# Moving information/advice



## AllBbear (Apr 17, 2013)

Although I am still several months away, I am beginning to investigate international movers. I have several questions for anyone who may be able to answer from their recent experiences.

1. Did you use one mover to go door to door or, use one domestic mover to get you to Texas and a second perhaps Mexican mover to bring you into Mexico and deliver to your house? Which was easier and perhaps cheaper? Do you remember what you paid for lets say 500 cu ft.?

2. I was expecting furniture to be much cheaper in Mexico, but after shopping I am finding unless you like rustic pine furniture the prices are not so great.

3. It seems to me that most of the furniture I have seen in Mexico is not particularly comfortable or well made.
4. Buying a good queen sized mattress (Seley Posturpedic) cost me 1200 pesos which is not cheaper than in US
5. Did you regret leaving behind "stuff"
6. Is there anything you left behind that you wish you didn't?
7. Is there anything you would have done differently?

Just a side note..... I am bringing lots of; 1200 TC sheets and bedding and my cafalon(spelling) cookware, as I seem to believe these things are simply unavailable or very expensive.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or advice.

Bob


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

My response: leave just about everything behind. Use the savings in moving costs to purchase what you need, in Mexico.


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## ValRomx (Nov 12, 2012)

I think Longford's response is a good one.

If you use movers you do have your Permanente or Temporale permit for them to use when crossing the border, right?

Depending where you live, the size of the town/city, you can find/buy just about anyone one needs for a home here. I'm not being snarky, but the Mexicans have been doing it for centuries.



AllBbear said:


> 1. Did you use one mover ...?
> 2. I was expecting furniture to be much cheaper
> 3. Uncomfortable furniture
> 4. Buying a good queen sized mattress ...
> ...


1. Just brought my suitcases ... on multiple trips NoB after visiting family periodically
2. I'm renting furnished.
3. The furniture in my casita is perfectly comfortable - all was made/purchased in Mexico.
4. nc - put a cushion on it?
5. sentimental items, my good china, artwork - it's all in storage NoB
6. see 5
7. no


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

If your bringing a US mattress, bring the bed frame also. Mexican mattresses and frames are shorter.


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## Parcos (May 13, 2014)

We brought very little from the States. I recommend bringing your art (get a tube to pack it in from Office Depot) and having it reframed down here. Framing is a super good deal in Mexico compared to the States. Ask around for a good carpenter after you arrive, they come in all skill levels. We found an amazing carpenter who has made our dresser, bed, closet systems, kitchen cabinets etc. He dovetails the joints and uses great material. Also he's much cheaper then the department store furniture. Bringing your own sheets isn't a bad idea, we head north every so often and stock up on linens, comforters, etc from Ikea. You can buy nice sheets at Costco or Sam's Club in Mexico as well.


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## AllBbear (Apr 17, 2013)

*moving stuff....*

Thanks folks for the responses. I have collected art/antiques and treasures from all over the world and although I plan on getting rid of much, there are things I just cant let go. Also many oriental carpets etc.

My guesstimate is down to 500 cu feet to be shipped. Still inquiring about door to door with one shipper or doing a split with two shippers. Can anyone else comment on the 500 cu feet or the shipping?


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Unless I've missed it, I don't recall your telling us your final destination in Mexico. The answer to that question is likely to get you responses which are pertinent. Expats who live, for example, in one of the Lakeside (Lake Chapala) communities or San Miguel de Allende, might be able to share what they know personally or provide a lead to where you can find the information you're looking for. Bringing "arts/antiques and treasures" will require a good home security system and locating yourself in a gated/guarded community IMO. Best of luck.


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## Parcos (May 13, 2014)

My experience with shipping costs is minimal. I have friends that shipped about 25 medium sized boxes of all different weights from Merida to the Pacific Northwest. This include door to door pick-up and delivery. It was paid for by his new employer so he didn't worry too much about the cost. I know it came to around 8000 US dollars.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

Parcos said:


> I know it came to around 8000 US dollars.


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## maesonna (Jun 10, 2008)

Are you in Washington DC like your profile says? If so, it should be really easy to find companies with experience in international moving, because of the foreign and US diplomats coming and going. They get their household moved at their respective government’s expense; it’s one of the compensations for getting reposted every few years. After all, who would want one of those jobs if you had to choose between leaving everything behind and paying for an international move every few years. 

We moved from Ottawa (our nation’s capital) and that factor made it easy for us to find movers. We got a couple of estimates, and ended up going with a company that gave us a quote for a whole container-full, including packing and door-to-door. The container was trucked to Halifax, loaded on a ship to Veracruz, and then the company arranged for a Mexican trucker to haul the container to us in Mexico City.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

maesonna said:


> . . .
> We moved from Ottawa (our nation’s capital) and that factor made it easy for us to find movers. We got a couple of estimates, and ended up going with a company that gave us a quote for a whole container-full, including packing and door-to-door. The container was trucked to Halifax, loaded on a ship to Veracruz, and then the company arranged for a Mexican trucker to haul the container to us in Mexico City.


Do you remember how much all of that cost you?


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## RickS (Aug 6, 2009)

The link below is for Strom Moving. I haven't used them but many others have and I've never heard anything but good comments and recommendations. While they are located in the Lake Chapala area, they work throughout Mexico. Their website has a US number so you could easily chat with them about your particular move.

White Movers of Mexico


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

How about a bad comment? Strom moved us from San Miguel de Allende to Ajijic. They subbed it out to a small mover in Guadalajara who didn't bring any protective pads nor a ramp, packed all the art work into the truck with the wires and screws digging into the canvas behind it instead of the front to front and back to back the way any decent mover would have, and because there was no ramp, they literally threw things onto the truck. When they arrived, furniture was scratched and dinged. The owner charged full price and gave the excuse that he had bought them pads and a ramp and couldn't imagine what they did with it.
Enough said?
I'd recommended using another mover if you value your things. Seymi is a good one. They moved us from the border and nothing was missing or damaged.


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## aguthrie9 (Aug 29, 2014)

I just moved to Mexico City from Los Angeles and shipped some items. We had just around 200 cu feet and it ended up at 3400 USD, door to door, they took it through customs, etc. I got rid of (gave away, gifted, and thrift stored) more than half of my stuff, and ended up leaving a few precious items in a friend's closet for my next trip back with a suitcase. 

Our shipment took 2.5 months to arrive, and we had many hassles with the shipping company (SDC International). In the beginning they were great, but once they had our stuff it was crazy difficult to get in touch with them. I felt like a stalker at certain points, and hadn't run in to that bad of a deal with customer service in a while. I am so glad that is over! So, why ship you ask?

We shipped because we had many items that were irreplaceable or otherwise very difficult/expensive to purchase in Mexico City. We compared the actual costs of replacing those items, and the shipping cost was about 1/4 of the replacement cost...keep in mind we are musicians and were shipping many instruments that were quite expensive (we took the most expensive ones on the flight with us). 

I used all the same sized boxes (for our music scores and recordings) because they fit into a measured space better. The shipping company will charge you (~$16 USD/each extra cubic foot) for any space over what you estimate. I packed everything really well and still ended up with many broken boxes, but thankfully nothing was actually broken or missing. It is crucial that you not ship anything new and in its original packing...customs might just take this away because they want you to purchase things in Mexico. Whatever else was in the semi-truck that carried our stuff was crazy smelly. Our boxes and things smelled so bad that we had to unpack everything immediately and clean all clothes and instrument cases that were exposed. It still took a few days to get the smell to go away completely. 

Because we moved from LA, we had to have our items shipped by land. There were many moving companies to choose from, and I think they all have their ups and downs. Again, our shipment from LA took about 2.5 months and a good friend's shipment took 8 months! So pack wisely. 

Remember there will always be hidden costs...the moving company packs your stuff into the '500 cu feet' so they give you the actual space used in the end, we tipped the movers who carried our stuff up 4 flights of stairs (400 pesos), they tried to hit us with an additional cost of 'freight' but we caught them on that bs bill (4500 pesos! yea right) and called the actual moving company who fixed it, and the Mexico City traffic cops came and it was cheaper to bribe than pay the ticket for having a semi-truck parked in the street (another 1000 pesos).

If you have any questions in particular please ask away. This experience and the numbers are still very fresh in my mind.


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## mr_manny (Nov 22, 2013)

I've started gathering quotes for shipping household items, hobby stuff, lots of automotive tools and was curious if anyone had any experience shipping by SEA (shipping container).

I'm still waiting for quotes, but shipping by LAND seems much more expensive then by SEA...like 3 to 4 times more $$.

Regarding use New cartons.
What about a table or a bed frame...these items simply get covered with shipping blanket?

Would you recommend shipping a plasma TV...or safer to sell, and pickup a replacement in Mexico?

Gracias


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## AllBbear (Apr 17, 2013)

Thank you for your input. I am booked with Morino International and hope to be "home" by April 1st!!!


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## lagoloo (Apr 12, 2011)

This by some fairly reliable rumor: Things tend to "disappear" more often when shipped by sea.
Good luck and hope all goes well.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

If you ship via container it is fine but less than a container load and things tend to disappear unless it is totally crated. 
Check requirement on the material for the crate( going north wood in not allowed or it has to be fumigated) I do not know what the requirements are in Mexico.
Also if you have problems clearing customs for whateve rreasons you start accumulating demurrage charges and they can add up pretty fast. I met people who shipped their whole household from Europe without checking the rules and laws and they got themselves in a lot of trouble and spent a lot of money. The woman had a stuff bear collection and customs refused to believe it was personal and decided she was starting a business and wanted to tax her as a business and so on. If you ship by sea make sure you have a grat broler and be aware of all the rules.


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## mr_manny (Nov 22, 2013)

Good advice...thank you

Told one of the over-land shippers, I needed to consider selling everything and purchase in Mexico...due to quote.

Sea shipper is a complete container...will also look into insurance, just in case.

A complete and accurate Menaje is key.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Make sure the container is sealed and the broker has to have the seal number .


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## tomwins (Dec 27, 2014)

We are eight months away from moving from San Diego. We decided last year that we would be moving and met with Strom White Movers and that and other quotes helped us see that we would not be moving much of our things. We will be moving via airline luggage. On our last trip took extra baggage on the airplane. We will be heading there again in June an will carry another four boxes on the plane. We have friends who are storing these items for us until we move there in August.

To help us sort through and "detach" some of our emotions from items, I made the following questions to ask ourselves as we are purging and deciding what to move:

· Have I used it in the last year?

· Will I use it in the next year?

· Does it have sentimental value?

· Do I want it? If so, why?

· How easily can this be replaced if I don’t move it?

· How much room/effort will this require to move, remembering that small things add up quickly?

I'd enjoy feedback on the list and would appreciate if you feel another criteria would help us select what to bring more effectively.

Thanks,
Tom


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## Jolga (Jun 5, 2012)

RickS said:


> The link below is for Strom Moving. I haven't used them but many others have and I've never heard anything but good comments and recommendations. While they are located in the Lake Chapala area, they work throughout Mexico. Their website has a US number so you could easily chat with them about your particular move.
> 
> White Movers of Mexico


I second Strom. We moved our complete household including crystal, works of art and china. They took care of all the complicated logistics with no hiccups and no breakage.

I would not take any movers that do any of the stages by ship, you open yourself to higher costs and possible expensive inspections. Land is more predictable and cheaper.

They charged us about $17000 CDN for their white glove service from Edmonton to Mazatlan. If they pack for you it`s all insured.

As to arriving here with a suitcase only, different strokes for different folks. We love our beautiful decor which would have been impossible to duplicate in Mexico.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

Jolga said:


> I second Strom. We moved our complete household including crystal, works of art and china. They took care of all the complicated logistics with no hiccups and no breakage.
> 
> I would not take any movers that do any of the stages by ship, you open yourself to higher costs and possible expensive inspections. Land is more predictable and cheaper.
> 
> ...


As you say, different strokes for different folks. I arrived with a suitcase (two actually) and I like the simplicity that I obtained by getting rid of much of 40 years accumulation. I did later move a few boxes of tools here, but my life is much less cluttered with stuff than it was before. And it is great.


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## sunnyvmx (Mar 14, 2010)

I made the move in a large motorhome with everything I owned as I had been living in the RV for 6 years. I have since donated, given away and sold almost everything including the coach.
Now I believe I have even more than I had before. Someday I suppose I'll make the final move and someone else will have to carry the suitcase.


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