Should we ship furniture or buy?

[idangazit]

Should we ship furniture or buy?

Hi all, We are making aliyah very soon, may 2005. We are still deliberating about whether to ship a container or simply go on a shopping "spree" at the Israeli Ikea. Our situation: we (my fiancee and I) are grad students with not much in the bank. We own a couple of pieces of good second-hand furniture, and the usual stuff that fills up a kitchen, and won't fit in suitcases. So we're looking for advice from others who've recently shipped / not shipped containers and could share their experience. Our options are (in order of increasing container size): 1. Leave our furniture and buy all new furniture in Israel. Ship a very small lift with the really worthwhile items (we have two nice bikes, computers, and some good kitchen stuff). 2. Ship #1 + our good furniture, and buy remaining large stuff in israel (sofa, appliances, etc). 3. Buy it all here (appliances, sofa, etc) from Ikea, and ship it all, minimize shopping in israel. Ikea stuff, as bought, doesn't take up much volume, which should make our container relatively efficient. Or perhaps some other mix? Buy furniture here and appliances there, or vice versa? Also testimonials for shipping companies, good or bad. Any input is appreciated. Thanks! Idan & Tiferet

 

[MrsZev]

Same question and some input...

My husband and I went to a shipping chug (seminar) about a month ago. From Chicago, at least, sending a lift of a 20-foot container (the biggest is 40-foot), is in the area of $3000 - $5000 for shipping expenses, alone. The big reccomendation was to clean out and get rid of everything you can, especially large items. The advice was to take into account the size of your future apartment in Israel. If you have somewhere to store your items in the states (like basement of a family member's house, something like that), you could always take the essentials and send a lift later- Olim get 3 lifts tax-free, so you can decide as you go. The other side of this equation, however, is that sending 3 small lifts can be more expensive than one large lift. Our shaliach had recommendations for companies, and they should be able to give you a free estimate based on what you have now-- they come out to your house and look at everything with you. If your shaliach doesn't have a recommendation, call the Chicago office and ask for Wendy: 847-674-8861 All that being said, I have no idea how to gauge what constitutes 'essential' or 'worthwhile' to ship, and I have no idea how to gauge how to decide what to store in the states for potential shipment versus shipping it all versus shipping nothing. I have the same questions you guys do!