After many long weeks (more than three months, to be exact), our shipment from Doha finally arrived in Utah. J was convinced it was going to end up sliding off the ship during high seas and plunging into the depths of the ocean, and we have heard many horror stories about folks putting their trust in shady moving companies and ending up losing their belongings or paying thousands of dollars to get their shipments out of port, but, fortunately for us, the container was able to stay on board safely and our four cubic meters of boxes are now in my in-laws' storage property, awaiting their next destination. And the delivery was all good news: our US customs' fee was only about $100 (we were told it could be as much as $1500), all the boxes were still in tact, with no dents or water damage, and the container our Doha folks had built around our boxes was so sturdy it took the local guys here almost half an hour to get it open to unload.
Our last shipment arrived in Doha somewhat damp and with many boxes opened and not repacked by Qatari customs agents, but everything was more or less fine. I can't even remember who we went with that time...let me think...ah yes, it was Corrigan International, and they were very good as well, but it's much easier (though not as easy as you would think--there are a LOT of moving scammers out there!) to find a reputable company going from the US to Doha versus finding someone to take you the other direction!
In case anyone was wondering (particularly our Doha friends), we went with Allied Pickfords, and they were great the whole way through. We liked the fact that Allied was in charge of our possessions the whole way, with the exception of its time on the shipping vessel itself, and they even gave us a tracking number for that stage of the journey. They weren't the cheapest quote we got, but they were the most professional and reassuring, and, when you're trusting folks with what's left of your worldly goods, professionalism and reassurance are key!
Unfortunately, now that we are here and getting more settled, I am regretting a few of the things we sold that are NOT in the shipment somewhere. Not too many things, but a few. We decided to sell things we could easily replace here, that had no sentimental value, and were not books (which constituted half of our shipment weight). We knew we would replace all our furniture, which wasn't that spectacular to begin with, but now I find myself wishing we had kept our duvet covers, for instance. Little things like those won't break the bank, but there are quite a few of them we now have to buy, as well as a house full of furniture, and even for a shopping maven like myself, it's a lot to do!
I have begun the process already, however, so I'm not completely overwhelmed when we do finally move to more permanent quarters. So far we have a dining table and chairs and a bench, as well as a coffee table and matching end tables, the former bought on super sale and the later from a garage sale last week. I also have full virtual shopping carts at Ikea and Wayfair and Overstock.com, and I update them frequently as I find things at other local places. It's a slow process, but I don't want to overreact and buy something we then can't use at our new place--I'm not THAT enamored with yard sales that I want to have one when I move IN and well as when I move OUT!
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| Look how snugly packed out little less-than-container load is! |
In case anyone was wondering (particularly our Doha friends), we went with Allied Pickfords, and they were great the whole way through. We liked the fact that Allied was in charge of our possessions the whole way, with the exception of its time on the shipping vessel itself, and they even gave us a tracking number for that stage of the journey. They weren't the cheapest quote we got, but they were the most professional and reassuring, and, when you're trusting folks with what's left of your worldly goods, professionalism and reassurance are key!
Unfortunately, now that we are here and getting more settled, I am regretting a few of the things we sold that are NOT in the shipment somewhere. Not too many things, but a few. We decided to sell things we could easily replace here, that had no sentimental value, and were not books (which constituted half of our shipment weight). We knew we would replace all our furniture, which wasn't that spectacular to begin with, but now I find myself wishing we had kept our duvet covers, for instance. Little things like those won't break the bank, but there are quite a few of them we now have to buy, as well as a house full of furniture, and even for a shopping maven like myself, it's a lot to do!
I have begun the process already, however, so I'm not completely overwhelmed when we do finally move to more permanent quarters. So far we have a dining table and chairs and a bench, as well as a coffee table and matching end tables, the former bought on super sale and the later from a garage sale last week. I also have full virtual shopping carts at Ikea and Wayfair and Overstock.com, and I update them frequently as I find things at other local places. It's a slow process, but I don't want to overreact and buy something we then can't use at our new place--I'm not THAT enamored with yard sales that I want to have one when I move IN and well as when I move OUT!
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