Ok, so we’ve decided to move to the Azores. But what are we going to move to the Azores? All of the furniture we own is second hand. Comfy . . . but worth it? Our mattress is pretty new and Really comfy . . . we have a couple of cabinets and bureaus that would be nice to have . . . then there’s the bikes, we’d like to have the bikes to ride when we get there. Ooooh, then there’s the kayaks, we’ve just gotten into kayaking and those will be fun in the middle of a volcanic lake. I still have a ton of tools that will come in handy fixing up the new house and doing yard work. And then there’s pots and pans and dishes and silverware and a table and chairs and four TV’s and two DVD players and two VCR’s . . . . Hey, wait a minute, how are we going to get all this shhhtuff over there?
We’re on the east coast of the US so there’s really only one step that has to be taken. Ok, two. Everything you ship to the Azores has to go to Lisbon on the mainland first, then it gets transferred to the islands. Being somewhere in the US Midwest you will have to truck everything to the nearest shipping port to get it on its way. If you’re sending a lot of big items, i.e. furniture, appliances, a car, etc. you’re going to have to rent a 20 foot container, listing everything you have in there, including serial numbers of electronics and appliances and things like that, which the shipper may want to confirm. That means that they will want to pack the stuff for you. Which means that they will also charge you for that. When the container gets to Lisbon it may get opened for another inspection, so Portuguese customs may be going through your stuff, possibly while you’re not around to keep an eye on things. The baseline cost of this from our research is around $10,000 US using a moving company.
We also found some companies that will ship partial containers (your things will be in a container with other people’s things) for reasonable prices depending on the cubic meter volume and/or weight of total shipped. Typically you’re going to have to palletize and “wrap for shipping” everything at your residence and have it in the driveway or on the sidewalk so that they can just forklift it into a truck and drive away with it. Pickup times and dates might not be as sure as you would expect. So now what do you do with all your junk sitting on the sidewalk on a pallet if the truck driver either doesn’t show up, or shows up and finds some reason not to load your things? ….And it starts to rain….Think about it. As in everything READ THE REVIEWS! and choose a highly rated, reliable company. The Better Business Bureau has a complaints/resolutions department that shows disagreements from both viewpoints, in some cases, which may help you avoid common mistakes on your end.
We weren’t able to pin down exactly what taxes, duties, or fees apply when bringing your belongings in. It’s complicated. Some sources say that there are no charges for bringing in “household goods”, but others strenuously warn about “hidden” fees and charges that you may be hit with at any point in the process. New items, appliances, and electronics may be dutiable. The quantities of certain items may be restricted according to your “social standing”, i.e. don’t try to ship 100 pairs of new jeans or 20 TV’s or 5 washing machines if you’re making 20g’s and buying a two bedroom house. There’s a pretty good list at www.expatexchange.com but it’s from 2014 so may or may not be up to date. We won’t know til we get there and pick up our load on the other end so . . .stay tuned!
Oh . . .I haven’t told you what method we chose! Next post gentle reader.
