# Shipping Possessions vs Buying In Italy



## ajcamp

Hi Everyione, 

I'm deciding whether to ship my household goods or to buy new in Italy. 
I as told that shopping and transporting are not as easy in Italy as the US, and I should ship as much or my things as possible to avoid having to buy in Italy. 

How is shopping for household goods, furniture, etc in Liguria? Do stores deliver? I'm thinking cars are very small, and to do a big shopping would require a large van or truck if stores don't deliver? Is Genoa the nearest shopping area for hosehold and furniture? 

Does anyone know of a good International shipping company for US-Italy transport? 

Thanks much!
Andrew


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## Bevdeforges

One other factor to consider is that houses/homes in Europe tend to be smaller than those in the US. Rooms are smaller - so you may find that large US furniture doesn't fit very well into Italian spaces. 

If you know where you will be living and can measure the rooms and stairways and all, you'll have a better idea of what is and isn't practical to ship.


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## ALKB

ajcamp said:


> Hi Everyione,
> 
> I'm deciding whether to ship my household goods or to buy new in Italy.
> I as told that shopping and transporting are not as easy in Italy as the US, and I should ship as much or my things as possible to avoid having to buy in Italy.
> 
> How is shopping for household goods, furniture, etc in Liguria? Do stores deliver? I'm thinking cars are very small, and to do a big shopping would require a large van or truck if stores don't deliver? Is Genoa the nearest shopping area for hosehold and furniture?
> 
> Does anyone know of a good International shipping company for US-Italy transport?
> 
> Thanks much!
> Andrew


Can't help with Italy specifically but I wouldn't bring anything electric, especially not things like printers (they are region coded and European cartridges won't work).

I have a friend from Australia and they were very unhappy that they decided to have everything shipped instead of getting an allowance (from the sponsoring employer) for buying furniture and household goods new in Germany.

The furniture wouldn't quite fit, the apartment had no fitted kitchen, as is the norm in Germany, so they had to buy that out of pocket. About a year after they moved, they needed a new mattress and since the bed was not a standard size in Germany, they had the option of having one custom made (about twice as expensive as a completely new bed including mattress) or buying a new bed. 

After a while, their storage space in the basement was chock full of unsuitable furniture from Australia and they had had to buy most things new anyway.

By now, I don't think there is really anything Australian left apart from books.


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## NickZ

ajcamp said:


> Hi Everyione,
> 
> I'm deciding whether to ship my household goods or to buy new in Italy.
> I as told that shopping and transporting are not as easy in Italy as the US, and I should ship as much or my things as possible to avoid having to buy in Italy.


Who told you that? Virtually everybody delivers furniture ,appliance and electronics. Always have. But even if they didn't it's an Amazon world today and all the larger shops have moved online with home delivery.

There are a few items that aren't common in Italian homes. If any of those are on your list it might make sense. Everything else you'll likely be better off buying here. Depending on the length of the move you will need to replace them eventually.

Go to Amazon.it and search for the items you're thinking about. But outside of a few items you won't have any serious issues.


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## NickZ

BTW up your google maps game. Use it to find nearby stores.


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## GeordieBorn

Nick is absolutely right and looking at the map I would suggest, unless Liguria is very different from the rest of Italy, there is no where far enough to stop delivery from Genoa, and that will have everything. Saying that, delivery can be a bit more expensive, certainly compared to the UK, but as Nick has said Amazon IT or EU can be used. But I would also look at local shops where you often get very good service and goods just as good quality and price. Service often includes installation and aftercare. Again as Nick has indicated use the likes of google maps down to street level to see what shops are around, however some are quite well hidden...


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## NickZ

I didn't mean to intend that the OP should shop on Amazon but merely to use it and places like ikea.it to research. Sorry if I gave that feeling. 

The nice thing about amazon is the websites are all the same. You can even search on amazon.uk grab the item number and see if it's available on Amazon.it. 

If you don't find something that's a good clue it's not sold in Italy. At times you'll find things only from third party sellers shipping to Italy from abroad. That's also a strong hint that the item isn't commonly sold in Italy.

If you can't find something ask . It might just be a search term issue.

The places in Italy with delivery issues are the islands. You'll pay more for delivery. Some companies won't even ship to them.

But Genoa is the main entry port for many things.


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## ajcamp

Thanks everyone, GREAT advice!


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## Italia-Mx

Big mistake to bring household items from the USA to Italy.


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## jonnycpava

I do not have direct experience, but I think you should try to sell most of your household goods and try and get as much money as you can, and then when you get to Italy, buy what you need. Clothes are more expensive in Europe than USA. Electrical you will want Europe plugs, other stuff you could pick up used to save some money.


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## corndog

Something I was think about if I ever move is that I'd buy a 20ft shipping container and pack it tight and send it over. Maybe not so much with furniture, but with tools and hobby items and hard to find things, then use the container as a workshop.


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## NickZ

jonnycpava said:


> I do not have direct experience, but I think you should try to sell most of your household goods and try and get as much money as you can, and then when you get to Italy, buy what you need. Clothes are more expensive in Europe than USA. Electrical you will want Europe plugs, other stuff you could pick up used to save some money.



Clothing (and really a lot of other things) depends on what you're buying.

US centric stuff is much more expensive in Europe. That means if you want Levi's and a Champion sweatshirt bring a crate from Walmart. OTOH There are plenty of local equivalents for very little money.

The other issue with clothing is sizing. Italian/EU S/M/L sizing in general is one size smaller than North American or UK. If you need smaller sizes that's a positive if you need bigger ones less so.

The electrical stuff the problem isn't the plug. Some things the cord can be replaced easily since it's a common figure eight connection to the appliance. The problem is the cheap electrical stuff is almost always highly inefficient. Anything you save on the appliance you'll spend on electricity. Plus the cost of shipping the item.

Many of the stories you hear about high electrical bills aren't because people are running things 24/7 but because they have older highly inefficient appliances.


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## NickZ

corndog said:


> Something I was think about if I ever move is that I'd buy a 20ft shipping container and pack it tight and send it over. Maybe not so much with furniture, but with tools and hobby items and hard to find things, then use the container as a workshop.


You risk it getting stopped by customs. You would need to convince them the stuff is for personal use.

You'd need a country home with a spot for the container.


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## corndog

Was talking about this the other day with a friend. We don't know anyone that doesn't have a welder in their garage and how it's really quite amazing to have the access to tools and information that we have here. Pretty much anyone could build an airplane in their garage, or a bomb, or even an airplane that drops bombs, almost whatever you want. 

There's a future Hawking type kid somewhere around Reno doing some home fission stuff. Sure he's had a few visits from the government, but there's no laws against and he's having a great time doing his thing. Now bring that lifestyle and thought process to the EU on the other hand, is a whole other story. Definitely something to think about.


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## NickZ

Government won't care about a home shop.

Will you have the space for it?

Will you have the electrical system for it?

My neighbor had triple phase 440V at home and all the tools so even that wasn't too much. But the average Italian home won't be setup like that.


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## corndog

Man I'd love to have 3p/480, but am currently making due just fine with 1p/240 and a rotary phase converter. 

For me, tool stuff is all secondary. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out, but being handy and helpful to neighbors sure seems like a nice segue to integrate into a small town. That's something that's worked well for us in our current spot. 

I do think hobbies is an important aspect to moving somewhere new, especially for retirees. Gotta stay busy and you can't watch Judge Judy all day. Luckily, I love gardening and that seems to be huge in Italy. I've noticed when looking at properties, they don't call it a front yard, or back yard, ever bit of land seems to be referred to as a garden. And when apartments don't have space for a garden, there seem to be potted plants all over.


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## AnnekeH

ajcamp said:


> Hi Everyione,
> 
> I'm deciding whether to ship my household goods or to buy new in Italy.
> I as told that shopping and transporting are not as easy in Italy as the US, and I should ship as much or my things as possible to avoid having to buy in Italy.
> 
> How is shopping for household goods, furniture, etc in Liguria? Do stores deliver? I'm thinking cars are very small, and to do a big shopping would require a large van or truck if stores don't deliver? Is Genoa the nearest shopping area for hosehold and furniture?
> 
> Does anyone know of a good International shipping company for US-Italy transport?
> 
> Thanks much!
> Andrew



I think so too. Shipping will cost you more. It may happen that the furniture will not fit you. Therefore, it is better to sell and buy everything you need in Italy


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## Troz

Totally agree about not importing electrical goods unless they are cleared marked as being suitable for 220-240v and 50hZ. 

For furniture and homewares, even Italy is gradually catching up to online shopping. IKEA will deliver to most places. But buying locally, while a bit more expensive, will be a good way of building relationships. Ask your neighbours where they shop, then tell the proprietor that they were recommended to you. Everything in Italy works like this.


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