SHIPPING MY CAR?

I had good luck with Barry at Flemming. However I have been told that you can't have anything in the car. Also anything in the car will be stolen in PR.
I had a piece of sh*# wrench in the map pocket of my Bronco when I shipped it down, just to see if they would steal it. Sure enough they stole it and the A/C knobs off of the dash.

We shipped cars 5 years ago when you could pack things in them. Our 2 cars contained printer, tv, several pictures and 5 big boxes of household goods. Everything made it fine. Even the McDonalds bag of trash!!

We used Tropical out of Riviera Beach.

Call Tracie at Deliver It on STT...she may not be able to ship it thru Deliver It, but I'll bet she could point you in the right direction... http://www.deliveritvi.com/

You might want to sell the Expedition on the mainland. Fuel prices are only going to go up. Your re-sale market is better on the mainland. You can only go 35mph on the islands.
And you will be $1500+ in the hole versus buying something already on the island.

We shipped a crew cab truck thru Tropical Shipping out of Port Everglades a couple of years ago. We were told that Homeland Security prohibits anything being packed in a vehicle. Whatever it is has to be separately shipped and cannot go in the vehicle. Though, we did put a couple of boxes of stainless steel screws behind the back seat. No one said anything and the screws arrived with the truck exactly where we had put them. Of course, we didn't list them on the manifest (that's probably illegal) so maybe they didn't notice. But, I don't think you can hide a 57' TV behind the seat.

my husband is dead set on taking the expedition w/us, might have to leave the TV behind.

Don't know if it helps but we're in a similar situation looking at moving some items and I was on the phone with Econocaribe moments ago. I thought their pricing sounded decent at around $3,03/ cubic foot or $6.39/100lbs with a minimum of $225 (there are some fees in there so it's not quite that straightforward and this is shipping from their Port Everglade facility) If you have other things to ship you could probably something like a 4'x4'x4' cube of space and include your TV I suspect.

Here's their URL: http://www.econocaribe.com/

Good luck.

when are you going? I've heard of people sharing a container. Would you be interested? we don't have alot to move, sofa, loveseat, coffe tables, bunk bed, day bed, 2 queen beds, dresser, dining table misc boxes. Let's check on that, where are you coming from?

What sort of rate do you get for "full container"? Serious question.
Do you U-Haul your stuff to the container yard and load it yourself? Highly unlikely with unions and security, etc.

How would you "share a container" with someone unless you had the container to fill yourself and then had it transported to the next persons house to fill. And then transported to the shipping port.
Again the security issue may prevent that.

Places such as econocaribe are consolidators. Meaning they except your stuff in boxes or crates or palletized.
Then they start filling containers with your stuff and others. They also will double stack and pack the container as full as possible for efficiency as household stuff is hardly ever too heavy.

One of my friends actually shipped her Honda Accord and Ford Explorer in a container with their household goods a few years ago. (I think it was 2003.) They used Tropical, they used a full 40' container, and the cost was $3,000. I know that the truck was pulled up to their home, they loaded the truck, and then the truck was driven to FL to be put on the slow boat to STX. I am certain there were other charges related to getting the vehicles tagged, but I figure $3k isn't that bad to pack up your whole house (3 bedrooms, 1 office, kitchen, and 2 family rooms), and vehicles. Just my opinion.

$3000 does sound like a bargin for two vehicles plus household stuff.
Especially when elsewhere in this forum the price per vehicle is posted as running from $1200 to $2000 for just one vehicle. Even a 50% rate increase since 2003 would not be out-of-line.

Is it really that simple? My wife and I are putting a plan together to move to St. Thomas soon (1year/2year) and I am interested in taking a car, motocycle and household stuff (furniture.etc.). Any infomation on moving this stuff would be very helpful!

I don't mean to sound like a downer, but I wouldn't want to try navigating an Expedition through the the narrow streets of STX...just something to think about.

Really!? can you download some pictures? also, I need step by step directions for licencing, tax etc.

The 11 passenger vans get around just fine. There are also some Hummers.

Jim

I wouldn't bother moving furniture down. Lots of places you rent are furnished so I'd store it until I got settled plus much stuff doesn't "go" down here. JMO.

Trade,

Why does everyone say "sell everything and purchase what you need when you get here"?

Do people generally not find usefulness in their "mainland" items anymore? For instance, I LOVE my mattresses that I currently sleep on. Would it truly be so expensive to have them shipped that I would need to sell them and buy new ones in STX? I understand that there are a lot of rental units that are furnished, but is it really difficult to find rentals that are unfurnished?

I say all of this because I REALLY like our furniture and cars. More importantly, everything is paid for. We are selling the house, and leaving the appliances with the house. I just don't want to have to get down there and search for pots and pans.

Is it really that much of a hassle to transport your goods? Or, is it more of a hassle to find a place to put all of your goods when you arrive?

Thanks for your advice.

If you love your stuff, bring it. It will definitely be much more expensive to replace quality furniture here. Most places are furnished, but I own rental units, and I have been known to move furniture out to accommodate a tenant. (I might add, it back-fired. She broke her lease and moved back to the states, and I had to re-furnish the unit.) I would do it again under the right circumstances, so my point is, you can find an unfurnished place.

A big problem here is the humid, salt air. It can really take a toll on good furniture. Most places don't have central A/C, and who can afford the electric bill? So we leave our homes open. I have to dust a lot. I don't know if it's Sahara dust or Montserrat ash or just plain dust in the wind, but it's worse than anywhere else I have ever lived. So are my sinuses, so there is something in the air.

I don't mean to imply that people here all have junk furniture. Not at all. It's just usually "suited" to our climate. But if you're going to ship via container, you might as well send it all!

if it's anything but solid wood--ie. chipcore, MDF or whatever that stuff is called, etc., it WILL mildew. For the most part, we find fully upholstered seating doesn't do well either, but lots of folks have it anyway. Gets musty to me, in about a year. Fabrics have also mildewed. Some depends on where you live though, too. We bring things down, but are picky about what we will transport.

THIS is why this MB is so great!

I now need to see the material that my bedroom furniture is made of. My husband says it is wood, but the kind is unknown. I know the sofa and chair probably won't make the trip because they are fabric. (Who wants a musty sofa? Yuck!)

Thanks folks!

mnii the other reason we tell people not to bring everything is because most suggest you put your beloved items and storage and try out the island for 6 months or a year and see if you even like it because most do not stay, or only stay a year or two. Its very expensive to ship your furniture and cars down here for a year or two and then ship it back. On the flip side storage is usually pretty darn cheap stateside. So if you decide island life is good for you you can still bring all your possessions down later and at least half of all apartments are furnished (I would say more then half) so having furniture can sometimes even work against you when it comes to finding your ideal apartment. And storage here like everything else is expensive.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I am seriously one of those folks that is attached to my stuff. My hubby, on the other hand, would gladly let it all go and just come with what he can fit in two duffle bags. I don't like the hassle of re-buying. I love to cook and I have certain pots that I have seasoned "just right" and don't want to part with them. My seafood gumbo just won't taste the same. 🙂

I know that everyone is different, and has a different agenda. That being said, after we leave the state where we live, the chances of us moving back here are slim and none. So, where would we even store our treasured belongings? I know, an individual Q & A. Just giving you some background as to why I am thinking of just packing it all all and moving with it. (As I would if moving from one state to another on the mainland.)

To me, "Stuff" is one thing, and furniture is another. Rented places can come with both, but lots of folks have their own kitchen and linen things, even if they rent furnished. I have more 'Stuff" down here than I will ever need or use, and I keep on bringing it. But, I have lots in the states too, and don't necessarily use any more of it up there. In the old days--I'm thinking like 15 years ago--American was really easy about flying "stuff" down. It's more of a chore now, to get it packed and weighed and not stolen by TSA or AA in SJU or broken by whomever---I like having good cookware, and nice glasses, and I bring my linens, etc--We also brought tools, both mechanical etc, and outdoor tools, kitchen equipment, everything that makes a home to me. I insisted on having a battery charger and air compressor when we brought down our first car...Unlike many who come though, we are staying, though not currently full time, and when we can't be here any more, our kids will inherit our homes, and likely keep a couple--filled with "stuff". Meanwhile, my furniture is mostly loose cushion rattan and wicker, my mattresses are mildew-proof or in bags, and I keep a close eye on my wood furniture, watching for mildew and such.
It's the expense of bringing things here and then selling off or shipping home for the many who don't stay that can make it a real mistake.

Press board or pressed board is the stuff that swells up when it gets wet. I wasn't talking about cooking equipment. Most rentals don't have such great kitchen things because of the beating that takes. I have good knives & cookware, dishes, silver & that sort of thing but many times furniture such as couches just doesn't fit in or look right here. That even happens in Florida when people from the north move down & discover their furnishings just aren't "right." I personally wouldn't have upholstered chairs or sofas. Mine are the tightly woven wicker/rattan with loose cushions covered in sunbrella. It washes beautifully & the sunbrella is13 years old & looks brand new.

How old are your mattresses? You may love them but they might not be all that great in a couple of years if they're close to 10 years old. You'd have to check the shippers for the cost but personally, I wouldn't spend the money unless you got a real bargain on shipping.