Dear Swisstory - Shipping your stuff to Switzerland

I figure if Pioneer Woman can do it - so can I - so what if I am lacking creativity - some of the best ideas are copies, think Warhol. I get enough fan mail (hi Kristi!). I make hundreds of dollars from my blog ads... (ok, so I made a dollar last month)... I can do a bit of Dear Abby, Dear Swisstory... you name it. Let's go!

Send me an email already, I will give you an anonymous identity if you would like (yes, please let me!) and let's get this show on the road - I will post them as I see fit - no rules. Let's start with this one:

Dear Swisstory,

My hubby and I are moving to Switzerland and I was wondering if you had any recommendations regarding shipping personal property to Switzerland. We've looked into getting boat containers and even with paying on a per cubic meter, it is still expensive. Perhaps you have found a better alternative or other businesses you could refer me too?

Best regards,
Shipping Susie

Dear Susie,

You are right. It is darn expensive (get used to saying that though if you are moving to Switzerland) to ship your stuff back and forth across the world in tiny boxes with meters of bubble wrap. We used a company called Crown Relocations when we moved to Zurich, mostly because it was paid for and recommended by Jace's company (thanks again!), but I will tell you: they were super professional and all of our junk, er, personal items, made it in one piece, on-time, and I never felt confused or misled - like you will hear if you read some of the forums on this topic.

They were not cheap, but I will say that when it comes to moving you do get what you pay for and there are hidded costs with the ones that look uber cheap so do your homework (eg. what is the charge if you go over your estimate (oftentimes the extra square feet/meter are charged at extra high rates), what is the delivery fee, do they charge for storage before delivery, etc.

If you absolutely cannot afford to do it professionally, you can post in the forums and see if someone is moving from the same area and perhaps share a crate or shipping container. If you want to ship it partially yourself, you can also - I believe - still ship books at a cheaper rate via sea post. Ask the post office.

All in all - do ship some things across if you cannot afford it all. You will be glad you did because the replacement cost in Switzerland is probably more than you are anticipating. Go ahead and add up those dishes, linens, cds, and more - it all comes out to a lot more than you think and will cost a lot more to replace. So good luck finding the right company at the right price, and when in doubt go with the essentials and rough it until you can get to IKEA. ;)

Good luck with the move.

Best regards,
Jessica

I look forward to comments here from readers that have alternative experience.

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