I have started to do some research into the cost of sending some of our belongings to the UK for while we're living on our narrowboat. Mick is convinced he'll need at least basic tools so he can get a little work along the way.
We have double of a lot of things from the days of living in Melbourne and having our current home as a weekender. So we've started putting aside bedding, linen, kitchen utensils etc that we'll ship over but not bring back again. It is probably a close call whether we could buy all these things (if we bought mostly second hand or discount) for the cost of the shipping. By shipping, we'd have our own belongings and we need to get rid of some of the things we've been storing anyway.
Pack and Send quoted me $700 to send 8 packing cartons (1 cubic metre).
I've asked the Aussies and Kiwis that we've made contact with in the last couple of years and there's mixed opinions on whether to send belongings or buy them when you get there. It's made more difficult by not knowing what might be left on the boat you buy.
Comments would be appreciated!
We are two Australians who lived the dream and spent 20 months as liveaboards on narrowboat Parisien Star. Life before.... during.... and after.
3 comments:
At that price $700 I would think it was far cheaper to buy new items when you get here, according to friends, it seems cheaper to shop in the UK if coming from Oz these days, and you also have the benefit of the exchange rate being inyour favour.... Doug
Hi Elly and Mick. I have experience of the shipping costs from Australia to UK from my own extended holiday there last year. Your quote is similar to all the ones I obtained, and is always based on both weight and volume. I decided it was just too expensive, but luckily when I obtained the quotes I was still aboard our P&O cruise ship who agreed to transport our 35kg of excess luggage back to UK for just £70 while we continued our holiday in Australia with the rest. You may also have the problems of getting tools and any wooden items back through your own country's border controls, if they have been used for cutting organic material for example. When a boat is advertised on brokerage, its inventory is usually restricted to just what is required for using, by that I mean "sailing" it, unless negotiated with the vendor pre-sale, so watch for that, discuss what is included in the sale and get any extras written into the contract by the broker. There are many discount DIY outlets over here which sell "throw away" quality tools which should survive 12 months of limited use. Similarly, the large supermarkets sell cooking utensils, pans and crockery etc. extremely cheaply in their "basics" ranges. I would estimate you could buy all you need in the cooking, eating and drinking line for around £100 at Asda, and also tools at the mega stores. You can view their prices online, see http://www.asda.com/index_6.html Tesco is another similar outlet, check http://www.tesco.com/ Good Luck!
Thanks for the comments. I'm checking out the prices on those online stores!
Elly
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