# What is replaceable in Cyprus?



## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

Hello again, everyone.

What kinds of goods are reasonably replaceable in Cyprus? What kinds aren't? Can you think of anything that it would be worth paying the shipping from the US rather than trying to replace once I'm there? Thanks for any help!


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

christineb said:


> Hello again, everyone.
> 
> What kinds of goods are reasonably replaceable in Cyprus? What kinds aren't? Can you think of anything that it would be worth paying the shipping from the US rather than trying to replace once I'm there? Thanks for any help!


If plan on staying awhile (a few years) and want comfortable furniture at reasonable prices I would bring your own. We brought a lot of our old stuff and some we even sold since the house in CYprus was smaller than we expected and we got more than what we paid for it 10 years ago in the US. Decent furniture is very expensive in comparison the US. Then if you are going to ship beds, dressers, living room sets etc. then I would just put in as much as you can fit. We paid about $3,500 to ship from BWI to PFO and it fully furnished a 3 bed villa here with everything - all kitchen utensils, plates, glasses, linens. It was a 20 ft. container. WE packed and loaded it on the container ourself though. If they do it would cost much more. We used "UPak We Ship" but don't know if they service the Austin area. Don't bother with any electronics though as our computer blew up and other stuff just sits around unused :-0


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

Cleo Shahateet said:


> If plan on staying awhile (a few years) and want comfortable furniture at reasonable prices I would bring your own. We brought a lot of our old stuff and some we even sold since the house in CYprus was smaller than we expected and we got more than what we paid for it 10 years ago in the US. Decent furniture is very expensive in comparison the US. Then if you are going to ship beds, dressers, living room sets etc. then I would just put in as much as you can fit. We paid about $3,500 to ship from BWI to PFO and it fully furnished a 3 bed villa here with everything - all kitchen utensils, plates, glasses, linens. It was a 20 ft. container. WE packed and loaded it on the container ourself though. If they do it would cost much more. We used "UPak We Ship" but don't know if they service the Austin area. Don't bother with any electronics though as our computer blew up and other stuff just sits around unused :-0


No way?! I thought there was an IKEA in Nicosia... Heheh. Seriously, though, thanks for the reply!

So even if you switch the voltage on your power supply and get a UK power cable for your PC, you can't bring it with you? We weren't planning on bringing other electronics, but our PC power supplies are 50/60 Hz and voltage switchable and our laptops are 50-60 Hz and full range auto voltage. My other techie friends were telling me I could buy new Brit G pin power cables for them and switch them over without a huge problem?


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

christineb said:


> No way?! I thought there was an IKEA in Nicosia... Heheh. Seriously, though, thanks for the reply!
> 
> So even if you switch the voltage on your power supply and get a UK power cable for your PC, you can't bring it with you? We weren't planning on bringing other electronics, but our PC power supplies are 50/60 Hz and voltage switchable and our laptops are 50-60 Hz and full range auto voltage. My other techie friends were telling me I could buy new Brit G pin power cables for them and switch them over without a huge problem?


There is an IKEA in Nicosia but more expensive than what you are used to. Cheaper than everywhere else though for the most part. We didn't look into everything else you mentioned regarding electronics but we had problems with ours. We also had many, many power outages that even with a power surge protector it all gave us problems.


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

Thanks Cleo, that's awesome info. I'm going to keep looking into the electronics issue until I either a: leave and make my husband worry about it, or b: find out if it's worth it.


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

We brought double of everything as electrical goods are sooooo expensive here

However one of our laptops blew up within a couple of weeks and our hoover "just stopped working " lol and that was one of the things we didn t double up on

The cost of washing machines freezers fridges kettles etc etc is a joke !!!

Bring what you can for sure !!!!


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

philly said:


> We brought double of everything as electrical goods are sooooo expensive here
> 
> However one of our laptops blew up within a couple of weeks and our hoover "just stopped working " lol and that was one of the things we didn t double up on
> 
> ...


Thanks for the info, philly!


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## Cleo Shahateet (Feb 23, 2009)

Just a reminder in case you don't think of it, if you do happen to bring a washer, dryer, fridge or other big items then, the standard American size probably won't fit into the spaces provided. King size beds will be a tight squeeze in a lot of bedrooms I have seen too if you have a whole bedroom set that also need to fit.


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

The price Cleo got for shipping his container is very decent. I did check their webside and they seem to operate from all over the states. We brought all of our furniture and appliances like tvs, computers, laptops, and small household appliances. Computers we brought what we had already but other things like tvs etc we bought new with European power level. This is what happened- my brand new kettle, same model I had in hte US for over 10 years, was leaking from day 1 so I had to buy a new one. My kitchenaid foodprocessor has been at work everyday since it was unpacked. No problem with the computers, have a server that is still not set up yet. The new smaller of two tvs has broken down after a year and a half and will switch off if you try and adjust the volume. The other dissapointment is that the bowl for the ice cream machine does not fit in the freezer I have bought. I bought the fridge from here and it looks very big and tall but doesn't have much room inside. Oh and my baking pans do not fit in the ovens here. I was told though that I can have a 30inch oven

It took me over 6 months to find my cutlery, so I had to buy an additional set.

As for Ikea, apart from the prices not being the same, if you go looking for 10 items they will be out of at least 8. Also their return policy is different.

We are in the process of looking to build a house now and we are considering bringing everything from the US.

I was with some friends who also moved here from NYC a few months ago and they regret not bringing all the furniture with them.


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

Wow, Dina, that's some good info. Also it's making me reconsider a few things. I use my breadmaker, food processor, crock pot, KitchenAid stand mixer, and blender several times a week. My husband is trying to talk me out of bringing them. Our TV needs replacing anyway. 

We just don't have a lot of decent furniture. I would consider bringing our queen bed, but our sofa is on its way out: I could get it re-covered, but I don't know if it's really worth it. Can you get *part* of a container?

Do rentals come with a fridge, stove, etc? I think we will probably be renting for quite some time.

I'm getting my official job offer today at 8pm y'all's time... I won't tell you what I'm hoping I can get, but I'll tell you if I get it!


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

Fingers crossed for you christineb x


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

christineb said:


> Wow, Dina, that's some good info. Also it's making me reconsider a few things. I use my breadmaker, food processor, crock pot, KitchenAid stand mixer, and blender several times a week. My husband is trying to talk me out of bringing them. Our TV needs replacing anyway.
> 
> We just don't have a lot of decent furniture. I would consider bringing our queen bed, but our sofa is on its way out: I could get it re-covered, but I don't know if it's really worth it. Can you get *part* of a container?
> 
> ...


Most rentals come with white goods ie. fridge/freezer cooker washer etc even if they are unfurnished. Actually if you are intending to rent most rentals tend to be fully furnished anyway and all you need to bring is your personal stuff. 
My advice is try to get a rental which is owned by a Brit. The Cypriots tend to want more rent and often the houses are older and in need of some attention which it is hard to get the landlord to agree to.

Veronica


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

christineb said:


> Wow, Dina, that's some good info. Also it's making me reconsider a few things. I use my breadmaker, food processor, crock pot, KitchenAid stand mixer, and blender several times a week. My husband is trying to talk me out of bringing them. Our TV needs replacing anyway.
> 
> We just don't have a lot of decent furniture. I would consider bringing our queen bed, but our sofa is on its way out: I could get it re-covered, but I don't know if it's really worth it. Can you get *part* of a container?
> 
> ...


Oh! I forgot to say we brought an elliptical and a Francis Francis that run on 110V so I bought a couple of converters but I bought those here as they have more experience, just make sure you bring the manuals with you as they have details they will need in order to give you the right strength.

We brought all our clothes and linnens and kitchen pots and pans and books and kids toys and stocked up things from Costco and if there is anything I regret is not bringing more things. I bought linnens for our own use but I kept givving them away as presents and they are very expensive here and really appreciated as gifts.

Mattresses are exceedingly expensive here so make sure you bring that. our rental came with a stove but not a fridge or washer, so I bought those here. The only furniture I had was our bedroom set and a crib, I bought everything else new. Crate and Barrel shipped directly to the shipper so I didn't pay sales tax. We were supposed to get a whole container but the crook we found as a shipper was a really good one and he stuffed our belongings with a Limassol couple which I did not find out till the container arrived and I had to go to Limassol unload the container on the sidewalk so that the customs could see the other end of the container and then load it up again and wait for it to get to Nicosia the next day and unload it again. We later shipped some additional things in part of a container with a different shipper - it took months for the things to arrive but there was no additional cost and no hassle. By this time my husband had come to Cyprus so he had to go to the harbor and pick up the stuff.

Good luck with the offer!


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## bert (Mar 23, 2009)

christineb said:


> Wow, Dina, that's some good info. Also it's making me reconsider a few things. I use my breadmaker, food processor, crock pot, KitchenAid stand mixer, and blender several times a week. My husband is trying to talk me out of bringing them. Our TV needs replacing anyway.
> 
> We just don't have a lot of decent furniture. I would consider bringing our queen bed, but our sofa is on its way out: I could get it re-covered, but I don't know if it's really worth it. Can you get *part* of a container?
> 
> ...


Good Luck! Hope all goes well.

Donna


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

I think shipping agents are all the same the worl over !!!!!

Have moved countries so many times and every time there is a saga of some kind and our stress levels end up at the top of the scale !!!

BRING EVERYTHING YOU CAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!! however lol

My hoover packed up today and I priced the exact one I had and it was 3 times the price I paid for it just 6 months ago, so now I am going to use a brush lol

unless of course someone knows where I can get a second hand one c os I refuse to pay 155 euros for a bl00dy hoover !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

philly said:


> unless of course someone knows where I can get a second hand one c os I refuse to pay 155 euros for a bl00dy hoover !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


$211 Bucks for a vacuum? Highway robbery! Unless it's one of those fancy ones that I wouldn't buy anyway unless I could ride it to work. Maybe I just won't have any rugs in my house... 

Except I think I need a vacuum to get the cat hair off the furniture. *sigh* It's always something.


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

christineb said:


> $211 Bucks for a vacuum? Highway robbery! Unless it's one of those fancy ones that I wouldn't buy anyway unless I could ride it to work. Maybe I just won't have any rugs in my house...
> 
> Except I think I need a vacuum to get the cat hair off the furniture. *sigh* It's always something.


No its just a bog standard hoover, no singing dancing version just a goddam hoover !!!

I am amazed at the prices of some things here, however I will qualify that by saying it is a winderful place to live :clap2:


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

Not worried too much about "stuff." Stuff isn't really a priority in our lives -- except, obviously, electronics. We are all about the gadgets. In fact, perhaps we have some sort of deep-seated psychological problem with the gadgets.

My friend told me that James and I are probably going to love it there. I am beyond excited -- enough to displace my terror about all the paperwork, packing, and general insanity I am about to experience!


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

christineb said:


> Not worried too much about "stuff." Stuff isn't really a priority in our lives -- except, obviously, electronics. We are all about the gadgets. In fact, perhaps we have some sort of deep-seated psychological problem with the gadgets.
> 
> My friend told me that James and I are probably going to love it there. I am beyond excited -- enough to displace my terror about all the paperwork, packing, and general insanity I am about to experience!


I think you will find that gadgets become less important here than in the USA. 
Maybe this is the chance to wean yourself off them


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

HAH! Nooooo! Just one more gadget. I promise, this is the last one! Just... one... more...

*drools*


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

christineb said:


> HAH! Nooooo! Just one more gadget. I promise, this is the last one! Just... one... more...
> 
> *drools*


not so much gadget temptation here! One that you most likely don't have yet though is the Frappe frother, to make iced instant coffee. A must if you are going to invite even one Cypriot to your house.


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

theresoon said:


> not so much gadget temptation here! One that you most likely don't have yet though is the Frappe frother, to make iced instant coffee. A must if you are going to invite even one Cypriot to your house.


I have a stick blender... it seems to look the same, but maybe it's not. Oh dear. How am I supposed to wean off gadgets if you keep telling me about new ones? How?! 

Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to the FOOD, too. I'm not big on processed foods (one reason I cook almost everything except sushi. We go out for sushi because, well, I haven't trained most of my life to be a sushi chef. Hehe.) What's the deal with the instant coffee, anyway?


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

theresoon said:


> not so much gadget temptation here! One that you most likely don't have yet though is the Frappe frother, to make iced instant coffee. A must if you are going to invite even one Cypriot to your house.


Ooooohhh yes, a frappe frother. I cant do without mine in the summer. Yummy yummy frappes:clap2::clap2::clap2::clap2:


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## theresoon (Apr 11, 2008)

btw a frappe is not a milkshake. no a stick blender wont do. but instead of the frother - if you are really serious about your frappe you can get the old fashioned milkshake machines.

I have thought of a couple of other gadgets for you. I was told I am ancient because I iron clothes with an iron rather than a steamer press that you slide over the clothes and also costs around 200e minimum.

The other one is a grill kinda like a George Forman but much more advanced that you can grill anything from sandwiches to fish, veggies etc.


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## Mycroft (Sep 9, 2009)

Two things I can't live without my slow cooker ( never seen one here) and a bread maker for making wonderful malted granary loaves ( just got one out of the oven and the house smells delicious! ( real UK granary, and seeded flour available from CIS in Limassol but the malt has to come via friends and family in UK):clap2:


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## philly (Feb 5, 2010)

You are all soooooooooooo domesticated OMG...........................


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## Mycroft (Sep 9, 2009)

philly said:


> You are all soooooooooooo domesticated OMG...........................


Beats 2 hours commuting to London any day!!:eyebrows:


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

Mycroft said:


> Two things I can't live without my slow cooker ( never seen one here) and a bread maker for making wonderful malted granary loaves ( just got one out of the oven and the house smells delicious! ( real UK granary, and seeded flour available from CIS in Limassol but the malt has to come via friends and family in UK):clap2:


I admit I made bread every other week or so *before* I had my breadmaker, but it took allllll day on a Sunday. I prefer to make homebrewed beer on some Sundays while the breadmaker makes the bread. (What, no beer smiley?) I consider my crockpot essential!


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## christineb (Nov 3, 2009)

philly said:


> You are all soooooooooooo domesticated OMG...........................


HAH! Yeah, but we're kinda picky about food -- you put it inside yourself, you know. Personally, if I'm going to be that intimate with something I at least like to *try* to know where it's been. We're not vegetarians or anything (because animals are delicious), but we don't like fast food or preservatives much: they make you feel kind of crappy. Only way to get around that is to make a lot of your food from fresh. It's cheaper and tastes better, too, most of the time.  Also, most United States groceries can't sell me a decent loaf of bread to save their collective lives, especially French bread. Oh, except now there's "artisan" bread, which means I can pay someone 6-7 bucks for something that costs me about a dollar to make at home. Yeeaaaaah. Let me line up for that! 

Because we only eat out as a "treat" rather than "oh I don't feel like cooking," it makes it more special. AND the added bonus is that eating out less often sort of "saves" your eating out budget so you can go to *better* restaurants. Yep. Priorities, Philly! Gotta have priorities!

OK, so I'm obsessed with food. But what do you want? I was born in New Orleans, where the whole family would sit over a meal and either a: plan the next meal or b: talk about another really good meal we had in the past.


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