Moving From Buenos Aires To Usa

[jade2108]

Hello Everyone,

I will be moving from Buenos Aires to USA and would like to know if there is any service for personal belongings. I will be thankful for any info.

Thanks,
Jade

 

[Ries]

Do you mean Mudanzas? As in, moving companies that will ship your belongings?
If so, yes, there are several threads here about that, use search.
But it will be quite expensive. Argentina makes it difficult to ship anything but wine or soybeans IN, or OUT of the country.
Your best bet is to take as much as possible with you on the airplane, paying extra for as many bags as they will allow you to take.
It will me much cheaper to pay the airlines $100 per bag than any other method of shipping.

Buy bigger items in the USA- appliances, furniture, etc- its cheaper there, and there is much more selection, and many more used items that are inexpensive and in very good shape.

 

[Crema Americana]

You might want to sell some items before you leave, though you'll have to convert the pesos to dollars.

Unless it's something special to you, I'd sell all furniture and large appliances. The used market here is strong compared to the US where used items are practically given away.

 

[nikad]

Hello Everyone,

I will be moving from Buenos Aires to USA and would like to know if there is any service for personal belongings. I will be thankful for any info.

Thanks,
Jade

Hello Jade,
I can refer you to a personal friend that runs an intl moving company, he is very knowledgeable and will give you all the details and information that you need, along with a quote, just so you can figure out if it is worth it or not. Feel free to send me a private message if you want. The company is http://www.dinamolog.com.ar/
nik

 

[Napoleon]

Your best bet is to take as much as possible with you on the airplane, paying extra for as many bags as they will allow you to take.
It will me much cheaper to pay the airlines $100 per bag than any other method of shipping.

Agree with this, but these days it might be more than US$100/ bag.

American Airlines breaks down like this:
1st- FREE
2nd- US$70
3rd- US$150
4th- US$150
5th- US$150

This money can be paid in pesos at the official rate, but there is a 20% TAX on top of what you pay.

 

[Ries]

Agree with this, but these days it might be more than US$100/ bag.

American Airlines breaks down like this:
1st- FREE
2nd- US$70
3rd- US$150
4th- US$150
5th- US$150

This money can be paid in pesos at the official rate, but there is a 20% TAX on top of what you pay.

I still say this will be the cheapest, most reliable way.
And, of course, baggage fees depend on your airline, and your frequent flyer status- I usually get at least 2 free bags, and sometimes more, because my wife and I fly so much.
There are a lot of different prices, depending on who is asking.

 

[cbonanni]

Nikad is spot on. I also recommend her referral. You will received a detailed quote to help you decide if what you choose to ship is worth it or not.

Sounds like a smart choice.

Best of luck.

 

[Napoleon]

I still say this will be the cheapest, most reliable way.
And, of course, baggage fees depend on your airline, and your frequent flyer status- I usually get at least 2 free bags, and sometimes more, because my wife and I fly so much.
There are a lot of different prices, depending on who is asking.

I've got NO status and even then, the extra bags are the Cheapest, more secure way to ship something.

I've been trying to have an antique deli slicer shipped to the US for over a year now. It looks like it's finally going to happen, but the original US$500 rough estimate for shipping turned into a US$2,230 bid for door-to-door service. For some reason "Customs" was listed about 6 or 7 times with fees of over US$1,000 combined. WTF?!?

That's when I researched breaking the thing down into 3 or 4 chunks of parts and taking it in separate bags. Even using a credit card (official rate) and paying the 20% when taking 5 bags... I was looking at US$624 and the a 3% Customs fee on the value OVER US$800 when I go to the US. (The "over" value would have been US$675, which mean US$20.25 in additional fees.)

So for a grand total of US$644.25, I could have securely gotten the item to the US... then had to re-assemble it. OR... US$2,230 (about 3.5 times more expensive) and the balance was paid in full in May of 2012.

If at all possible, take it with you.

 

[nlaruccia]

I've got NO status and even then, the extra bags are the Cheapest, more secure way to ship something.

I've been trying to have an antique deli slicer shipped to the US for over a year now. It looks like it's finally going to happen, but the original US$500 rough estimate for shipping turned into a US$2,230 bid for door-to-door service. For some reason "Customs" was listed about 6 or 7 times with fees of over US$1,000 combined. WTF?!?

That's when I researched breaking the thing down into 3 or 4 chunks of parts and taking it in separate bags. Even using a credit card (official rate) and paying the 20% when taking 5 bags... I was looking at US$624 and the a 3% Customs fee on the value OVER US$800 when I go to the US. (The "over" value would have been US$675, which mean US$20.25 in additional fees.)

So for a grand total of US$644.25, I could have securely gotten the item to the US... then had to re-assemble it. OR... US$2,230 (about 3.5 times more expensive) and the balance was paid in full in May of 2012.

If at all possible, take it with you.

You mean by taking it in separate bags as in checking 5 suitcases on the airplane, rather than having them shipped via a compania de mudanza? I'm trying to debate whether I should sell everything like my furniture here, or ship it back to the States.

 

[sleslie23]

I moved back to the US in March and am still slowly taking stuff back each trip down. I looked into shipping my stuff back and it would have cost more than all the bag fees and price of the ticket combined.