In this post I would like to give you my opinion on the removal of your old house’s items. It might be more relevant for people who move for a long period of time, but others might also find it useful. For other thoughts regarding the move, you are welcome to see my post about immigration questions.
Let me preface with that by default, most of the people will decide in an arbitrary manner to take everything with them to their new home. In most of the cases, the removal will require you to rent a whole container, so the more you fill it in, the more affordable it will become in your mind. I agree with this view in general. There is no reason not to ship your sofas, fridge, oven and etc. in case you have to rent a 40′ container or even 20′ container. Let Alone the other personal stuff like the huge CD’s collection collected over years.
Still, in some cases, your international removal of your entire house can be pricy, and you might find out that buying essential items in the destination might be a better idea. Take for example relocation to China. Did you know for instance that the prices of IKEA (maybe the best spot for newcomers looking for an all-in-one place) in China are ridiculously lower than in other parts of the world? My quick research found that same leather sofa which cost in Australia EUR 2100 cost EUR 1400 in Ikea China. Also, China has all the brands that you can find in other countries, in lower price range. Moving to China or another country with different prices ranges changes the picture.
So, with price comparison you can decide whether you would like to bring all of your old belongings with you. Or, the move is an opportunity to get brand new items, which can be moved back to the home country when you move back.
Having removed all the big items from your list, you might not need a container any more. This is perfectly normal, as a lot of removal companies offer you the possibility to share a space in a container. If you have 50-60 boxes, you obviously don’t need a whole 20’ container, but just 6-7 cubic meters (cbm). This can be a great saving for your moving budget. You should consult the prices with international removalists that can provide you a quote. Some of them have a minimal amount of shipping volume to allow this type of shipping (usually minimum 4-5cbm). Anyway, I have added a list of the containers available on the market today for you to compare.
The available containers on the market:
| Container Size | 10’ | 20’ | 40’ |
| Volume in cubic meters | 15.4 cbm | 33.2 cbm | 67 cbm |
Note: the 10/20/40 relates to the size in Feet, the American measurement
Moving From Ireland 