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Working out whether to sell or keep your furniture depends on things such as its size, value, transport, and insurance costs. It can be tricky moving furniture abroad, but, with some forward planning and research, it can be done cost effectively.
1. Get organised
Start downsizing as soon as you can by getting rid of old, broken or unwanted furniture. Then split the remaining items into three lists – the non-negotiables that you want to take, the items you would like to sell, and those you want to donate.
2. Think practically
Think about the country you are moving to when you make any decisions about furniture.
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‘Not only will it be too costly, but the chances are that you won’t fit everything perfectly into your new home,’ says Johan Kruger from Britannia Aidan K. Movers South Africa.
‘Houses in South Africa tend to be a lot bigger than homes in the UK, America and parts of Europe. You will need to work out what you will practicably be able to fit into an average-sized house and only ship these items.
‘Shipping your furniture over and then trying to get rid of it later is a nightmare,’ adds Jason Trudgian, a UK Immigration and British Nationality expert at MoveUp.
If you are thinking of selling most if your items, don’t expect to get the same as what you originally bought them for. ‘Remember that the second-hand furniture market in South Africa is very saturated and people usually receive very little,’ warns Kruger.
3. Do the sums
The rand’s weakness against popular foreign currencies like the pound, euro and dollar will affect your move.
‘I have had clients who have sold all their furniture before leaving South Africa, only to realise that the rands received from the sale bought them very little in the new country,’ says Kruger. ‘In this case, it would be more cost effective to ship your basic home contents than to start all over again in another country where the rand is weak,’ he continues.
Do some research to see how financially viable each option is. Get a quote from a shipping specialist and compare it to how much it would cost to buy the same goods in the new country. Remember that white goods don’t tend to travel or store well and can be cheaper to buy overseas, depending on the country.
‘You should also consider that the quality and type of furniture used in South Africa might not always be available in the overseas country or will be very expensive to source or import,’ explains Kruger.
4. Plan ahead
Depending on where in the world you are going, it can take up to two months for your items to be shipped to your destination, so take this into consideration.
If you are not sure where you will be staying, Kruger suggests putting your items in storage and then shipping them overseas later. ‘If the items in storage end up not fitting into your new house, you can always send these items to auction or donate them to charity,’ he says.
Also, think about whether your furniture is compatible with the home you’re moving to. Is it cost effective to replace the plugs if they don’t comply with the sockets? Buying international adaptors can be a solution, but not if you need to do this for several items.
Make sure your furniture pieces are of good quality before you move them abroad. If you need to donate them when you realise there’s no room for them in your new home, it could be a struggle to get rid of them if they’re not up to standard.
In the UK, used upholstered furniture is subject to stringent safety standards. For instance, second-hand furniture will not be accepted if it doesn’t have the right fire labels, as it cannot then be verified as safe. If your furniture can’t be donated, then you’d have to bear the extra cost of getting it delivered to a household waste recycling centre if you can’t fit it into your car, and this can be expensive.
Councils can take items away as well, but they charge for this service.
5. Insure your goods
‘If you are going to ship goods, don’t forget about insurance to cover the cost of any breakages,’ warns Trudgian. This can be expensive, especially if you are transporting valuable items like paintings, antique furniture or heirlooms, but some insurers will allow you to choose which valuables to insure to help you get the cost down.
