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Live in the Philippines Forum » Making the move

Moving Furniture and Personal Belongings

(12 posts)
  • Started 10 months ago by Jacob Elena
  • Latest reply from toninsp

  1. Jacob Elena
    Member

    I've tried to read most of the postings before joining in but haven't found any info regarding moving furniture and/or personal belongings to the Philippines. My wife Elena and I plan to move to the Baguio area sometime in the next year. Elena is from Baguio and that is where most of her family still lives. For those who have already moved to the Philippines, did you sell everything before moving and then start anew from scratch or did you ship furniture and personal belongings? Before I spend alot of time researching shipping companies and costs I'd like to know if it is even an option worth pursuing?

    Any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  2. Rich321
    Member

    Jacob, I copied links to three good articles about shipping posted elsewhere on this website. Yes, you can ship things like furniture but it is expensive, brings up all sort of logistic problems, and most people who have already gone thru the process will probably advise you to buy the furniture in the Philippines for two big reason: Most western furniture simply is not constructed for a more or less tropical climate. Local furniture is built for the local climate and is relatively inexpensive (when considering shipping cost).

    Still, those are decisions you would need to make yourself. I have to face the same decision and in my case, I will bring computers and cameras and personal smaller things that can go in a box - not a giant shipping container.

    http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/index.php?s=moving

    http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/2009/06/get-movin/#comments

    http://liveinthephilippines.com/content/2008/08/how-much-did-it-cost-to-move/#comments

    Good luck with your decisions and of course, your new life in the Philippines.

    --Rich--

    Posted 10 months ago #

  3. Jacob Elena
    Member

    Rich, thank you for the info and the links. Decisions, decisions. The climate in Baguio is no as hot and humid as in the lowlands so our solid wood furniture (bookcases, tables, chairs, desk, bed, dressers, etc.) pieces would probably survive the climate. The cost of shipping versus the cost to buy local furniture will be the deciding factor. We don't have the option of giving our furniture to family here in the US. Neither of us have any relatives here. What to do with all my tools and books? Probably not conducive to shipping via balikbayan boxes. Sell/auction most everything and donate the rest seems to be the only alternative. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

    Electronics are another problem. 110 here, 220 there. What about your computers?

    Jacob

    Posted 10 months ago #

  4. Rich321
    Member

    Jacob,
    Believe it or not, some computer equipment is both 110 and 220 switchable. For the electronic items worth taking that are not switchable, one buys a transformer to plug the device in and then the transformer is plugged into the 220 outlet. You would probably need to buy those in Baguio since they are heavy and would cost a lot to ship.

    My game plan, and it is being modified on a weekly basis, is to shed a lot of possessions thru yard sales, e-bay, some friends, and then what I can't sell, donate to a church, the Salvation Army, or something like that within the community.

    This link talks about shipping containers:

    http://www.philippinesboard.com/forum/shipping/404-container-shipping-phil.html

    I have also read numerous horror stories about the corruption of the people on the shipping docks there in the Philippines. Stories like dock workers virtually holding the container for ransom to force you to pay some outrageous fees. Not every container, but enough that it is a frequent thing I trip across when reading various forums.

    One gentleman refused to pay the extra (bribe) fee and waited a few days while he figured out what to do and when he went back, the scammers wanted about twice as much as before.

    If for no other reason, I'm not using a large container but will be using balikbayan boxes only. It is my understanding that these are less likely to be inspected or hassled as well.

    Good luck. --Rich--

    Posted 10 months ago #

  5. Paul Thompson
    Member

    Hello Jacob;
    You can have furniture, handmade here at a fair cost and very high quality. Bring pictures of what you want made or design it yourself and let the highly skilled craftsmen go at it.
    I brought all my hand tools, sold the power tools and replaced them at Ace Hardware and the Home Depot store here.
    Ship your books and small items, I sent 15 large boxes by LBC of the things I just could not part with. And as Rich is doing, I got rid of everything else.
    I had a few small 110 items but my two wonderful daughters helped me there, by plugging them in to the 220 plug and I got tired of replacing fuses and just replaced the items.
    Have fun with your move and I hope all goes well!!!

    Posted 10 months ago #

  6. Jacob Elena
    Member

    Hello Paul,
    Thanks for the reply. How did you get "rid of everything else"? I'm retired now and have a lifetime collection of "everything". We will move when our house sells so our timeframe is unpredictable. Garage sales are out at this time of year in MIchigan besides no one wants to pay more than a couple of dollars for anything. Valuable items such as table saw, miter saw, router and bench, air tools, etc. I can't see selling for a few dollars. I've considered an auction company but have no experience with any. If getting rid of everything is want we need to do then that's what we'll do. How to do it my question. Any suggestions or stories of how others unloaded their possesions would be appreciated.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  7. JohnM
    Member

    Jacob: I would agree with everyone else... If it won't fit in a BB box, leave it behind. Power tools and nearly all kitchen appliances are normally NOT dual voltage. Most electronics (Stereos, TVs, DVD players) are... CHECK the tags first and see if it bis an option. Transformers are bulky, heavy, and can get expensive. Furniture is normally far more trouble than it is worth... The local stuff is very good quality. Unless it is antique, valuable, or an heirloom, I strongly suggest leaving it. You may want to check into if your landlord offers a furnished option, to start. Many, many apartments and new condos here can be bought or rented fully furnished. For some family heirlooms and such, I keep a small self storage unit in Los Angeles, near my office. They discounted my rates by paying 1 year in advance... Possible solution if you cannot sell, or don't want to ship. The power tools should be easy to pawn...Pawn shops are booming nowadays (Though since construction is in the dumps, you probably won't get too much.) Just sell them outright, or, alternatively, donate them to a local school shop class or job training center. Take the tax deduction.

    Posted 10 months ago #

  8. Paul Thompson
    Member

    Hi Jacob;
    I had a house in Florida, and was sailing as a Merchant Marine. After six months at sea I knew that I no longer needed the house and sold it. All my stuff was in stowage and when I came home to FL. the next time I did just what Rich and John wrote about. Plus donations and gifts to friends and family also. Being Retired Navy I had all my Military memorabilia and other stuff left. I started living here in 1994, and rented. All the while having furniture built as I went along. After I built our house here in 1999, I flew to the States, rented a truck and made a trip to LBC in Tampa. The boxes trickled in for about 5 months, yet every one of them arrived. You’ve got a lot of plans to make, and it’s a lot of work, but to me it was worth it. I forgot where the airport is!

    Posted 10 months ago #

  9. Jacob Elena
    Member

    Thank you everyone for your helpful suggestions. There are two companies, Forex and Orient - Star, in lower Michigan that ship BB boxes so we will begin packing those items we want to keep but don't absolutely need to use daily.

    Question - What about lamps? Can a 110 lamp be converted to 220 by simply changing the plug and bulb? I've Googled the question and found differing responses. The wire should be OK but do the light bulbs in Philippines have a different size base? Will they fit (screw into) the U.S. socket in the lamps? If not, can I purchase sockets? I don't want to use converters, I just want to rewire the lamps so we can use them in Baguio?

    I have also be told that some places in Baguio have both 110 and 220 service. Does anyone know if this is true?

    Posted 10 months ago #

  10. Miss August
    Member

    I was in Baguio for the Flower Fest Feb. 2009. Baguio City proper have both 110 and 220.

    I think one big item I'm going to have ship is my king size bed when it comes time to move. The beds I've seen in the Philippines are much smaller. The queen size over there seems like the size of a full bed here. I can live without the bedroom furniture but I know I want my king size tempur-pedic mattress!

    Posted 10 months ago #

  11. Miss August
    Member

    I found this... not sure how current it is.

    DUTY–FREE SHIPMENT OF PERSONAL EFFECTS INTO THE PHILIPPINES:
    http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/downloads/DutyFreeImportation.pdf

    Posted 10 months ago #

  12. toninsp
    Member

    The info referred to by Miss August is correct. I arrived in the Philippines on a 13(A) visa on 1 October. I went through the process recently. With a 13(A) or 13(G) you can import your household quota (import duty) free. If you don't have it, you pay something like 50% of the household value in excess of PHP10,000 as tax. The value is determined by the import duty officer only and not subject of discussion. A Filipino is always subjected to importduty. So, Only a foreigner/immigrant with the 13(A) or 13(G) visa gets exemption .
    Our household is stored in Singapore and will be shipped out to Manila upon call-off. We use a professional mover. They advised not to store the stuff in Manila, even while they have their own office and facilities here.
    We move everything. The amount of stuff is based on the size of your house. We will move to smaller housing so we will have to get rid of some stuff. We didn't want to go through the hassle of a garage sale in Singapore but sell/donate here.

    Posted 10 months ago #

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