router; phone; vitamix; books; blankets; and laptops. I guess I'll have them shipped.


Sounded like us when we moved, we took the whole kit and caboodle with us when we left! We actually bought some new stuff to bring along too since we had a 20ft container.

I say take everything you still want with you. 

On hindsight, these are the things I wouldn't bring (unless they were brand spanking new, then buy an expensive transformer for them): printers, food processor, house phones (step up/down mini converters won't work long term, eventually they/battery get fried).

If you are a beach person but don't want to be in direct sunlight, get one of those nice large beach umbrella. You won't find them nice and sturdy ones here! 

If you are thinking of replacing your mattresses soon, buy them in US. They cost twice (if not more for certain brands) as much here. 

Laptops and unlocked phones are much cheaper (also current models) in the US. I still buy my laptop every other year from the US and bring it back. 

TV is a bit tricky because of the voltage issue, but with the right transformer, it will be fine. Ours had been running on transformer for so many years, and still going strong. The next model we are looking at is twice as expensive here as it is in US!

Cameras are still cheapest (and current models) in the US. 

The list goes on and on....


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## twowheelsgood (Feb 21, 2013)

FYI regarding mobile phones - there is no CDMA network here so if your phone works on Verizon its almost certainly not going to be compatible. No idea if there is such a thing as a Verizon iPad but the same applies.

This is the GSM world out here so no US/Korean specific handsets need arrive


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