Why It Is Better to Sell Your Stuff Instead of Paying Overseas Shipping Costs

Overseas shipping costs can make up a significant portion of your moving expenses-possibly even more than your ticket overseas to get to your new apartment. When moving to another country overseas, consider whether or not it’s worth shipping most of your belongings or selling your stuff before you go.

Look at the Prices

When planning an overseas move, between securing an overseas job and apartment, filling out all of that paperwork and transitioning to a new culture, overseas shipping costs may not even cross your mind. However, consider how much stuff you have to move. You may leave furniture behind, but even the little things can become heavy once boxed away.

Shipping a 10-pound box overseas costs about $44 to $160, depending on how quickly you want it shipped and what service you use. Ten ten-pound boxes can cost up to $1600, which is about the same if not more than a one-way plane ticket overseas.

Trying to Save on Costs Leads to Confusion

While you may try to cut back on overseas shipping costs by choosing the slowest shipping options (usually by boat instead of air), this means that your belongings will take longer to get to your new home. While air shipping takes 2 to 7 days (depending on whether or not you select express) and can more easily be taken care of in the days right before your move, boat shipping can take as many as 3 to 4 weeks. This means that there is a wider time period during which your boxes will be handled, leading to more room for your boxes to be lost and damaged. Pests have been known to stow away on large ships and may nibble through the boxes and cause damage, too.

During this 3 to 4-week period, you will be without your belongings both in your origin country and the country overseas. If you can part with items for this long a period, you are likely better off selling them before you go and buying new necessities once you arrive. In any case, you will have to buy new necessities if you’re still waiting on the boxes.

Customs Costs

Americans are not used to this practice and so may not realize, but many countries require recipients of packages to pay a customs tax on the value of the items within upon receipt. (That is part of the reason why you must declare the contents and their value on a customs form.) If you’re moving $1000 worth of items, you could easily be paying as much as $100 in customs tax, so factor that into your overseas shipping costs.

You can avoid overseas shipping costs and still keep a few belongings of sentimental value if you ask a friend or family member to store them or rent a unit at a storage facility while you’re away. However, if the move overseas is permanent or long-term, you really should keep no more than a box full of these types of belongings, as renting a storage facility long-term can get pricey and you don’t want to impose too much on your friends and family.