# What to move?



## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

Hello,
I am brand new here. Will be relocating to Merida by the end of this summer after I sell my business in Texas. Fingers crossed as I do have a contract. For now I will be making a trip to Merida to look at property and also getting my remaining afairs in the US in order. 

What items should I prioritize moving? What cannot be easily or cost effectively replaced? I have heard if one has nice bed linens to take them because there aren't good options in Merida. 

I can live without all of my furniture. I have been thinking I should take clothing, linens, laptop, instant pot, coffee maker, blender, mixer, air fryer, laptop, tablet, charging station, air purifier, & hair dryer. Any thoughts on those?
Should i take the TV? I have the original box for safer transport. But will that appear too newly purchased? I also have adjustable dumbbells i hate to leave behind. I am not sure i can replace them. But they may be too heavy and bulky. I would also like to take my mattress. 

A friend of mine is moving next month and shipping 3 pallets by sea. I could do the same. I dont mind spending up to $1,000. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. If any of these items can be easily replaced at a fairly reasonable cost, i am happy to save myself the hassle!


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

Mexican bed dimensions are not identical to US dimensions. The differences are small, an inch or two in a given dimension.

So if you want everything to fit _perfectly_ I would either bring none of the bedframe, headboard, matteress, and linens or all of them for a given bed. 

If you can tolerate some amount of misfit (e.g. mattress hanging over the edge an inch or two or the edge of the bedframe sticking out to bang your knees on), then you can bring just a mattress and linens. 

Long term it's no worry, you'll be able to buy replacement linens for your US-sized mattress by importing them from Amazon.us.

One thing you can do now to help decide is point your browser at amazon.mx and mercadolibre and see if you can find linens that meet your quality requirements.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

You'll need to investigate the whole Menaje De Casa process. If you are going to get a Menaje De Casa, then import duties on stuff becomes a non-issue, and you'll probably end up bringing more stuff - subject to costs of transport.

If you are shipping stuff vs bringing it down in your own vehicle, then I think you must get the Menaje De Casa for the shipper. 

If you are bringing stuff yourself in a vehicle without a Menaje de Casa then you're limited by space and what you're willing to pay duty on. (and by how many trips you're willing to make). But the duty isn't significant, because they use 'yard sale' values for things, and then the duty is 16% of that. So if you have a $500 tv that's a year old, yard sale that might fetch $100, and the duty would be $16 - well worth bringing and paying duty vs buying another one here if you've got the space.

If you are not bringing a whole houseful of furniture, then you will probably want to rent a furnished apartment for the first year. What that apartment has will inform what you want to bring sooner rather than later. 

It's not unreasonably expensive to rent a storage unit for a year to hold the stuff you'll come back for later if you are transporting your stuff in multiple vehicle loads.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I packed all my house hold I thought I may bring and stored everything at the border then 3 months later i shipped what i wanted and sold or give the rest away. I had every box and its content on excel so I took out what I did not want to ship and that was my menaje de casa.which I shipped by truck to Chapala.


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

citlali said:


> I packed all my house hold I thought I may bring and stored everything at the border then 3 months later i shipped what i wanted and sold or give the rest away. I had every box and its content on excel so I took out what I did not want to ship and that was my menaje de casa.which I shipped by truck to Chapala.


Do you mind sharing a general idea of how much you shipped and the cost? Just to give me an idea. I only know of someone shipping by sea and its approximate cost.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

sorry that was 20 years ago.. I cannot remeber what the cost was.. I only remember that it cost me 10 cases of fine wine, so it was not cheap..


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

I moved from San Francisco.. I would think that if you cluld move by sea, it would be cheaer than by truck.. I did not use a moving company.. I shipped from San Francisco to the border by regular freight line LTL.and packed everything myself..
I would think that people in Merida should be abl to tell you what it is like to ship from Texas.. I would look at what shipping line operate in the gulf and if they have 20f containers. >You may not need that much space. I know I shared a truck with another person but I do not remember the details.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

look at the shipping lines between Houston and Puerto Progreso and call the lines to see if they are possibilities..


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

I can appreciate measuring costs in bottles of wine 😄 
Shipping from a Texas port to the port in Progreso is likely a good option. I will try to find a contact in Freeport, Texas (near Galveston) to inquire about an estimate. Thank you for the suggestion. 

Honestly it is tempting to do what many expats have done and simply sell everything but what fits in 2 suitcases. It sounds somewhat liberating. But i worry I may not be happy when looking to replace some linens and kitchen appliances.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

Sounds like a pretty good list, aside from the blender- they are readily available in Mexico and not expensive, unless you have a top of the line one you want to keep.

Definitely linens and bring your mattress if you like it- you can easily have a bed frame made to fit it that is NOB size (that's what I did). Mexican bed sizes are more than an inch or two different- What they call a Queen in Mexico is only 75 inches long (80 in. up north) and 4 inches narrower.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Texaschic said:


> I can appreciate measuring costs in bottles of wine 😄
> Shipping from a Texas port to the port in Progreso is likely a good option. I will try to find a contact in Freeport, Texas (near Galveston) to inquire about an estimate. Thank you for the suggestion.
> 
> Honestly it is tempting to do what many expats have done and simply sell everything but what fits in 2 suitcases. It sounds somewhat liberating. But i worry I may not be happy when looking to replace some linens and kitchen appliances.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

blenders and other appliences unless special can easily be replaced but good pans is another thing. I brought my pans wit me and I am happy , same with knives.. Yes it is liberating but since you will not change , ou will end up replacing every item you are used to use so just as well bring them..You can find justabout everything including US size sheets and mattresses depending on the town you live i but it is such a pain to look for everything.. I bought new furniture and beds without problems.. I like good cotton sheets and those are not that easy to replace but over the years I got used to the less good but still 100 per cent cotton and some fit well , some do not but with Amazon it is a lot easier to get things now.. What you bring is different for each person , we all have different priorities and differnt life style so you have to see what you can not live without and sell he rest..


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## Gourockian (Nov 26, 2009)

I've no advice to give regarding moving to Mexico but when we emigrated from the UK to Florida some 25 years ago, we shipped quite a lot of stuff but gave away or sold many items which we knew we could buy here. However, after a few months we realised that we could have saved ourselves a lot of hassle if we had brought many of those items with us. Some of them were just small things but it took us a while to find suitable replacements. Of course, we were not able to bring electrical items because of the voltage difference but have since installed a UK 13 amp socket on a 220V circuit and now use a UK electric kettle...........couldn't stand the long time US kettles take to boil. So, take as much as you possibly can.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

For a very reasonable cost you can bring two suitcases and a 2'x2'x'2 box of stuff along with you on an airplane. Honestly, unless you are very picky you'll be able to find replacements for linens and appliances. For one thing, you can order from amazon.us, although not everything on there can be shipped to mexico.

But you will know a lot better what you need after you've been here a while. In part it's going to depend on what you rent - if it's furnished, how well furnished, and what is missing. So I'll repeat my advice about renting a storage unit for things you might want. Also there is always a possibility that you'll bail on Mexico after a year or two, so you might want to store things you'll want if you move back to the US, but won't need in Mexico.


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

citlali said:


> blenders and other appliences unless special can easily be replaced but good pans is another thing. I brought my pans wit me and I am happy , same with knives.. Yes it is liberating but since you will not change , ou will end up replacing every item you are used to use so just as well bring them..You can find justabout everything including US size sheets and mattresses depending on the town you live i but it is such a pain to look for everything.. I bought new furniture and beds without problems.. I like good cotton sheets and those are not that easy to replace but over the years I got used to the less good but still 100 per cent cotton and some fit well , some do not but with Amazon it is a lot easier to get things now.. What you bring is different for each person , we all have different priorities and differnt life style so you have to see what you can not live without and sell he rest..


The pans and knives are a good point. For someone who rarely cooks, its not an issue. I cook 95% of my meals and have nice pans and quality knives. I may try to bring at least 2 pans and a few knives. They wont need much space.


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

eastwind said:


> For a very reasonable cost you can bring two suitcases and a 2'x2'x'2 box of stuff along with you on an airplane. Honestly, unless you are very picky you'll be able to find replacements for linens and appliances. For one thing, you can order from amazon.us, although not everything on there can be shipped to mexico.
> 
> But you will know a lot better what you need after you've been here a while. In part it's going to depend on what you rent - if it's furnished, how well furnished, and what is missing. So I'll repeat my advice about renting a storage unit for things you might want. Also there is always a possibility that you'll bail on Mexico after a year or two, so you might want to store things you'll want if you move back to the US, but won't need in Mexico.


I plan to keep my condo in the US until I have been in Mexico for at least 6 months. Its my safety net if i decide mexico isnt for me after all. I guess i could leave some things there. (The things i am having a difficult time deciding about). Then if i havent needed or wanted an item in 6 months, let it go.


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

surabi said:


> Sounds like a pretty good list, aside from the blender- they are readily available in Mexico and not expensive, unless you have a top of the line one you want to keep.
> 
> Definitely linens and bring your mattress if you like it- you can easily have a bed frame made to fit it that is NOB size (that's what I did). Mexican bed sizes are more than an inch or two different- What they call a Queen in Mexico is only 75 inches long (80 in. up north) and 4 inches narrower.


I hadnt thought of having a bed frame built. Thats a great idea and probably not expensive. My friend is currently building houses nearby in merida. He could easily direct me to a carpenter.


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

Gourockian said:


> I've no advice to give regarding moving to Mexico but when we emigrated from the UK to Florida some 25 years ago, we shipped quite a lot of stuff but gave away or sold many items which we knew we could buy here. However, after a few months we realised that we could have saved ourselves a lot of hassle if we had brought many of those items with us. Some of them were just small things but it took us a while to find suitable replacements. Of course, we were not able to bring electrical items because of the voltage difference but have since installed a UK 13 amp socket on a 220V circuit and now use a UK electric kettle...........couldn't stand the long time US kettles take to boil. So, take as much as you possibly can.


The kettle is a perfect example of the type of things i want to be sure i bring. If i cant find it in mexico, i need to find a way to transport it there. For example, i plan to buy a new laptop before leaving because they are expensive in mexico but also because they have spanish keyboards in mexico. As you know, some things are simply no substitute for what we know and love.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

A Laptop is a very good thing to bring rather than buy here. You'll save the 16% import duty and shipping vs if you bought the same thing from Amazon US after you're here and had them deliver it to Mexico. I'd get it more than just a little ahead of time so you have it for a couple months before leaving, in case anything goes wrong with it that you have to mail it in for service, you want to do that while still in the US.

I think having a bail-out option (keeping your condo) is very smart and healthy psychologically. Having the bail out option makes you actually less likely to need it, IMHO. When you run into something frustrating to deal with you won't feel trapped in a bad decision, you'll just feel a little challenged. It really sets a positive frame of mind.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

We moved here around 10 years ago. We did so at a time when things (immigration etc) were kind of in flux. Pretty much no one knew what the rules really were - so maybe we 'got away' with some things. Anyway - we had four cats, an SUV and we purchased a week old 5 X 8 (or so) trailer. I visited a site by a guy named Rolly Brook (he's passed but I think his site is still out there). I used his site as a guide for creating our menaje de casa (I kind of modified it to something I liked). We were very hopeful (?) with our list. When it came time to fit our stuff into the trailer only half actually came with us. So we paid the consulate for the paperwork (maybe $350 US) and picked it up the same day we got our 'visas'. When we got to the border they still hit us up for some more money. 

My wife was still working at the time so we brought 2 desktops, 2 laptops, 2 tablets, 2 cellphones, desk phones, copy /fax machines, file cabinets. We brought thousands of dollars of SCUBA equipment (most of which has stayed in a closet here ever since). Of everything we owned, the thing I most regret is that we did not bring a solid teak (round) dining table which had a leaf. It was the first piece of furniture we ever bought as a couple and it was nice. It is hard to find that type of quality in Mexico - even at a Liverpool (which might be the top-end store in all of Mexico). Sure we had a massive 'cedar' dining room table made for us. Not quite the same. The other piece of furniture I most miss is our two LazyBoy leather recliners. Yes we have living room furniture - but it is fake leather and currently flaking. We had custom covers made but...

So when I saw your post I had a quick look at what I have purchased over the last few years on ebay/ amazon/ amazon mexico / and mercadolibre. I have big feet and (except for maybe someplace in Mexico City) I can't find shoes for myself here. So I buy them on Amazon. At times there are price 'mistakes' and things are much cheaper on one of the two Amazon websites. You have to be sure to check both. Ebay has a special arrangement with a Mexican shipping company called EstaFeta. Ebay will ship to Laredo and EstaFeta will bring it to the house in Mexico. That is affordable - but only for ebay purchased items.

I have become a handyman since coming to Mexico. I have fixed our dishwasher, laundry machine and dryer all with parts I purchased on ebay. I purchased our pool robot on ebay and even with shipping/import duties it was half the local cost. I buy parts for the cars on Amazon. 

The laptop I am using at the moment was purchased on ebay. I am a Dell bigot and an AMD bigot as well. Dell has an outlet store in Austin and companies purchase in bulk from them. I purchased my laptop from someone in San Diego. The price was great - he shipped it via air (always better than ground). I think I got it in a couple days. 

We drove our SUV/trailer from Florida through Texas and down to Mexico. We were permanent residents. At the border they got all excited and told us we had to take the vehicles out of Mexico in 90 days. We had no idea. When we got to our destination my wife called Aduana in Mexico City and explained our situation. They recommended a customs broker to help us out of our situation. In the end we imported our 12 year old SUV (at the time) and trailer in Mexico City without ever returning to the border. It was not cheap but for the most part it was legal. I have since sold both vehicles here in Mexcico.


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## AnneLM (Aug 16, 2016)

We found Mexican ovens to be very unreliable. Our landlord reluctantly replaced ours twice in four years, and our experience was not unique among our social circle. Many Mexicans never bake and use their ovens for storage.) We ordered the world's largest toaster oven from Mexican Amazon. It is made by Oster, has french doors, and will fit a 13 x 9 pan (without handles.) I think you can get them in the US more cheaply and with digital controls (ours has dials.) It saved Christmas for us!


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I have a Wolf oven (electric), installed by the previous owners of my condo. They did a very expensive kitchen remodel, which is largely wasted on me. I have only used the oven a couple times, but it seems to work. I suspect the temperature dial is a bit mis-calibrated but don't have enough experience with it to prove it. If I was going to use it a lot I'd get one of those thermometers you hang from the rack inside. But it works, if you define being able to burn a frozen pizza as working.

The separate cook top is gas. I have the impression most kitchens use gas ranges here, but no data to back that up. In the US I used to use an electric hot-pot to heat water for tea, but the gas range is so quick I just use it and my hot-pot is stored away instead of being a permanent countertop resident. However I don't think it makes sense to bring an oven even if you have movers to bring it.

If you have fancy kitchen stuff (pots, pans, cutlery, tools) and you cook a lot, I'd definitely bring all that, because its expensive to replace and the duty on it, if you end up paying duty on it while bringing it in at all, will be very low.

I brought all my tools. Heavy, but expensive to replace. I don't think the boxes that had the tools got opened for inspection, so I don't think they hit me for any duty on them at all.

But I was bringing the tools in a vehicle, not flying. I left them in storage for 4 years until I could arrange to go fetch them with a vehicle.


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## AnneLM (Aug 16, 2016)

I wouldn't bring an oven either. I would consider bringing a large toaster oven. The kind that sits on your counter.


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

I don't think you should bring anything. I'll have an yard sale and ya'll can buy my stuff.

The previous owner of my house was German (with a Columbian wife). She redid a good portion of the house. I probably have a "chef's kitchen", but it is lost me me and my wife never really used all its capabilities. Most all the appliances are gaggenau (Germany). The stove has both gas and electric. It has a griddle thingy that has only been covered with a thick butcher block for us. The electric oven has all these gizmos. It has thingies to do rotisserie chicken, special attachments to make pizza etc. There is one of those racks coming down from the ceiling to hang your pots (empty at the moment).

I have drawers and drawers filled with cooking materials I'll never use. My cooking requires a pot, a pan, a spatula, and a large spoon. I use a blender, a coffee maker and a microwave.


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## dvinton (Mar 8, 2019)

Depending on your budget and persistence, you should be able to find the right of appliances. In Jalisco, we bought our at El Tío Sam, including a Kitchenaid electric oven. You would think a similiar operation can be found in Yucatan. Caution, lots of electronics in these new products. I would investigate installing a whole house surge protector. Good luck!


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## MangoTango (Feb 8, 2020)

Actually I have a "whole house" regulator. The brand is Vogar and they are out of Mexico City. They _really_ know their stuff. In 10 years they have been to the house twice - the unit may be 15 years old. Once they came for general service. Next time they came to install a box with a switch so I can run directly off CFE and bypass the regulator. It actually has 3 different 'states'. We did that because early one Sunday morning the regulator went bonkers and I had to have my herrero come and pull it out of the picture. The 'switch' was not expensive at all.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

Texaschic said:


> The pans and knives are a good point. For someone who rarely cooks, its not an issue. I cook 95% of my meals and have nice pans and quality knives. I may try to bring at least 2 pans and a few knives. They wont need much space.


If you have nice pans and knives bring them
.


dvinton said:


> Depending on your budget and persistence, you should be able to find the right of appliances. In Jalisco, we bought our at El Tío Sam, including a Kitchenaid electric oven. You would think a similiar operation can be found in Yucatan. Caution, lots of electronics in these new products. I would investigate installing a whole house surge protector. Good luck!


I would not recommend Tio sam anymore. . I have had nothing but problems with their appliances . Actually for the second time in a couple of years I have a whirlpool dishwasher that has quit and you cannot get the parts and no help from Tio sam because the guarranty was up in 12 month and the thing died on the 13th months. I have been here for a long time the first applicance I boutht there lasted 15 years the secong and third died after 13 months and no help from them. I also had a problem with one of their fancy taps from Europe and that one never worked and the owner laughed at me when I told them their stuff was useless... and so on and so forth.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

If you look you can get just about everything in Mexico, you may have to wait for a while but everything is available. Merida is not the boonies so you should be able to find what you want there. No need to bring any appliance.


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## eastwind (Jun 18, 2016)

I agree, no need to bring any appliance, but with one caveat. If you have a $500 food processor or a $1000 espresso machine or something like that, bring them. Really high end stuff that cost an arm and a leg in the first place and will cost the other arm and leg to replace is worth bringing.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

AnneLM said:


> We found Mexican ovens to be very unreliable.


I have had two inexpensive Mabe stoves in the past 16 years and the ovens have worked fine. I do have an oven thermometer, because for some unknown reason, most of the ovens do not have oven temps on them, just numbers from 1 to 5. 

Here's something to definitely bring down- if you like fresh ground coffee from beans, bring a coffee grinder. They are really hard to find here.


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## surabi (Jan 1, 2017)

citlali said:


> I would not recommend Tio sam anymore. .


I don't understand foreigners' love affair with Tio Sam's. Just because it looks upscale?
I'm a big comparison shopper. I have bought exactly the same stove or fridge at little mom and pop appliance stores for several hundred pesos less than what Tio Sam's charges for the same item. I just bought a new 4 burner stove a couple months ago. Tio Sam's price for that stove was 1000 pesos more than where I bought mine.


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## AnneLM (Aug 16, 2016)

Can't remember the brands of our three ovens, though one was a Mabe. All were gas. Maybe the problem was with gas pressure in the building. Our first oven would not go above 300 F. The second would only go full force, dangerously high. Third time was the charm. All of them had oven racks that were a real struggle to take in and out.


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## citlali (Mar 4, 2013)

1 to 5 is what many ovens ha ve in France and we can cook fine you know if you want your oven to be low .medium.and high... you do not need temperature to cook..it is just a question of getting use to what you have...The problem are oven that go full blast , that will not go on low ..or medium

Like the good old days when you would cook in wood stobe and controlling the fire was tricky or with lven without thermostat tjat got hotter and hotter.m
Ibelieve that brands sell their tras to.Mexico.. I had several high end stove that were aefil and broke down.

MABE is part of GE i believe.

TIO sam when they first open gave good service afterwards now they are like everone else and more expensive


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## Texaschic (10 mo ago)

eastwind said:


> I agree, no need to bring any appliance, but with one caveat. If you have a $500 food processor or a $1000 espresso machine or something like that, bring them. Really high end stuff that cost an arm and a leg in the first place and will cost the other arm and leg to replace is worth bringing.


Those are the details i was wondering about. I had gotten the impression that a $40 blender (in thr US) would be easily replaced in Merida at a fairly similar cost. It was the cuisinart food processor and kitchenaid blender i was concerned about. So i can at least cut the appliances in half.


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