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I need info on moving all my personal home stuf in a container from S/F Calif / To S/J Costa Rica, Price and headache’s. Thanks, B/H
We began with a local mover who walked through our home and did a complete inventory on a handheld computer. When finished, he gave us a very thorough inventory and a very accurate weight estimate.
Your household stuff weighs, on average, seven pounds per cubic foot. So if you divide the estimated weight by seven, you’ll have a pretty good idea of the cubic volume of your things. From that number, you can decide whether to get a 20- or a 40-foot shipping container. Remember that you can’t fill the container totally full to the top.
The cost of the container, including shipping, is fixed unless you include something very heavy, such as a car (which is a possibility), so you may as well fill it up. Don’t forget the volume of the packaging you’ll use.
Typically, you get about three hours to load the container, so be packed and ready before it arrives. We hired the local moving company to actually pack our container. We figured they had both the strong backs and the experience loading which we lack.
Your local mover can arrange to have a container delivered to you and then shipped internationally. Or you can initiate the process from Costa Rica, which we did. We felt that the local companies might have a better feel for the Customs process here in C.R.
As you pack, you must keep careful lists showing each item and a value for it. Each item must be numbered on the list and on the box, etc. We found it useful to get some heavy paper tags with wire ties to put on things that didn’t fit into boxes (stuff like hoses, tools, etc),
The first list is for U.S. Customs who wants to know what you’re exporting. Make it vague and undervalue each item; remember, everything’s used.
The next list is for C.R. Customs. Make it vague, too, and DO NOT include a value.
The third list is for insurance. It must be more detailed than the other two, and it must have a declared value for each item. If you don’t want to insure something, don’t value it.
The fourth (optional) list would be a sequence for delivery. We planned to be in temporary quarters while our permanent home is being built, so we gave the mover a list of what we would want to be delivered in the first phase and in the second. You may not need this list.
Two Costa Rican companies who do a lot of moves from the U.S. are SG Global (jsueiras@sgglobalcr.com) and ABC Mudanzas who advertises in A.M. Costa Rica.
It will take about six weeks to get your container to Costa Rica from the U.S.
There’s probably more. Don’t hesitate to e-mail me: daveandmarcia@racsa.co.cr
I am planning to move all my furniture also to Costa Rica and this is really good info. I would like to know if we have to pay any taxes to the Local Goverment to bring our stuff, hopefully is not as high then bring that taking a vehicle to Costa Rica.
this post was so fantastic! Thanks so much for taking the time to be so specific.What a treat! It will really help.
Local government plays no part in the import process, but Costa Rican Customs does. Yes, you will pay import duty on your household goods. That’s why it’s important to list everything as “used”.
A friend has a price quote from one of the Costa Rica-based movers that includes a GUARANTEED Customs duty amount. I don’t know how they can guarantee the figure, but it might be worth looking into.
This is great info for sure – thanks a bunch! I am also interested in the cost of the packing and shipping of the container to CR – do you have an estimate in US dollars?
Mel, the cost of shipping the container is based on where it’s coming from and where it’s going to. Unless you put something very heavy in it (like a car), the cost of the container and its shipping is fixed. You’ll have to figure out how large a container you’ll need, then contact moving companies in the U.S. or here in Costa Rica to get an estimate. I’m pretty sure they can give you a guaranteed fixed price, good for 30 or 60 days, for everything except Customs duty.
All these companies, U.S. and C.R. can arrange packing services, provide packing materials, and load the container. I highly recommend you let them do the actual loading of the container. What packing costs depends on what you’re packing and how much of it there is. Again, only they can tell you what packing will cost, and every household will vary.
Yes, a dollar estimate on a 20 or 40 foot container would be great. Does anyone have even a “ballpark” figure? Many thanks.
Mel, as I said above, it depends entirely upon where it’s coming from, where it’s going, fuel costs, what services you require, etc, etc, etc.
If you ship a 20-foot container from (say) Long Beach, California (where there’s a seaport), the cost will be much different than if you send a 40-foot container from St. Louis, Missouri. There are so many variables that unless a reader here has recently shipped a similar container from someplace close to you (which you have not revealed) to wherever you’re sending it (which you have also not revealed), there is simply no basis for even a guess.
A local moving company in your hometown, however, can give you some very good numbers. Their business is to sell moving services, and they’re prepared to inventory your home, offer you an array of services, determine where your shipment is headed, and give you a price. All it takes is a phone call.
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