To Ship Or Not To Ship, That Is The Question.....

[mjohnstone]

I'd bring bedding (sheets, comforters, bedspreads, etc), towels, clothing, shoes, slow cooker/crock pot, high quality set of pots and pans, & electronics (notebook, tablet, cell phone, etc.)

 

[sylvie]

I can tell you that when I moved from Canada, friends convinced me to get rid of my "baggage" and start fresh. I did still ship things, but left almost all the furniture, all appliances, stereo equipment, etc. When I went to buy new things (even before the ban on imports), I wanted to shoot myself. The quality of stuff I'd left behind was nearly impossible to find, and exorbitantly expensive. Now it is completely impossible to find, at any price. My advice is to bring everything you might want and get rid of it here if you need to.

Where are you shipping from?

 

[steveinbsas]

I have been there every year since I moved to US, but this is the first time I'm considering a long term move down there so I never looked at buying furniture or durable goods down there.

If you have been back for even one day in the past two years you may not be able to ship your stuff to Argentina duty free until you actually have two years without returning.

 

[rolo007]

If you have been back for even one day in the past two years you may not be able to ship your stuff to Argentina duty free until you actually have two years without returning.

Not true Steve: from this web page: "Certificado de residencia - Ingreso de vehículos y efectos personales a la República"
http://www.consulado...mi.org/node/220 under condiciones:

"En los últimos doce meses, no haber permanecido en la República por más de sesenta (60) días, contados de manera continua o fraccionada."
You do have to show you've been a resident somewhere else for the last two years.


I have to run now, on Monday I'll tell you a bit more about my experience bringing stuff back last year. Hint: Bring back as much as you can!

 

[cbonanni]

Also , a packing list of the items you wish to bring must be submitted to the nearest Arg. consulate for approval. Final decision / determination as to weather duties are due lies with Argentine Customs. rolo007 is correct , 60 days in the past year. Need copies of all pages of your passport. Suggest you scan them and keep them as a file , because everyone will want to see it. ( consulate , exporter , importer , Customs , their third cousin , pet dog , max at the kiosko etc............)

 

[NYKate]

So I made up my mind and after 15 years of living in US I'm planing to return to Argentina. During the last 15 years I accumulated too many things so now I'm wandering if it is worth is shipping furniture, pots and pants across the world. How are prices for household items there? Not Walmart quality but also not expensive luxury stores... More like middle of the road... Should I just ship my stuff and deal with the hassle or should I just go ahead and by new items when I get there. Thanks

I would get rid of the things you have not used in the past year. Clothing, shoes misc knick knacks. Shipping things here is expensive. On the flip side, furniture here is expensive as well. There is no equivelent to Ikea here so you are stuck with buying overpriced antiques or going to Avenida Belgrano where you can try to buy furniture off the floor or you order it and have to wait for 30 to 60 days and pay for the delivery (and extra once it gets there if they have to use the stairs). I shipped my couch, bed, tv stand, book shelf, kitchen table and chairs, wire shelf unit for the kitchen, pots and pans, Ikea Poang chair, and folding tables - I am thrilled I did it.
Also, keep in mind, if you do plan to ship, books can be a lot heavier than you might think so they tend to drive the price of shipping wayyyy up.
One thing you can do is check out Mercadolibre while you are still in TX. It will give you an idea of what you can get etc.

 

[BigWhale]

I have the same problem, moving over from Europe. And after some research on the shipping prices I decided not to ship, but sell everything on eBay. My housing situation here will also be considerably smaller. So you want to check the following things in order to make an educated decision:
- Shipping price
- Sales value of your goods
- re-purchasing costs of your goods, adapted to new living situation
- psychological effect of having familiar things around you vs. making a clear cut to the past
- your time consumption for the hassle of shipping vs. selling

 

[bkoustav]

Hi
One of my colleague who is reaching BA next week shipped two cartons of household and baby items in my name. I got call from DHL yesterday and today and this is what they say

1) collect customs clearance paperwork from DHL office in San Telmo and pat 93 U$D for that
2) go to customs office in Ezeiza airport with those papers, my passport and release items. I may need to pay duty
3) Hand items to DHL or carry them myself home.

That sounds like lot of hassle plus the language issue.
Has anyone faced this situation earlier?

Please advice asap.Thanks.

 

[PhilipDT]

Hi
One of my colleague who is reaching BA next week shipped two cartons of household and baby items in my name. I got call from DHL yesterday and today and this is what they say

1) collect customs clearance paperwork from DHL office in San Telmo and pat 93 U$D for that
2) go to customs office in Ezeiza airport with those papers, my passport and release items. I may need to pay duty
3) Hand items to DHL or carry them myself home.

That sounds like lot of hassle plus the language issue.
Has anyone faced this situation earlier?

Please advice asap.Thanks.

SNAFU

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

SNAFU

If your emplyers are picking up expenses, get an English speaking translator to help! Someone is going to look for some money from you regardless I would say. Not all of it above board either.

We shipped via sea as Ezeiza is a customs black hole.