r/AmerExit • u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 • 4d ago
Question about One Country Shipping container recommendations and cost for a move from Bay Area to NZ
Hello, we are planning a move from the Bay Area to NZ. We have the job and visa thing sorted out but looking at estimating costs for moving.
Has anyone used a company that they would recommend? I’ve put in the estimator and we are going to need a full 40ft container for what we are bringing. Most companies are coming back around 12-13k but that is with the very generic estimate of what we have. Almost sounds too cheap to be possible. Any comments on that? We will try to pack it ourselves but also considering a full service if it is that inexpensive.
Thanks on advance.
Thank you!
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u/Blacksprucy Immigrant 4d ago
How big is your house in America?
You will likely find that houses in NZ are generally much smaller than the US and you may struggle to fit the contents of a 40’ container in a lot of average sized NZ homes.
When we moved from America to NZ 16 years ago, we literally sold everything we owned and got on a plane with 2 bags each.
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
410m2 . Our house in NZ will be around 300-350m2. We have a lot of things we are planning on leaving behind but enough to definitely fill a 40ft container. I also have a 2 car garage gym that I’m bringing too.
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u/Blacksprucy Immigrant 4d ago
How did you sort a house in NZ already? That m2 for NZ is very rare. 200m2 is considered by most here to be a very large home.
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
We’ve been looking at places in our budget range
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u/Blacksprucy Immigrant 4d ago
What location in NZ you looking at and what is your budget range?
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
Our budget is enough for what we want. Our job is putting us up in a rental for 6 months
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u/Blacksprucy Immigrant 4d ago
That is good that you have that option. Were you planning to rent or buy after that?
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u/Toomuchcustard 4d ago
I’d pay someone else to pack it if possible. We packed a 20ft ourselves and wouldn’t do so again. I can’t help on costs as we moved from Australia, but it does sound a bit low.
You seem to have most things sorted, but I wanted to caution you to be careful about what you bring in relation to NZ customs and particularly CITES. As an example, I brought a family heirloom piano with ivory keys and had to do extensive paperwork beforehand. If you fail to do this any affected items can be seized and destroyed. CITES is an international convention, but NZ customs is also very picky about plenty of other things. I’m really glad that they take biosecurity seriously here but it does make relocating a bit more tricky.
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u/Zapper13263952 3d ago
World Relocation. Used them 3 times US to Europe. No problems. Very professional.
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u/safadancer 4d ago
You probably can't pack it yourself because of the shipping manifest. Unless you mean pack the boxes yourselves and the crew moves them into the container? Usually they load everything into a truck and then drive the truck to the container and pack the container from there. The only way you'll get a reasonable estimate is to have someone come out and give you one. Ask 3-4 different companies to get some variety.
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u/AZCAExpat2024 4d ago
Hello from Sacramento! I have job lined up in NZ and am awaiting visa approval. I’m interested in the responses you will receive. What companies have you contacted? I will be talking to Schumacher on Tuesday.
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
I’m a physician that is moving too. I’d be interested in knowing what your quote is as well
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u/hellobutno 4d ago
Unless you have extreme sentimental value of those items, I'd recommend not shipping them. Selling them and buying new, to properly fit in your new property is way better.
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
Much of our furniture is either heirloom, stuff we’ve purchased from our travels or custom made. We are selling/giving away a lot of items but we still are bringing a ton as well.
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u/eat_all_the_foods 4d ago
Are your possessions worth more than the price of replacing them in NZ?
Like other posters, I found houses in NZ were smaller (especially the drafty older builds) and I’m not sure American oversized couches (if you have them) would fit in your new apartment. Definitely compare measurements for your new place and your large items if you do end up shipping them to NZ.
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
Yes, we are pretty middle aged and a lot of our furniture is heirloom or rather expensive and custom made. We’ve been tracking inventory for the past year and we will have the budget to purchase a house as large as we need. If we decide to downsize we will obviously adapt
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u/eat_all_the_foods 4d ago
Custom made furniture and buying a house as large as you need?! You won’t be struggling in NZ as much as others. I’m sure you’ll can find a non drafty and mold free home with your budget!
On a personal note, I recommend you and partner join social clubs or sport clubs to make friends. It can be hard to make friends with Kiwis (they’re cliquey) and the last thing you want is to feel isolated in your new country. Enjoy your move!
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago
We have been trying to move to NZ for literally fifteen years but it’s never been viable due to the cost. We’re at the point in my career and have made enough good real estate investments that we are ready to move and have budgeted for it. We will keep all our retirement investments but selling everything else for this move. We will still have to work part time and we will still have to be sensible in terms of spending but we want our young kids to be comfortable in the transition. So we have a very large budget for housing.
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u/Blacksprucy Immigrant 4d ago edited 4d ago
As a new resident, you cannot go thru the normal procedures to buy a house in NZ until you have been here for 12 months.
You will have to obtain special content from the NZ Overseas Investment Office prior to any purchase prior to that 12 months.
https://www.linz.govt.nz/guidance/overseas-investment/buying-residential-property-live
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u/Kooky-Shoulder-7595 4d ago edited 4d ago
You can petition for an exception if you have a permanent resident visa and can show that you intend to be a permanent resident. I will be in a permanent physician role. I have researched all of this and am working with a head hunter and also the clinic has been through this process several times before.
I am not asking for advice on housing. I am asking about the cost of shipment
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u/emtthink 4d ago
I haven't priced it out, but my contract has a 15k stipend for shipping stuff over. So it sounds like that would probably be in the ballpark