Is half container enough?

makopp5 says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:30:

for 4.000 Us$ you can buy ll this stuff new in Colombia.

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scumbuster says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:35:

Probably better off selling and buying new in Colombia unless your employer is paying to relocate you or it has sentimental value.

Tomas Jefferson “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.”

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hiker says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:38:

no the employer is not paying, is just the wife likes her bedroom set

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makopp5 says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:39:

anti go outside Medellin up road to retiro, there they make you furniture like you want, just show them a foto or own design and tell them what type of wood you want to have.

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hiker says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:40:

what can you fit in a 1/2 small container anyway?

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makopp5 says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:45:

often in Colombia the sleeping rooms are not big for a big furniture because the closet is built in. Have you already your apartment or house? Do you know where to put your furniture?

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RAAAY says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:49:

Hiker............where are you getting these prices from ?

Right now it costs about $2600 to send a 40' container to Austrailia and a little less to China. I don't know what they are quoting from the US to Colombia, but your prices seem really high.

.

It's useless to argue with ignorance...

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makopp5 says on Oct 18, 2009, 09:53:

raaay
but this is not a door to door service. You are comparying only the seafreight for an import or export business. I think in the rate of 8.000 is included people which are packing the container, storage in the ports transport to port and from port taxhandling in the 2 countries etc.

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RAAAY says on Oct 18, 2009, 10:00:

True.............but we don't know if he is talking about " door to door ". That's why I asked him for more info.

Furthermore, if it's circa $3000 port to port, then an additional $5000 to and from the ports seems a tad excessive.....no ??

Either way, I'd like to know who quoted him, and what is the level of service.

.

It's useless to argue with ignorance...

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makopp5 says on Oct 18, 2009, 10:08:

I bring container from Germnay to Colombia, the seafreight is the cheapest of all costs. ex. land transport in germany 850 Euro, port fees germany 200 euros, container lease, I have no cost from loading the container, port costs cartagena around 600 Us$, insurance 250 Us$ (house hold is much more expencive), landtransport colombia 900 Us$. etc. All together around 4400 Euro.

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RAAAY says on Oct 18, 2009, 10:35:

Anti.............really depends on the style you are after. There is some really nice, heavy, rustic, wooden Colombian furniture. Some beautiful stuff that you can have made pretty inexpensive, or purchase from a wide variety of stores. There is also the cheap crap. Same as everywhere.

More modern style, is really just cheap stuff from China, but is sold in Colombia at outrageous prices. For a few bits and pieces, it's not really worth it to ship it in. But, for someone that is going to furnish a whole apt or house, in a fairly modern style, I personally would ship it from the US. Particulary beds and mattresses. Decent mattresses in Colombia are very expensive.

But it's all a question of taste and style.


.

It's useless to argue with ignorance...

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kenblanquito says on Oct 18, 2009, 10:42:

For that price, buy Colombian instead. As makkop5 says, lots of great real-wood furniture is obtainable from El Retiro and the surrounding areas and is more appropriate for this environment if you are into rustic stuff.

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makopp5 says on Oct 18, 2009, 10:44:

ken
no they produce modern stuff too, just give them a foto or a design. I have no rustic stuff. All modern furniture.

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hiker says on Oct 18, 2009, 11:13:

They are to be shipped from NY to Barranquilla, I was quoted $8000 1/2 container door to door includes packing , shipping,custom clearing etc..The company is Esprecito Carga something like that, located in Corona Queens.

Here what they said: As soon as I am ready to travel, let them know , and when I reach Colombia, get in touch with them and tell them I am ready , have a place to receive the merchandise , and they'll bring to your door steps.

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stocktrader says on Oct 18, 2009, 11:41:

8000? that's insane. I'm bringing a 20 foot gp for around 2000 from China. Of course this is for a legal (non door to door import). Why don't you find out with the DIAN if you can do a menaje, this way you can do it all legal and a small amount of small taxes. Even with taxes the bill will be much less than what they are charging you. Besides, doing door to door there is always a risk even if small that something goes wrong and you lose the stuff. Doing it all legal you can insure everything you're shipping.

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hiker says on Oct 18, 2009, 11:48:

"legal"? did not get that!!! what do you mean legal!!! I am not shipping marijuana. It is household items. company includes insurance of course

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stocktrader says on Oct 18, 2009, 12:04:

as i undertand it shipping door to door and not fully declaring taxes to the DIAN is a grey area. I ship small things door to door from Miami (by plane). They don't care what I ship as long it is not weapons, hazardous. They charge me by the pound. I can ship electronics, clothing etc... for one rate. I don't declare taxes to the DIAN on any of that stuff. I lost some paintball stuff once. They didn't offer to return the value of them, but we worked out a deal where they let me ship things for the value.
If you are in Bogota you can ask someone in the DIAN about the menaje. I'm sure it will be a lot cheaper. I was thinking about doing one but I didn't have enough things to bring.
Since you're bringing furniture and not electronics etc. it should go through customs easily. Still if they are charging you so much it will be much cheaper to declare taxes.

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theflatline says on Oct 18, 2009, 12:05:

My 20 year Sealy is better than any new mattress you can buy in Colombia.

I swear I have only seen three different kinds of couches in Colombia, the only that that is different is the color of the fabric.

Then you have the "classic" baroque furniture that looks like it was modeled after a 1970s mobster's dining room.

You can find some nice stuff, but you really have to dig. I bought a very nice mahogany bed in manizales in 2000 for about 500 bucks

Legaleez for Complete Morons - A book for gringos in Colombia for who think they understand the nature of the law in a country where they cannot speak the language.

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larryrn says on Oct 18, 2009, 13:01:

When I moved from Coral Springs to Colombia I sold a bunch of stuff on Craigslist for 20% of what I paid for it. The rest called a charity (who was real picky and didn't want much) and the rest went into a 30x6x4 foot garbage container in the driveway. I cried as I threw away so much stuff that had memories and cost money. I ended up shipping 30 boxes here of small stuff and everything else trashed. In Colombia I purchased new stuff for about the same price as in the US (given the same quality).. That was in May and I don't regret any of it..

Larry

“Your source for Online Nursing CEUs” -- www.rn.org www.rnceu.us www.enfermeria.us www.enfermeriasite.com

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Bill Turley (Moderator) says on Oct 18, 2009, 13:35:

Here in Somondoco so probably just about everywhere, you can get quality custom made furniture. Made with real solid wood for very reasonable prices.

Mr. Bill Somondoco

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Gator says on Oct 18, 2009, 14:20:

I was quoted $8000 1/2 container door to door includes packing , shipping,custom clearing etc


As the country boy said in the love scene from movie "Deliverance", "Squeal piggy, squeal."

"Bene, cum Latine nescias, nolo manus meas in te maculare" .

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barrumundi says on Oct 18, 2009, 14:37:

I was quoted AUD $8000 up to $20000 from Australia to Colombia for a shipping container. I have now decided to do exactly the same thing that Larryn has done......except I am coming with only 2 suitcases.

Thanks for your feedback Larryn.

http://poorbuthappy.com/yourthing/post/uploading-photos-for-dummies/

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Miguel_Clavo says on Oct 18, 2009, 14:43:

Oakland CA to Cartagena, full 40' container, Menaje, $4300. That is just to get it to the port of Cartagena, and they deliver the container to you and pick it up after you pack it. Figure about $2500 to get it through the port.

"So Many PBH Potatoheads.......So Little Time"......El Titiritero (The Puppeteer).....www.slapdoll.com

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RAAAY says on Oct 18, 2009, 14:54:

How old is that price...................there has been a dramatic reduction in container shipping costs in the last 12 months.

,

It's useless to argue with ignorance...

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Miguel_Clavo says on Oct 18, 2009, 14:56:

if you are talking to me, RAAAY, Sept 2009...if i had done a few things a little different, ie, container drop off/pickup the same day, it would have been $3700.

"So Many PBH Potatoheads.......So Little Time"......El Titiritero (The Puppeteer).....www.slapdoll.com

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Bill Turley (Moderator) says on Oct 18, 2009, 15:47:

Twelve years ago I had a quote like MC 40 ft container delivered to my address in Ft. Lauderday and to the address in Bogota. The quote was $5000 we agreed to that fee. When the stuff arrived in Ctg Aviatur said that customs couldn't get to it for a while ( this was a menaje) by the time we finally got the container in Bogota Aviatur demanded an additional $10,000. We had no choice but to pay but we did file a demanda with little results.

Mr. Bill Somondoco

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Miguel_Clavo says on Oct 18, 2009, 15:53:

Those daily storage fees add up real quick. They dicked me around last time for almost 2 weeks delay at $100 per day storage fee. Container shipper fees were more expensive last year, and when the fuel prices skyrocketed.

"So Many PBH Potatoheads.......So Little Time"......El Titiritero (The Puppeteer).....www.slapdoll.com

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sloopskipper says on Oct 18, 2009, 17:38:

I certainly would try to avoid doing it again. I spent more than $8,000, but that was an insured full 20' container, with my HHGs, and Jeep inside (3 years ago), from Puerto Rico (supposedly direct to Panamá), but sailed via Miami, and Cartagena (was hung up there a couple weeks), to Panamá.

That included packing, pickup, delivery, and unpacking (which was never completed). But, you needn't worry about an other-than-new car going to Columbia.

The insurance proved to be worthless for the damages sustained. I looked like the Jeep was maybe stacked on top.

The whole thing was an expensive, colossal, and seemingly, never ending headache.

And, the storage fee clock "does" starts ticking when your container is off-loaded.

It seems that you can find some nice bedroom furniture for less than four grand in Colombia, with fewer headaches, even if you "give your stuff away".

Seems that some people think "everybody's outa step but me".

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RAAAY says on Oct 18, 2009, 18:31:

If someone is furnishing a whole house or apartment, shipping in your own stuff can be worth the hassle. But really only if it is a lot of stuff. Furniture etc that you have accumalated over the years might have cost, say, $20,000. But as it is now used it is pretty much worthless, except to you. Replacing the same stuff in Colombia is still going to be pricey and usually not as good quality.

It really depends on how much stuff you have, and how much you could sell it for. How much you would save by not shipping it, and how much to get everything you need in Colombia. X Y - Z = W

.

It's useless to argue with ignorance...

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dwmte7 says on Oct 19, 2009, 14:15:

a so called half container, or a 20' container gives you 8ft X 8ft X 20ft. and an allowance in excess of 40,000 lbs. you can get an entire house hold in there.

as mentioned above, if for ANY reason, your container get's stuck in the muelle, the demurage fees run from 50-100 dollars a day. so it goes up real quick...it's usually the 100 a day. what i had anticipated was gonna be about 3,500$ in the port, ended up being 7,500$. you're at their mercy and they're merciless. i've sent personal belongings back and forth three times and it's a different story each time. good luck

patriarch

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Miguel_Clavo says on Oct 19, 2009, 14:21:

but is he talking about 1/2 of a 20' container or 1/2 of a 40' container? sounds like someone is selling him space on one of those containers.

"So Many PBH Potatoheads.......So Little Time"......El Titiritero (The Puppeteer).....www.slapdoll.com

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dwmte7 says on Oct 20, 2009, 05:32:

at those prices miguel--and i might add high prices--he's gotta be talking about a 40.

patriarch

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dwmte7 says on Oct 20, 2009, 14:17:

ship them accompanied baggage. be done with it. you have them with you, no customs, no paperwork done deal

patriarch

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dwmte7 says on Oct 21, 2009, 13:34:

plus, greg, you're allowed a twenty lb. hand bag.

patriarch

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