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My husband and I hope to move to Costa Rica from Canada this fall. We have booked a 3 week trip starting June 21, 2006, at this time we will be taking one of George Lundquists tours. In preparation we are currently downsizing but wonder if we should take such things as our excellent cookware, my favorite dishes, linens, some antiques, hand tools, compressor, sewing machine, serger etc. It is difficult to find specific information on the process of moving these things and the costs associated. Can anyone help? Thanks
Apart from the antiques, these items are clearly necessitites, for personal use and not for resale and if I were you, I would bring them when moving here.
Depending on where you will be living, the antiques may not survive well here. Might be best to sell them …
But what on earth is a serger?
Scott – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI’m moving to Costa Rica in the next 60 days and the only things I am bringing with me are my extensive art, basket, and pottery collection, the good china and crystal, and clothes. Almost everything else can be bought in Costa Rica, even good stainless steel cookware (the thing I was most worried about!) I wouldn’t even bring all that china and crystal but for the fact it was my mother’s and I’d never in a million years spend that kind of money for those things. My husband, who is an artist, is bringing some small tools, but he plans to replace the bigger items — like a tile saw — when he gets here. Even with this massive downsizing, it’s still going to cost two grand+ to bring the stuff I mentioned.
Thanks Scott! First of all a serger is a machine that neatly finishes the insides of seams on fabric.
The antiques are chests of drawers that have been passed down in the family for many years as well as china type things that are more of an ornamental nature.
Can we bring artwork, large prints or will we be heavily taxed on them. We think that we will ship our belongings in a container and the cost I am really not sure about is the amount we would be taxed on bringing them to Costa Rica.
I’m moving from the States. The more I think about having to pack anything, the more I want to get rid of it ALL! LOL
Hello,
Sorry for not writing sooner. Cookware is more expensive and not as good so bring your cookware and any electric appliances like waffle iron, electric skillets. In fact if I was packing things I would bring almost everything from my kitchen. We moved here with out bringing anything and it is expensive to replace a lot of things and some you have to go all over Costa Rica to find.
We do a lot of different style cooking and the Costa Rican does not normally. Now there are some gourmet cooks but such things as pasta makers, cast iron, and clay cookware are not common. Quality cookware and other kitchen equipment.
Do you have any throw rugs, your choices are not great so if you have some you really like and if they are good bring them.
You will enjoy sewing here so bring your machine and any extra material you have. The cost and the quality of fabric will amaze you. I usually go to Panama to purchase fabric or either buy it when I go to the US.
That old Sofa that you are comfortable with but think it is on it’s last leg, get the material you would cover it with and bring it. You can get sofa and love seat covered for about $100.00. The quality of the furniture is good but it is just not as comfortable as ours. Even the sofa’s people get that cost a little more are as hard as a brick. At least to most N. Americans.
If you are going to send things by ship you may as well fit as much as you can of the things you would have to replace. We have found that people paid a lot to send a little and others paid little to send a lot. You can contact the shipping company and they will come out and give you an estimate.
Bath towels and linen is expensive, no competition and plus the good quality has a much smaller market then in the US. So this drives prices up. The average Tico does not have a closet full of towels and linen. Now I am saying average. They have some rich Ticos. I have found that even some of them with money do not purchase as most N. Americans purchase.
You usually end up spending the money for buying them new or spend money for shipping them. After having a big fork I was using break at the handle, that convinced me that the quality is betterif purchased in the US or Canada.
Good quality strainers, cooking spoons, mixing bowels. The large mixing bowels are almost impossible to find. No if you are going to be living in areas close to Escazu and San Jose perhaps they will not be hard to find but if you are going to live an area like Grecia it is hard to find. Plus you know some of those seconds that are usually at reduced price at home? Well a lot of those are at the regular price here.
I purchased two electric fry pans and they both burned out or had problems within 1 year of purchase. Now when I want anything like that, guess where we purchase them from. When we go home and visit. So if you are not planning to go home much bring you kitchen with you and all of your sewing supplies. The sewing supplies are another story.
It is great living here do not get me wrong we love living here, but we just have to realize that some things we take as everyday items are luxury here.
Prices you know are driven by the market for things. You can go to Panama and purchase things in a port area pretty cheap but then you have to go to Panama City and that is about 14 hours from San Jose.
Lol, I hear you, it does seem a bit overwhelming at times. I was kinda hoping you were from Canada so that you could recommend a company to do our shipping.
Go to a store called TIPS in Pavas (just around the corner from Channel 7 television) and you’ll find TONS of quality kitchen accessories (NOT appliances) offered at great prices.
It’s the store where all the restaurant owners buy their kitchen and baking stuff and I can assure you the prices are better than most places you’ll find in the USA
What seems to be missing is the understanding that no matter where in the world you are, for brand name ‘sophisticated’ imported kitchen items, the further away you are from the big cities, the more you will pay. The same applies here.
All those items manufactured in China (seems to be 90% of all items manufactured) are a darned site cheaper in Costa Rica than they are in the USA.
Scott -Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comAnd as for furniture — you can get very beautiful and SOFT couches and chair if you ask them to make them SUAVE!!! MUY SUAVE! Some of the most comfortable sofas I’ve ever put my behind on were in Costa Rica. As for cookware, I found German-made stainless steel cookware in San Ramon — yes it was a little more expensive, but shipping isn’t cheap either. I am bringing my Pai-Pai pottery with me because that can’t be replaced, but everything else can be gotten here.
Maravilla,
Personally I love the N.American sofa’s. Now other furniture here is nice but the N. American sofa beats any country that we have lived in. If a person is going to ship things that take a container, which is large they may as well fit as much in as possible.
Finding good cookware is an adventure trip. I still would have preferred to bring my good quality things with me. Waterless cookware is probably here if you know where, please tell me. Caste Iron , I love, if you know where good quality caste iron is please let me know.
Any reputable furniture maker in CR can duplicate an American sofa. I found sofas in Sarchi that were every bit as stylish and comfortable as the one I have here. You just need to tell them what you want — show them a picture and they will duplicate anything. That’s what I’m going to do for my living room furniture. And tell them MUY SUAVE!!! lol
I found cast iron cookware in a Ferreteria in San Ramon — I only needed a grill pan so that was what I bought. As Scott said, TIPS has every other thing you need — as a former chef, you can imagine how many gadgets and do-dads I have, most of which I will bring with me beause some belonged to my mom and grandmother. I went to every home store in San Ramon looking at what they had to see what I could jettison and then replace in CR — and basically they had everything. Yes, a blender was a little more expensive, but how much does it cost to ship the one I have?
I went to tips and they did have many items but not tons and the prices are crazy. The difference in the prices will more then offset my trip home. I purchased some nice things and some emergency items but the supply and demand and competitive edge is just not here. Tips has no competition.
If you are going to live in an area away from San Jose and the surrounding areas then bring your stuff.
The difference may be in taste. I looked at the cast iron and it was not the quality that I wanted. Plus they did not have the stew pot or the roaster, nor the larger skillet. Just like it is hard to find a large crab cooking pot. In the area that we live in the Costa Ricans do not eat crab. So if you want or need a large crab cooking pot bring it.
I’ve lived here four years and finding things have been an adventure but if I were going to ship things my kitchen items would be near the top of the list.
Foam padding for the bed soft comforters, great bath towels. I paid a lot for Cannon here and they did not last very long they started coming apart. That has never happened to me before.
One womens opinion. One more thing spices, such as Old Bay, file, put it in the box and bring it.
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