OK, you’ve figures out , how to support yourself, how you are going to communicate via paper, phone and computer, how to work your banking and how to get a visa.  Now the actual fun part begins.  You get to move things.

The first question is not always as simple as it seems … what will you take?

In general, after having made a "cubic foot"  limited move, I’d say, bring everything!  Several acquaintances of mine who are living here now also share that advice.  They each shipped a whole 40 foot ocean freight container … 40′x8′x8′ … and feel they made good use of it.  I shipped less than half that much, and while I got most things that I needed, and the Unofficial Cook got to bring most of what she needed to keep her fabulous kitchen in operation, we both still miss things every day.

The one thing many Americans want to bring is their car or motorcycle.  In general, the answer to that is, you can’t.  The import rules for motor vehicles, 2 or 4 wheels, (and motor vehicle parts, as well, should you be thinking about taking the motorcycle apart and shipping the pieces) are very restrictive, and the custom duties add up to more than the retail value of the vehicle.  Shipping itself will add several thousand to that.  If you insist you must ship a car, Google for specialists in that department, because I can’t offer any more detailed advice.  Auto import and auto smuggling are a really big hot button with the government, so it is something I don’t choose to delve into.  Guns, also, are a big issue.  Legally a foreigner can not own a weapon.  There are ways to legally import them under the control of licensed importers and store them in approved facilities, such as gun clubs … you can’t carry them and can’t keep them in your home …  but again, that’s way outside my scope.

Aside from those issues, pretty much anything that is your personal property, in reasonable quantities, can ship.  If you are shipping via the multiple box method, customs usually does not check very closely.  If you are making one shipment under a visa entitlement, there is a restriction of $7,000 USD total value.  That doesn’t sound like much, but if you look at used prices .. fair market value .. it covers most households … I mean, how much would you make if you sold it all to a used furniture dealer?  Just don’t so as I have heard of some bright sparks of hope doing .. declare the value of less than $7,000 and then attaching insurance papers showing you bought a policy for a declared value of $30 or $40,000 USD … come on now, these inspectors can put 2 and 2 together, you know.

OK, inventory, valuation issues, now the actual how. 

You can find any number of moving companies (Google is your friend) who will come to your house, pack your belongings, ship them and deliver and unpack them in the Philippines.  The amount it costs will depend upon how much you ship and how much service you want to provide yourself.

The method I used, and the one I recommend is to use a Philippine shipping specialist company who deals directly with the Philippines using ocean freight containers.  Again, there are many to chose from.  The one I used and the one I very highly recommend is Manila Forwarder  in Los Angeles, CA.  they can do it all.  The CEO, Manny Paez, is a personal friend of mine, don’t hesitate to ask Manny or any of his excellent staff for help or special requests.

basically there are three options:

1. They send a container to be dropped of at your residence and you set a time for it to be picked up for shipment.
2. They arrange a time for a truck to come with a container and you get a couple hours to ‘stuff’ the container and send it on it’s way.
3. You deliver you goods to their warehouse in Los Angles and they stuff the container for you and deliver it at the Philippines end.

Option 3 is the one I chose.  I rented a U-Haul to get my stuff from Colorado to California, took about 2 days to pack the truck and 2.5 days to schlep it out to LA.  Method 1 or method 2 would be easier, believe me, but my wife and I had to get to California somehow so the U-Haul served as our transportation as well as the household goods.  There’s a U-Haul dealer within site of the Los Angeles airport, so you can drop off your boxes, then drop off your truck and finally drop into your seat on the outbound flight.

So, that’s some thoughts on the mechanics of getting your items moved … tomorrow I’ll give you some specific tips on packing and perhaps some things you don’t know you want to bring.

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