Ship or Carry?

Posted on July 11, 2007
Filed Under Transportation, Expat Tips, Immigration | 5 Comments

Sooner or later, anyone considering life abroad needs to tackle the question: do I ship my stuff of do I bring all-I-can-fit in my suitcases? In a previous article, I mentioned that my wife and I had recently been converted into the shipping group. However, when I reread the article today, it occurred to me that I should have discussed the pros and the cons of shipping as well.

Below are the main items that came into play in our decision process. The list is ordered so that items most likely to trigger one into the decision of shipping are nearer the top:

Emotional value – It is hard to argue against this one. Some people may not wish to part with heirlooms or other items that are precious to them. In that case, it is not a matter of money or convenience.

Availability (or not) of similar goods at the destination – It is a good idea to make a list of the items one cannot live without and determine whether those items can be easily obtained at the destination.

Timing – Items one cannot wait a month or two to arrive should be brought in the suitcases or purchased upon arrival.

Cost of shipping versus replacement cost – For the items that do not fall in any of the above categories, this becomes the main decision point.

Logistics of the shipping process – Shipping involves a lot of coordination, clearing legal issues, paperwork etc. For the lazy and the unorganized this may become a major deciding point.

Given that people go abroad for different reasons and under different financial conditions, what may work for one person may be a bad idea for another. But for illustration purposes, it may be useful to look at two extreme situations where the decision may be obvious.

If a person is single, young and going to Uruguay to check things out, there is a good chance he/she will be back home in a couple of years. In that case, it would make more sense to place the furniture in storage (or sell it) and rent a furnished house or apartment.

If a person knows Uruguay well and is absolutely certain this is a one way move (like us) AND the stuff is worth (emotional value or otherwise) more than US$ 7,000 then the decision to ship is an easy one.

The more difficult situations are the ones in between. Imagine that a couple on a tight budget chooses to retire in Uruguay, but is not very acquainted with the country or the culture. If they were to leave the furniture behind, they would incur storage costs and higher costs renting a furnished home. On the other hand, if they were to bring the furniture and later regret the move, the overall cost would be much greater. In this case, the decision should involve a risk analysis i.e. how much trouble would you be in if the worst were to happen and how much money would you be wiling to pay to prevent that from happening. In a sense, it is the same process we go through when buying insurance.

My two cents: most expats would be better off with the suitcase approach, at least at first. Especially if you don’t speak Spanish and have never spent a significant amount of time abroad. I read on an expat board that a good percentage of would-be expats from rich countries end up returning home within 2 years, for one reason or another. I am not sure if there is data to support this assertion, but it does not sound far fetched to me.

However, if you have quality furniture and money is no object, it makes more sense to ship. Even if you are not sure Uruguay is for you. After all, shopping for good quality furniture “that is YOU”, can take a long of time.

According to these two articles( here and here), the cost of moving household goods from North America to Uruguay falls in the range of US$ 5,000 to 7,000. Of course, it depends on the amount of stuff you choose to ship and the starting point of the move. Port cities connected to the Atlantic will be cheaper. Hiring a company that has experience with moves to Uruguay will make the process MUCH easier.

Other posts in Expat Tips

Other posts in Immigration

Other posts in Transportation

Related Posts

Comments

Click here to view the most recent comments from all posts

5 Responses to “Ship or Carry?”

la vieja on July 13th, 2007 7:36 am

Where were you before we began?

For anyone even just beginning to consider this move in the most abstract way, this is, by far the best analysis of relocation and the realities involved.

It is easy to fall in love with a new country for the short term. Puppy love matures and the realities of every day life set in in a year or two. It is then that you realize what you ’should’ have done, brought, left behind etc. At that point the grass may begin to look greener in your previous pasture.

Thanks for the great analysis. This will likely save much aggravation and cash for many. I surely wish we had met sooner but…better late than never!!

Thanks for the terrific advice, contacts etc.
Brazzie on July 13th, 2007 9:01 am

After I reread the article I wished I had discussed the “puppy love” effect more.

Most would-be-expats decide to go abroad to seek adventure, to escape something back home or to find a magic-bullet solution for the problem of not having saved money. Unfortunately, when one is in that frame of mind the brain is primed to find everything in the new place good and to ignore any red sign, even if it is flashing brightly.

However, it is important to keep in mind that when you move to another country, we all go through phases.

The first one is bliss, everything is great. … how come nobody discovered this … I want to bring all my friends here etc. It is the green horn phase.

The second one is frustration, how come these people do things this way or that way. It represents an attempt to understand the new culture and is usually done by comparing against what you know. During this phase, the desire to find others like you is great. You miss your friends and family and start thinking that back home is really nice. You’ll miss many food items you and other emotional comfort items you are accustomed to, etc. Most people that can, end up quitting before reaching phase three.

The third one is the “getting it”, which happens very slowly. This requires knowing the language AND the culture well. And it helps if you have local friends. This phase starts at around two years and will take many years.

This simplistic analysis is based on my personal observations having lived abroad long term in a few countries. I think the amount of time one stays in each step will depend on the person. But in my experience, somewhere in the first two years the desire “to go home” can get to be overwhelming.

The main point I wish to make is: if you are in a situation where quitting is easy (meaning you have the means to leave, alternative opportunities elsewhere etc), it will be hard make it to stage three.
urufish on July 14th, 2007 1:13 pm

I think it would be tough to really want to stay here after you’ve been here a good while unless you make the connection to Uruguay either by way of language or by hanging out with a strong expat community.

In Toronto, we have 2 huge expat communities. Italian and Chinese, (in the 100’s of thousands). A large % of people in those communities speak little or no English but have no interest in going home because, for all intents and purposes, they feel at home.

There are many other smaller expat communities,which provide home support to immigrants and again, they don’t feel that homesick, (Indian, Pakistani, Somalians, Jamaicans, even Uruguayans).

The downside of course, is they dont assimilate into the local culture. I can empathize because I’m having the same issues myself. But I wont give up trying.

The Internet has really helped immigrants with low cost, no cost communications like Skype. This makes it easier to live in a place where you dont feel at ‘home’. It reduces the pull to go back home because for at least a couple of hours a night, you at least have verbal and with a camera, visual contact with your family and old friends.

But you are absolutely right. If you dont make strong connections to Uruguay within the first couple of years, the urge to go back to what is now a greener pasture, may be too hard to ignore.
Ant on July 15th, 2007 6:48 pm

Brazzie & Urufish,
You have no idea how much I relate to what you’ve said here about integration, talking with your family and friends back home. It also takes plenty of time to figure out the culture, find substitutes for the day to day comforts you are used to back home.

I’ve noticed with my friends here that phase 1 lasts for around 4 odd months. People get terribly homesick in 6 to 8 months. Phase 3 never sets in because its time to go back home then.

I find the biggest road block to integration is the language barrier. You’d find it hard to even work your way around the super market if you did not have at least a basic understanding of Spanish.

Urufush, To your point, integration in NA would be a lot simpler because every thing is very well documented (Movies, books etc.) and its in English. Uruguay is a whole different ball game. getting food from anywhere around the world in NA is also easy. I love eating out, and choice (variety?) isn’t great. Maybe I have to move to areas beyond where I live.

I’m still discovering new things that surprise me everyday. I dont know when (if?) I’ll get to phase 3. Or will I get too homesick before that?
urufish on July 16th, 2007 3:53 pm

Ant, you are right about the amount of English. Movies are a ‘huge’ example. Not only at the cinemas but also on TV. I have cable - Nuevo Siglo. I have 5 or 6 dedicated movie channels in English and another 2 or 3 popular US dramas, like CSI, in English. The only time I watch a Spanish station is when we have tea. We watch the news on canal 10.

Devoto, TI, Disco in Pocitos, Carrasco, Atlantida, PDE and in the summer, Piriápolis all carry a good selection of imported foods. For instance, I’ve looked for pressurized, whipped cream since I came here. Last week, I found it at Devoto. They imported a shipment from New Zealand.

For me, it’s a like a time machine. Toronto in the 60’s had virtually no variety in foods or restaurant. Today, there isn’t anything you cant buy there, whether it’s from China or Chile.

Ship or Carry?

Comments

Categories

Related Links

Most Popular Posts

Monthly Archives

Blogroll

Find It

Admin