# Moving our stuff



## Lanason

Does anyone know if we can bring all our possessions to Egypt. i.e. TV, computer, washing machine, as well as the usual furniture and clothes.
Are there any restrictions / taxes ???

I know bring a car in is difficult - aren't there some laws about 200% import tax or only being able to drive the car for 6 months.

Any advice most welcome


----------



## speedwing

Hi Aqua, I don't think you will have any problems but you will pay a huge anount of tax and duty. We are moving out in December and have managed to get most electrical items over as excess baggage. The cost of TV, washing machine etc over there is roughly the same as over here.





aqua said:


> Does anyone know if we can bring all our possessions to Egypt. i.e. TV, computer, washing machine, as well as the usual furniture and clothes.
> Are there any restrictions / taxes ???
> 
> I know bring a car in is difficult - aren't there some laws about 200% import tax or only being able to drive the car for 6 months.
> 
> Any advice most welcome


----------



## Lanason

*how much*



speedwing said:


> Hi Aqua, I don't think you will have any problems but you will pay a huge anount of tax and duty. We are moving out in December and have managed to get most electrical items over as excess baggage. The cost of TV, washing machine etc over there is roughly the same as over here.


Do you pay tax if it is in excess baggage ??
Do you know how much the tax and duty is ?? 

are the normal brands of TV (Samsung/LG/Sony/Panasonic) and Washing machine (AEG/Beko/Bosch) etc available in Egypt

Are there any website showing prices?


----------



## speedwing

You don't pay any tax on excess luggage

You can't find out the exact amount of tax/duty as it depends on how they feel on the day...we have friends who recently shipped their entire house and tax cost them £2,700 

You can get all the leading brands, we have just bought a 32" Sony Bravia flat screen for £382 

There are web sites for Abu Ashara Family Market and Senzo but if you put in google furniture shop electrical shops etc it will usually pick some up

Hope this helps any more info please feel free to ask as I had to ask all the same questions myself




aqua said:


> Do you pay tax if it is in excess baggage ??
> Do you know how much the tax and duty is ??
> 
> are the normal brands of TV (Samsung/LG/Sony/Panasonic) and Washing machine (AEG/Beko/Bosch) etc available in Egypt
> 
> Are there any website showing prices?


----------



## Lanason

mmm its not easy to find sites like Currys, or dixons in egypt

can you buy stuff on-line and have it delivered like in the uk ???


----------



## speedwing

I suppose if you can read Arabic lol but when you go shopping delivery is usually included, they tend to want to deliver while you are still standing in the shop!!!!!



aqua said:


> mmm its not easy to find sites like Currys, or dixons in egypt
> 
> can you buy stuff on-line and have it delivered like in the uk ???


----------



## Lanason

Now will I fit my 42" plasma in my suitcase . . . . . probably not


----------



## speedwing

Cheaper to buy one there, cheaper than buying a 42" suitcase lol


----------



## aziza66

you can buy everything in Egypt. There are no online sites for shopping. But as said delivery is free of charge. We bought a TV from Dubai and paid taxes in Egypt and ended up to much more expensive than buying it from the agent in Egypt.
All brands are available. Just use the yellowpages to locate the shops.


----------



## sinini

egypt have many mall centers to like city stars in nasr city have all brands in the world we can go tour in city stars , u will feel u r in uk


----------



## GM1

this is an online webshop, with prices!


----------



## speedwing

this site is supposed to be helpful to those of us moving to Egypt !!!


----------



## Jack.Ishac

Hi there , you will pay a huge anount of tax and duty............

buy all you wanna from here Better at least have the warrant and same prices ...


----------



## MaidenScotland

Speedwing the site is for people to ask questions and hopefully be pointed in the right direction.
I know you are trying to help and that is great.
We have members who pay to advertise their services.
By all means tell people that there are free newspapers that have adverts for everything in Arabic and English but it is unfair to our paying advertisers to put the link in here.

Maiden


----------



## speedwing

Sorry Maiden



QUOTE=MaidenScotland;203051]Speedwing the site is for people to ask questions and hopefully be pointed in the right direction.
I know you are trying to help and that is great.
We have members who pay to advertise their services.
By all means tell people that there are free newspapers that have adverts for everything in Arabic and English but it is unfair to our paying advertisers to put the link in here.

Maiden[/QUOTE]


----------



## speedwing

when did I advertise anything????


----------



## Lanason

*so . .*

Am I right that if I ask for any info like "where can I buy a TV" and someone comes back with a shop name or website then is that "advertising" ???


----------



## Jack.Ishac

aqua said:


> Am I right that if I ask for any info like "where can I buy a TV" and someone comes back with a shop name or website then is that "advertising" ???


theres in cairo many malls like (karfour , city stars ,radio shack , ragab sons ) many stores to buy


----------



## GM1

but if you are not in Egypt, it is nice to know some prices BEFORE you travel, if you have to decide to buy it first or buy it in Egypt. That is why I wrote the name of the webshop!


----------



## MaidenScotland

Sorry speedwing I mixed you up with GMI


----------



## Beatle

aqua said:


> Am I right that if I ask for any info like "where can I buy a TV" and someone comes back with a shop name or website then is that "advertising" ???


I am confused too as to when you can post links. I thought that you could post a link or refer to the name of a shop if someone posted a question but if you are merely promoting your own business, that constituted advertising. I may be mistaken though!


----------



## GM1

the webshop is not mine at all, just stumbled over the website this week.
We do have a shop, but that is a furniture shop in Hurghada. 
See, I don't write the name!


----------



## gw4khq

Mod: Why not allow all members one free ad so that you know what business they're in. After that pay for ads only.

GM1: Can you pm me with web site?


----------



## MaidenScotland

GW I will pass your comments on re the free ad.


----------



## Beatle

Beatle said:


> I am confused too as to when you can post links. I thought that you could post a link or refer to the name of a shop if someone posted a question but if you are merely promoting your own business, that constituted advertising. I may be mistaken though!


I am still not clear as to what you are and are not permitted to post since GM1 was posting a link about a business which he did not own and which was in response to a question. 

It would be helpful if someone could explain when we are permitted to post links.


----------



## MaidenScotland

Hi,

I will get the official statement on this for you


----------



## MaidenScotland

The official statement is.
o not use the forum as a place for advertising. Don't therefore post unsolicited URL's in threads unless a specific request for information has been requested by a poster. Active members (those with a 5+ post count) may display a single line link in your signature to a site that you are personally involved in. This is not a tool for advertising someone else’s site, and any links found to be doing so will be removed immediately. Links that advertise other forums or competing services will be removed immediately. Premium members are allowed to post unsolicited adverts in the marketplace section only. Premium members are also allowed enhanced signatures which maybe upto four lines of text and include a promotional banner with multiple links.

The rules are in place but we are allowed to use our discretion.
If you regularly use a service that you want to tell people about why not contact the service and explain that we have a huge membership and perhaps they would like to advertise their service in here.


----------



## micki moo

sorry to go back to the original point of buying there or bringing over - and not wishing to advertise but when you say excess baggage are we talking turning up at the airport with excess baggage or using the company called excess baggage. If it is the later anyone know how much they charge????????


----------



## Lanason

micki moo said:


> sorry to go back to the original point of buying there or bringing over - and not wishing to advertise but when you say excess baggage are we talking turning up at the airport with excess baggage or using the company called excess baggage. If it is the later anyone know how much they charge????????


May sound stupid, but the cost of "re-buying" all the stuff we have in the UK sounds expensive. Plus putting all our stuff into storage for years or selling is a real pain.
I can understand if the contract is short term but for the long term, a "one off" Removal could be the answer. Any thoughts ??

ps. could I hide a car under the bags of my wife's clothes ;-)


----------



## micki moo

I'm having the same issue, I am not moving out till next year and the thought of selling everything off is not good, some things I love and are one offs, but having looked at the other options I think turning up at the airport with loads of suitcases seems to be the only option. Quite how I will get everything there is beyond me

The way I'm looking at it is new life new start????


aqua said:


> May sound stupid, but the cost of "re-buying" all the stuff we have in the UK sounds expensive. Plus putting all our stuff into storage for years or selling is a real pain.
> I can understand if the contract is short term but for the long term, a "one off" Removal could be the answer. Any thoughts ??
> 
> ps. could I hide a car under the bags of my wife's clothes ;-)


----------



## MaidenScotland

It is much cheaper if you book your excess luggage before hand, and cheaper still if you send it cargo. Just go into airlines site for the information


----------



## micki moo

do you not have the issue of taxes? 

When I moved to turkey i sent big boxes via royal mail parcel force international, just of things that I wanted, it wasn't that expensive and I post them long before i was going so they was there before me, would the same apply in Egypt???



MaidenScotland said:


> It is much cheaper if you book your excess luggage before hand, and cheaper still if you send it cargo. Just go into airlines site for the information


----------



## Lanason

I have already started a clear out - 3 old computers went down the tip this morning . . .


----------



## micki moo

I have sorted two big cupboards and decided I am having an open day which I will post on the notice board at work, I will sell everything from wardrobes to cups. The only problem sorted out my shoes and bags and they still take up 2 cases between them - PLEASE DONT TELL ME TO THROW THEM AWAY it has taken years to collect my bags and yes I know I will not be using them all but still.

Thinking of having a big box and everythime someone wants to visit me they go to the box (which my darling mother will look after) pull something out and bring it to me????????



aqua said:


> I have already started a clear out - 3 old computers went down the tip this morning . . .


----------



## MaidenScotland

The post here is diabolical... the only thing I ever receive are letter from the government


----------



## micki moo

right well thats that thrown out the window. Back to square one.



MaidenScotland said:


> The post here is diabolical... the only thing I ever receive are letter from the government


----------



## micki moo

I have just looked at BA Cargo (thanks Maiden) I can send personal items cd's, wii games etc, don't have prices yet but can you tell me would I pay taxes on things like that?



micki moo said:


> right well thats that thrown out the window. Back to square one.


----------



## speedwing

we are taking a lot with excess baggage and have been doing for the last 6 months, but we have a lot of personal stuff that we can't be without that we are shipping over! and stuff the taxes!!!


----------



## micki moo

Thats what I want to do take as much as I can and ship what I really want, and yes stuff the taxes but sometime the taxes are huge and I mean huge, I would love to be able to find out what the taxes are before I send it, then you can work out if you really want it. I have decided it is only things like all my clothes, all my shoes and the same for my daughter, also she wants to take all her games consoles and games (which is fair enough), and just little bits, not expensive things just things that I want to keep that are not worth sending but are personal to me.

Have you decided how you are going to ship them?



speedwing said:


> we are taking a lot with excess baggage and have been doing for the last 6 months, but we have a lot of personal stuff that we can't be without that we are shipping over! and stuff the taxes!!!


----------



## speedwing

we are using a removal company, we know they are reliable as they moved nother couple to the same complex. They shiped their whole household contents and tax was just uner £2k


----------



## MaidenScotland

You might find KLM is cheaper if you are taking excess luggage or sending it cargo.
Egypt air might even be cheaper, Egypt air is pretty good at letting you take whatever you want without charging, however that is not a rule it is just at the discretion of the check in clerk


----------



## MaidenScotland

I understand perfectly about the shoes and bags.... I have an amount that I would be embarrassed to say, Imelda Marcos took lessons from me lol


----------



## jojo

MaidenScotland said:


> I understand perfectly about the shoes and bags.... I have an amount that I would be embarrassed to say, Imelda Marcos took lessons from me lol


I bet I've got more LOL

Jo xxx


----------



## micki moo

Trust me ladies, I can put you both to shame with the amount of bags and shoes, its pathetic, quite why I have to have so many baffles me everytime I buy a new pair / one- right.



jojo said:


> I bet I've got more LOL
> 
> Jo xxx


----------



## Beatle

I had a great book which is written for expatriates called Cairo: the Practical Guide. It's published by AUC but you can get hold of it on Amazon. Obviously it is aimed at people living in Cairo but I recall it had useful hints on all sorts of topics such as shipping over goods etc. I would have looked at what the book had to say about shipping goods etc but the book was so useful that someone borrowed it! I know my friends and I were looking at whether to get electrical goods shipped over and the book warned us not to do so as I think goods get stuck at customs for lengthy periods (but I had the old edition of the book. A new edition came out last December, so it may give different advice now)

I think I have bought pretty much every guide book to Egypt over the years and I remember thinking it was the most useful guide out of the ones I read (although nothing can prepare you for a trip to the Mogamma to sort out paperwork!) The book deals with things like: finding a flat, transporting personal goods, investigating school options for children, navigating Egypt's bureaucracy etc


----------



## Beatle

MaidenScotland said:


> You might find KLM is cheaper if you are taking excess luggage or sending it cargo.
> Egypt air might even be cheaper, Egypt air is pretty good at letting you take whatever you want without charging, however that is not a rule it is just at the discretion of the check in clerk


I agree with MS as well about Egyptair. I know people who have brought 95 kilos excess luggage flying from London. Obviously they don't guarantee it though so it is a risk!


----------



## MaidenScotland

Ohh I have that book somewhere lol will have to look it out


----------



## micki moo

Thanks for that, i have just checked it out on Amazon, not sure if it the right one Cairo: The Practical Guide (Paperback) 15th dec 2008
by Claire E. Francy (Compiler), Lesley Kitchen Lababidi (Editor)

Is this it? I might try the library first to ensure I have the right one.

Loving the 95 kilos and there I was worrying about my shoes and bags




MaidenScotland said:


> Ohh I have that book somewhere lol will have to look it out


----------



## Beatle

micki moo said:


> Thanks for that, i have just checked it out on Amazon, not sure if it the right one Cairo: The Practical Guide (Paperback) 15th dec 2008
> by Claire E. Francy (Compiler), Lesley Kitchen Lababidi (Editor)
> 
> Is this it? I might try the library first to ensure I have the right one.
> 
> Loving the 95 kilos and there I was worrying about my shoes and bags


That's the right book. On Amazon.com, they have scanned the index and first few pages in so that you can see what it covers. 

I think I might have 95 kilos of shoes and bags to be honest!


----------



## micki moo

are you based in the UK still?



Beatle said:


> That's the right book. On Amazon.com, they have scanned the index and first few pages in so that you can see what it covers.
> 
> I think I might have 95 kilos of shoes and bags to be honest!


----------



## Beatle

micki moo said:


> are you based in the UK still?


I am at the moment although I have spent quite a lot of time in Egypt over the last few years as I study Arabic as a hobby (probably the most time consuming hobby I have ever had!) so I come over to Egypt for lengthy periods to take Arabic courses and practice. But I am planning on moving out to Cairo next year as I want to spend more time in an Arabic speaking country to try and improve.


----------



## micki moo

thats my next mission (after moving there which will hopefully be the early part of next year) to learn arabic. I think I have more chance of picking it up by being there than I could by taking a course of anything in England. I speak Turkish and Greek and learnt both of those by living in the countries, arabic on the other hand is slightly more difficult and I'm slightly older than I was, my brain is no longer a sponge more like a flannel. No doubt my daughter will cope with it and end up translating for me ha ha ha



Beatle said:


> I am at the moment although I have spent quite a lot of time in Egypt over the last few years as I study Arabic as a hobby (probably the most time consuming hobby I have ever had!) so I come over to Egypt for lengthy periods to take Arabic courses and practice. But I am planning on moving out to Cairo next year as I want to spend more time in an Arabic speaking country to try and improve.


----------



## Beatle

micki moo said:


> thats my next mission (after moving there which will hopefully be the early part of next year) to learn arabic. I think I have more chance of picking it up by being there than I could by taking a course of anything in England. I speak Turkish and Greek and learnt both of those by living in the countries, arabic on the other hand is slightly more difficult and I'm slightly older than I was, my brain is no longer a sponge more like a flannel. No doubt my daughter will cope with it and end up translating for me ha ha ha


I agree about taking a course in England. I find it really difficult to practice and end up trying to arrange language swap classes from people I contact on the internet (so far it has gone well but it is not something I particularly like doing!). Plus unless you are taking it as a degree (which I am not as I work), the language classes in the UK tend to be beginners or intermediate level so it is difficult to progress. One of my classmates in my last class had studied Turkish and he said it definitely helped him with his Arabic studies as some of the vocab was similar. Language classes in the UK tend to also focus on Modern Standard Arabic but I started taking classes in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic in Cairo as when you try to use MSA on the streets of Cairo, people tend to laugh....


----------



## micki moo

When I first learnt Turkish I spoke very correctly, it was only after a while that I began to speak 'street turkish' as my turkish friend used to call it. There are some definate words that are the same in both languages, not enough unfortunately to get me through

The school where I am hoping to enrol my daughter have arabic lessons (might sit in on them ) so at least one of us can get by

The problem as well I have so many arabic friends that I ask to help me but they all want to practice english so I seem to get no-where



Beatle said:


> I agree about taking a course in England. I find it really difficult to practice and end up trying to arrange language swap classes from people I contact on the internet (so far it has gone well but it is not something I particularly like doing!). Plus unless you are taking it as a degree (which I am not as I work), the language classes in the UK tend to be beginners or intermediate level so it is difficult to progress. One of my classmates in my last class had studied Turkish and he said it definitely helped him with his Arabic studies as some of the vocab was similar. Language classes in the UK tend to also focus on Modern Standard Arabic but I started taking classes in Egyptian Colloquial Arabic in Cairo as when you try to use MSA on the streets of Cairo, people tend to laugh....


----------



## Lanason

micki moo said:


> When I first learnt Turkish I spoke very correctly, it was only after a while that I began to speak 'street turkish' as my turkish friend used to call it. There are some definate words that are the same in both languages, not enough unfortunately to get me through
> 
> The school where I am hoping to enrol my daughter have arabic lessons (might sit in on them ) so at least one of us can get by
> 
> The problem as well I have so many arabic friends that I ask to help me but they all want to practice english so I seem to get no-where


How am I going to cope?? I only speak English and double Dutch. But at least I don't have to bring over my wifes collection of shoes initally


----------



## Beatle

micki moo said:


> When I first learnt Turkish I spoke very correctly, it was only after a while that I began to speak 'street turkish' as my turkish friend used to call it. There are some definate words that are the same in both languages, not enough unfortunately to get me through
> 
> The school where I am hoping to enrol my daughter have arabic lessons (might sit in on them ) so at least one of us can get by
> 
> The problem as well I have so many arabic friends that I ask to help me but they all want to practice english so I seem to get no-where


One of my teachers in Cairo once told us to not tell people we were English as everyone would try to practice their English with us. So we pretended to be Russian (as we were blissfully unaware of stereotypes that exist in Egypt about Russians) but the guy we were speaking to at the time spoke Russian so I need to get a better cover story....


----------



## Beatle

aqua said:


> How am I going to cope?? I only speak English and double Dutch. But at least I don't have to bring over my wifes collection of shoes initally


You don't need to speak Arabic to get by. And to be honest, people still laugh at my attempts so I might as well speak in English. Plus when I get irate at being ripped off (which is fairly often), I lapse into a hybrid Arabic/English/Italian which no-one understands anyway.

The only shoes of mine that survive the streets of Cairo are my ugly but trusted Birkenstocks. Everything else gets destroyed when I fall off pavements/fall down holes/step into the dirt etc. So your wife will probably thank you if her shoes are kept safe back home!


----------



## MaidenScotland

Everyone can get by on English, my friend who is Egyptian laughs at my Arabic she says I speak Saudi/Moroccan/Egyptian... I work with these nationalities. 
I understand a great deal, I can't always answer but you manage lol

Maiden


----------

