What did you ship vs buy new?

That is a very good question. I am sure everyone who answers will have a different opinion. We accumulate lots of "stuff" during our lives, it is hard to know what is really important. I tend to be a throw away kind of guy, while my wife wants to keep "stuff". (?George Carlin?)

When we moved, we stored or sold or dumped most everything. The hardest for me was art stuff.., paintings, pottery, sculpture. Those we mostly stored, they are still stored...

Move as light as possible. Big furniture can be replaced. Cars can be replaced. Do the math.

Many homes for sale or rent come with dishes, pots and pans, and linens - many come furnished as well. If you buy a furnished home and you don't like some of the furniture you can sell what you don't like and buy replacement items. Decorative items are also pretty easy to come by on the island.

We moved both ways - to and from St. Croix - with basically nothing. Shipped about 15 boxes of clothes and books via USPS and that's it. We found it much easier (and less expensive) to just buy new items.

The lemon and lime tree may or may not do well on St. Croix - most citrus does not fare well due to the high rates of UV radiation. The cherry tree most assuredly will not survive. So you might be better off leaving those loved plants with a family member.

You should check with Dept. of Agriculture if bringing in plants.
See https://www.vimovingcenter.com/talk/read.php?4,219472

Consider the fact that you will have to replace everything you do not bring vs. the cost of bringing what you already have.
It adds up when you have to start from scratch plus purchase a car, pay, 1st, last and security for rent and pay deposits for utilities.
Places that come furnished with everything and include utilities will cost considerably more than those that do not.

i would suggest if you like your car and it is paid off-ship it
ship anything relating to hobbies or your job
any personal mementos, ship unless you have a relative or friend that can store it.
and pets you love that can fly-ship
keep a few winter clothes, you never know when you might need them for a trip up north. i had to make an unscheduled trip to md one year in feb for a funeral 22 degrees out-cold
if you have favorite books you cant live without. keep
favorite quilts-keep
if you have favorite kitchen appliances like a kitchenaid stand mixer-keep

the idea is to ship anything you can not live without and would cost a lot more to re buy them when you get here. the only thing we did not ship down was furniture.

The chioces for good quality furniture are limited and expensive.

Riverwed, which island are you moving too? There are differences.

If I were you and have been in the past, I would rent a storage unit where you are from and store all NON escential items in it. I wouldn't sell them as if you are never to return because as with most state siders that come to the islands average about two-five years and then move back to the states. You will be quite surprised at what you can live without once you get to where you are going. Have you been to the islands before, do you have a job already lined up, do you have a place to stay already lined up? These are the questions I'm curious about. The other escential items and non escential items can be picked up on island whether it be from a retail outlet, renting type store or buying from yard sales or used.

i would suggest if you like your car and it is paid off-ship it
ship anything relating to hobbies or your job
any personal mementos, ship unless you have a relative or friend that can store it.
and pets you love that can fly-ship
keep a few winter clothes, you never know when you might need them for a trip up north. i had to make an unscheduled trip to md one year in feb for a funeral 22 degrees out-cold
if you have favorite books you cant live without. keep
favorite quilts-keep
if you have favorite kitchen appliances like a kitchenaid stand mixer-keep

the idea is to ship anything you can not live without and would cost a lot more to re buy them when you get here. the only thing we did not ship down was furniture.

Speaking of car, we do have a nice, newer paid off 4wd F150 truck. DH loves his truck but thinks a Jeep may be better suited for the island since its smaller and gets better gas mileage. I've read 4wd vehicles can be a hot commodity. Does it make the most sense to ship the truck and look to sell it and replace it with a jeep when we get there or get what we want while we're here and then ship the car we want to have? I'm guessing the truck would be more to ship since its heavier.

Riverwed, which island are you moving too? There are differences.

Not sure yet. Hoping to determine that during our PMV. Probably not STX, but the others are all on the table.

If I were you and have been in the past, I would rent a storage unit where you are from and store all NON escential items in it. I wouldn't sell them as if you are never to return because as with most state siders that come to the islands average about two-five years and then move back to the states. You will be quite surprised at what you can live without once you get to where you are going. Have you been to the islands before, do you have a job already lined up, do you have a place to stay already lined up? These are the questions I'm curious about. The other escential items and non escential items can be picked up on island whether it be from a retail outlet, renting type store or buying from yard sales or used.

We've not been to the USVI but we are well traveled and have spent time on other islands and in the Caribbean so we know generally what to expect and how island life differs from the mainland. We're not going with the mindset of we have to make this work as a forever move so much as we feel like even if we don't decide to stay until retirement, we won't regret the years we do spend here, and we are making a PMV before we make a final decision. I have a potential job in the works but we would like to make the move even if it falls through, and we have adequate savings to get by for several months if it takes some time to find work.

I'd say bring both then decide as a truck will come in handy (hauling furniture you have to buy, for instance). I couldn't live without mine. You can always sell it here for more than you can stateside. Take a look on Craig's list and see what used cars/trucks are selling for and also look at prices on some of our dealerships to give you an idea of what to expect. Better to pay to ship what you know and trust runs well than to pay the cost of shipping (or more) for a island "beater" whose mechanical background may be questionable, at best. Some deals can be had but are few and far between and are snapped up immediately. Good Luck with whatever you decide..

you can get buy without a jeep or 4 wheel drive just fine. i moved here with my escort ( 1996 ) and i saw it a couple of months ago still alive and doing well.

If you decided to live on STJ year round you would be far better off with a 4WD vehicle but you don't need it on STT.

As far as everything else goes just bring what you need in a couple of suitcases initially, put the rest in storage or with friends/family and then when you've been here for a while and have settled in, decide what (if anything) you can't live without and have it shipped. It is VERY expensive to ship stuff back that you've brought here and thus there are great deals to be had at house and yard sales!

I posted at least 10 posts throughout the last year that said bring yor car if u have a decent high clearance car. None of my posts were vague including my one year in post which again said bring one of you can.

If you decide to buy here bring $ and be prepared to be without a car for at least 3 months. Most cars here to buy need work regardless of what the owners say. Never buy without a mechanic looking first.

Since you've never been here and don't know how long you will be here, if I were in your shoes, I would save my $$ and not ship any furniture for at least a year. Put it all in storage while you sort out exactly where you want to live, etc. - these things can take some time even after you make the move. If you still want to be here after a year, you'll have a better idea of what to ship down.

The truck I would ship; if you want something else you can sell an F150 easily here.

Thanks for the insight. I'm not opposed to storing stuff for a year and waiting to ship it, but I still don't want to store/ship more than is necessary. Can anyone with kids weigh in on what kid stuff you shipped and what you got rid of? While I have no problem donating all my books, I can't imagine getting rid of all DDs books and stuff and while kids don't *need* a lot, I can't imagine not shipping down at least a few boxes of her toys right away. Disappointed to read you have to ship your vehicle empty because that would have been just the right amount of space to take enough to get us started without feeling like a college student starting from scratch to build a home.

I am not sure that you have to ship your vehicle empty.
Maaybe someone else can help with that question as I have heard some companies allow it.

Most shipping companies allow you to build an enclosed box on the back of your pickup as long as the sides do not extend beyond the sides of the truck and the height of the box is no nigher than the cab of the truck. Then you can fill the box with items you intend to ship. Mimi St. John of Tropical shipping is the one that told me about this. I think the shipping cost for an F150 would be about $3500.00 but don't quote me on that.

Some folk elect to fly down to Ft. Lauderdale and buy a used car there and then have the dealership deliver it to the shipper for transport. So that is also an option. Where are you located? You may have to drive your vehicle to Florida for shipment, usually Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.

Most shipping companies allow you to build an enclosed box on the back of your pickup as long as the sides do not extend beyond the sides of the truck and the height of the box is no nigher than the cab of the truck. Then you can fill the box with items you intend to ship. Mimi St. John of Tropical shipping is the one that told me about this. I think the shipping cost for an F150 would be about $3500.00 but don't quote me on that.

Some folk elect to fly down to Ft. Lauderdale and buy a used car there and then have the dealership deliver it to the shipper for transport. So that is also an option. Where are you located? You may have to drive your vehicle to Florida for shipment, usually Jacksonville, Ft. Lauderdale or Miami.

Interesting. Several threads said that it had to be empty. If the bed already has a topper, does that count? Its a soft top, not a hard top.

We're in the Midwest but likely will drive down anyway to save costs on flights and shipping when we're ready for the big move.

Maybe you should be talking to a shipping company for your information source.

Maybe you should be talking to a shipping company for your information source.

:S I will when I'm ready to actually ship. Just doing a little pre-planning now. Thanks for the sarcasm though.

No problem.. After being in the shipping business between the VI and worldwide for over 35 years, the responses that I read here can be amusing.

i have heard some companies allow it, crowley did not allow it.