Shop till you drop. Maybe you want to start afresh in your new home country? Selling all your worldly possessions can feel like wiping the slate clean – a fresh start! It’s also a good way to notify your neighbours that you are leaving. Nothing will get your neighbours chatting faster than laying all your goods out the front of your house!On the upside, the money made from selling can be put towards new purchases on arrival, whether that be second hand (pre-loved) goods (try www.gumtree.com.au), or brand new.To give you time to settle in and ensure you don’t panic buy on arrival, you have a few options:
- You can initially move into short-term furnished accommodation – giving you time to source the perfect home and contents without being rushed.
- You can rent a longer-term furnished rental (best suited for stays of 1 year or less)
- You can initially rent a furniture package for the first month or two until you have time to buy/source the right stuff for your home.
Good News? Claymore Thistle and their qualified Real Estate agents can help you with all three of these options.
Home comforts all the way: If you already have a ton of great stuff and familiarity will help you settle in faster, then we say – Ship it All! In terms of removals (shipping), you pay for the space taken, not the weight of the goods. We recommend getting someone who is organised and can assist you with maximising your packing space as much as possible.
Still undecided? – Not sure if you should SHIP IT or SHOP? We suggest you weigh up the costs of it all. How much would it cost to replace your couch for example? Have a look online and see how pricing compares to the country you are moving from. In Queensland check out Freedom, Harvey Norman (kitchen/furniture/electrical) and Domayne (homewares) to give you a rough estimate. For instance, a 3-seater couch will set you back anywhere from around $800 and up, whereas you would be able to get a new kettle and toaster set for around $85 (or a lot less at somewhere like Kmart. A 7Kg washing machine can be picked up new from around $600 and a nice new (family-sized) Fridge freezer will start off around the $1,000 mark.
TOP Tips
- Don’t ditch all your electricals – We know of someone who brought a great front loader washing machine with them that lasted for another 5 years, and a 4 slice toaster that is still going 10 years on. So, if you have good appliances and white goods we recommend shipping them. Paying the Electrician to change the plugs on those is a much cheaper option.
- Bedding: Here in Australia they call it Manchester and this covers bedding, sheets, towels, pillowslips. This is because back in the 18th and 19th centuries bedding and cotton goods were imported from…you guessed it…Manchester UK. Even if you think your big old duvet may be too hot for here, we recommend you bring it. Give it a couple of winters and you will be shivering with the rest of us – yes, even in Queensland!
- Curtains: You may not be sure about bringing these, but we recommend them. Not only are they great at keeping the sun and heat out in summer, but they are also great at keeping the warmth in during the Winter. In Queensland, if you rent then the landlord MUST supply curtains or blinds of some description to keep the sun out, but they often aren’t the best quality, so we recommend you bring your own if you have them.
The Boring but Important bit…
- Appliances: In Australia, it is against the law to re-wire your own plugs unless you are licensed to do so. It could result in your insurance not paying out in the event of an incident!). An electrician will call out for around $80 an hour. Travel adaptors are a good short-term solution.
- Cleanliness is next to godliness if you work in customs: They will not let you bring in anything that has mud on it, so make sure your shoes, gardening gear, golf clubs, bicycles, camping gear, etc are all as clean as a whistle. Dirty gear will be treated at your expense.
In the Claymore Thistle office, we are shippers. We brought it all. You can always sell it over here on local buy sites, Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Gumtree, just be prepared to haggle a bit. If you would like to know who our favourite shipping companies are then feel free to get in touch with us.
We Can Help! Whatever your decision Claymore Thistle would be happy to assist. Give us a call, or email us today for an informal chat about your move.
*Prices in AUD
