Shipping Your Belongings Abroad: What to Bring and What to Sell

By now you know the move is real, and every object in your home needs a decision. It is written for people who want to choose what to ship, what to carry and what to sell, without wasting money.

Imagine you are a nurse in Manila. The visa came through. The flight to Auckland is booked. Then, three weeks before you leave, you stand in your living room and look around.

The sofa you saved for. Your children's books. The rice cooker your mother gave you. Ten years of a life, in one small flat. Every single object now needs a decision.

Ship it? Sell it? Give it away? Throw it out? Nobody warned you this part would feel so heavy.

The short answer: Ship far less than your heart wants to. Furniture and big appliances are heavy, bulky and cheap to replace almost everywhere, so sell them. Ship the things you cannot replace, the good things you would buy again, and the things that make a new place feel like home. Carry your documents and first-fortnight essentials yourself. In most countries, your own used household goods can enter free of duty under "transfer of residence" relief, if you meet the conditions.

Moving with family? Read this with our moving abroad with a family checklist, and add shipping to your budget with our true cost of migrating abroad guide. If a cat or dog is coming, the pet relocation timeline, quarantine rules and airline costs run on a much longer clock than any container. Start that first.

The one rule that decides most of it

Shipping something is worth it only if it costs less than replacing it abroad, plus the value you place on keeping the original.

That last part matters. Your grandmother's dining table is not a rational purchase. Ship it. A three-year-old flat-pack wardrobe that costs GBP 90 new is almost never worth its space in a container. Sell it.

Think of a container as a suitcase you pay for by size. Every extra item makes it bigger. So ask of each object: is it worth more to me as cargo or as cash?

Step one: sort everything into five piles

Do this before asking for quotes. Size sets the price.

Be strict with the "ship" pile. Try this: picture each object arriving at your new home in three months. Will you be happy to unbox it? Or a little annoyed that you paid to move it?

Usually sell or give away

• Large furniture: sofas, beds, wardrobes, dining sets. Exceptions: real antiques, custom pieces, heirlooms.
• Major appliances: plugs and voltage differ, warranties do not travel, and they fill a container fast.
• Mattresses: many countries restrict used mattresses for hygiene reasons. Buy new on arrival.
• Fixed-voltage electronics: a 110V item will not work in a 230V country without a bulky transformer, and the other way round. Most laptops, phones and cameras are dual-voltage. Check the label.
• Cheap, heavy kitchenware: plates, pans, glasses. Cheap everywhere.

Usually worth shipping

• Books you really reread, by slow sea freight, never by air.
• Good tools: expensive to rebuild, and they travel well.
• Sentimental items: photos, art, keepsakes, your children's comfort objects.
• Specialist gear: work equipment, hobby kit, musical instruments.
• Clothes for the new climate: no point shipping heavy coats to the Gulf. Do ship them to Canada or Scandinavia.

Step two: choose how to ship

Most moves mix two or more of these.

1. Checked and excess luggage. Cheapest for a small amount, and it arrives with you. Check airline fees before you fly; extra bags paid at the airport cost far more.

2. Air freight. Fast, usually days, but priced by weight and size. Best for a few urgent boxes or valuables you would not trust to a two-month sea trip.

3. Shared sea container (groupage or LCL). The usual choice for most households. Your things share a container with other people's, and you pay for the cubic metres you use. It is like a shared taxi: cheaper than hiring the whole car, but you wait for the others. Door to door, it often takes several weeks to a couple of months. Best for a room or two of belongings.

4. Full sea container (FCL). A whole 20ft container holds roughly a small two-bedroom home; a 40ft holds a larger family home.

Step three: get real about cost

Distrust any single headline price. These are the main cost drivers:

• Size, not just weight. Sea freight is priced mostly by cubic metre. Halve your volume and you roughly halve the freight cost. Strict sorting pays you back directly.
• Route. Busy routes, such as UK to Australia, India to the Gulf, or Nigeria to the UK, have more sailings and more competition. Rare routes cost more.
• Door to door or port to port. Door to door includes collection, packing, customs clearance and delivery. Port to port looks cheaper, but you sort clearance and transport at the other end yourself.
• Extras. Professional packing and unpacking add up. Packing yourself saves money, but self-packed boxes can get more customs checks, and insurance may not cover damage inside them.

Get at least three itemised quotes for the same scope: same volume, same door-to-door cover. Ask each company in writing: does this include destination port fees, customs clearance and delivery to my door? "Destination charges not included" is how a cheap quote becomes an expensive one.

Two more costs people miss:

• Insurance. It is priced as a percentage of the value you declare. Crossing an ocean without it is a gamble. Declare honestly and keep a photo inventory.
• Storage. If your things arrive before you have a home, you pay storage and port charges. Line up housing first, or budget for a few weeks of storage.

Step four: customs and duties, without the panic

This part scares people most. It is easier than it sounds.

Most countries have transfer of residence relief, sometimes called "removal goods" or "personal effects". If you are really moving there and bringing your own used household goods, they can usually come in free of duty and import tax. The conditions vary, but often include:

• You are moving your home to that country, with the right visa or residence status.
• The goods are used and you owned and used them for a set time before the move, often six months or a year.
• You import them within a set time after you arrive.
• You keep them for a while and do not sell them straight away.
• You submit an inventory and the right customs form.

Think of the relief as a welcome for your old life, not a free pass for new shopping. Brand-new, boxed items can be treated as commercial imports and taxed. If you just bought something expensive, keep the receipt and declare it, or leave it out.

What customs cares about

• A detailed inventory. A numbered, itemised list, often with values. Your shipper will help. A vague line like "box of stuff" invites inspection.
• Restricted items. Common problems: some foods, plants, seeds, wooden items, weapons and replicas, some medicines, and alcohol over the allowance. Australia and New Zealand are very strict on biosecurity. Declare anything organic.
• New and high-value goods. Declare them and expect possible duty.
• Cars. Importing one is often more costly and complicated than the car is worth. In most cases, sell it and buy locally.
• Alcohol, tobacco and medicines. Special rules apply. Check before you pack any.

Never undervalue goods or hide restricted items. Fines, seizure and delays cost far more than honesty. Check the official customs website and ask your shipper. Our arrival guides cover country details, for example the Australia arrival guide and the Canada arrival guide.

Room by room: what to bring

A whole home feels impossible. One room at a time feels doable.

Living room. Furniture: mostly sell, unless custom or an heirloom. TVs: check voltage and broadcast and streaming standards; often easier to sell and rebuy. Art and photos: ship the ones that matter. They make a new flat feel like yours on day one.

Bedrooms. Beds and wardrobes: sell unless high quality. Mattresses: sell, since used-mattress imports are often restricted anyway. Good bedding: ship. It is light, fills gaps in boxes, and feels like home on the first night.

Kitchen. Large appliances: sell. Small appliances: sell voltage-locked ones, keep dual-voltage favourites. Pots, pans, plates: mostly give away. Good knives and one treasured item: ship.

Bathroom and cleaning. Use up or give away. Cheap, heavy, and often banned in freight (aerosols and flammables).

Wardrobe. Ship what suits the new climate and what you actually wear. Give away anything unworn for a year. Shoes and coats are bulky, so keep only what earns its space.

Study and hobbies. Books: ship by sea only the ones you reread. Documents: carry them. Never freight original passports or certificates you need for immigration. Our guide to documents needed to migrate abroad covers what to keep with you. Tools, instruments, specialist gear: usually ship.

Children's rooms. Favourite toys and comfort objects: ship or carry. For a small child, the same teddy on the same pillow in a strange new room is worth far more than its shipping cost. Cots, prams and car seats: safety standards can differ by country, and a car seat that is not approved is useless. Often sell and rebuy. Bulky toys nobody loves: give away.

The carry-on layer: what never goes in a container

A container can take weeks, and things sometimes go wrong. Keep a "survival layer" in your own luggage:

• All immigration and identity documents: passports, visas, birth and marriage certificates, qualifications, medical and vaccination records. Originals with you, scans in the cloud.
• Medication for at least a few weeks, in original packaging, with prescriptions.
• Two weeks of essentials: clothes, chargers, adapters, toiletries.
• Valuables: jewellery, small heirlooms, anything you could not bear to lose.
• Money access: cards, some local cash, and details of the accounts you need on arrival.

Timeline: when to do what

Selling takes longer than you think. A panic sale in the last week returns a fraction of what a calm four-week listing would. Price to sell: a slightly lower price that sells this week beats a hopeful one that never does. Every bit you raise helps in your first months abroad, when money is tightest.

Frequently asked questions

Is it cheaper to ship my furniture or buy new abroad?

For most furniture, buying new is cheaper once you count volume, insurance and damage risk. Ship it only if it is an heirloom, custom-made, a real antique, or high quality you would pay similar money to replace.

Will I have to pay import duty on my used belongings?

Usually not, if you are really relocating and bringing your own used household goods under "transfer of residence" or "personal effects" relief. You normally need the right residence status, goods you have owned and used for a set time, import within a time window, and a proper inventory. New and high-value items may still be taxed, so declare them and keep receipts.

How long does sea freight take?

A shared-container (LCL) shipment often takes several weeks to a couple of months door to door, depending on the route. Never count on it arriving before you have a home.

Should I pay for professional packing?

Professional packing reduces damage and is often needed for full insurance cover, but costs more. Packing yourself saves money but may bring more customs checks and limit insurance claims. For a small, sturdy load, pack yourself. For a full home with fragile items, professional packing usually pays for itself.

What should I never put in a shipping container?

Your immigration and identity documents, medicines you need, valuables, and your first two weeks of essentials. Also leave out anything restricted: aerosols, flammables, some foods, plants, and wooden or organic items for biosecurity-strict countries. Keep all of that in your own luggage.

Is shipping a car worth it?

Rarely. Duties, required changes to meet local rules, and registration steps can cost more than the car is worth. In most cases, sell it before you leave and buy locally once you settle.

The bottom line

Ship less than your instincts say. Keep your documents and essentials with you. Get three like-for-like quotes, budget early, and give yourself weeks, not days, to sell. The things that matter will come with you.

Ready to plan the rest? Work through the moving abroad with a family checklist, check the numbers with the true cost of migrating abroad, and if you are still choosing a country, take our free eligibility check or compare countries side by side.