Is it wort it to ship the staff from US to UK

Is it wort it to ship the furniture from US to UK?
I'm planning to move to UK and I've got 5000 GBP for relocation provided.
I'm interested to find out from everybody if they move the house hold furniture from US to UK or they sold it in US to buy new furniture in UK?

Bear in mind that depending on where you live, a lot of your US furniture might not fit either up the stairs or in the rooms of a British residence.  A California King bed, for instance, might totally overwhelm most British bedrooms and, if you're going to be living in an older house, you might end up having to take out the windows of the room to get the bed in or maybe that won't even work.  A large sectional couch might not fit either.  There is perfectly lovely furniture to be found at all prices in Britain that will be better scaled to living conditions.

Your electrical appliances - TV, lamps, etc., won't work anyway, at least without at the minimum rewiring.

I DID ship most of my books and personal items over when I relocated to Sweden, because I think you need a few items around that are familiar and comfortable to help with any move.

pycb, it completely depends on how much you value your furniture -- either sentimental or cash value. I chose to bring all of my furniture (barring electrics) with me, and have never regretted it. And that was paid for out of my own pocket! If you're getting a relocation allowance, you should definitely use it! I'm in a small British cottage, and everything fit here just fine. I should say that my US queen-size bed did have a split box-spring, but otherwise there may have been problems.

I keep seeing the subject, and it shoulds like "should i ship the butler, maid and nanny over too??" lol             







Good luck with your move!

LOL ImissEngland - I thought that too!!! 

I completely agree with chary. I didn't ship my furniture but I left it all in the attic at my mom's house. Three years on and even though we have a few pieces that I like, I still miss my furniture. I'm hoping to ship it in 2007.

Completely personal choice! I got rid of most of mine and bought stuff here. Still have a few things in storage, but am not missing it yet.

Thank you all for your opinions.

We shipped all of our furniture, save a few pieces (antiques and very large pieces).  It's nice to have them in the house now that the majority of boxes are gone.  Makes me feel a little more comfortable in such new surroundings. 

There were a few things I shipped that I wondered "What the @#%* was I thinking?" when I opened up the box or watched the movers move it in the house.   Like a 8 seat outdoor furniture set??!!  I mean c'mon...where was my brain when I said that should come over???

I did bring a few appliances (small kitchen) since I bought the voltage transformer/converter doo-hickies (sp??). 

Good luck with the move!

We brought everything except electrical appliances.  We hadn't intended to move everything but we paid for a container, it didn't go by weight, so we were encouraged to fill it up.  So we did!

Our bed, thankfully fit up the stairs after taking off part of the banister.

Now moving back, if it ever happens, may be another story.  I can't fathom moving all this crap again! 

We brought everything except electrical appliances.  We hadn't intended to move everything but we paid for a container, it didn't go by weight, so we were encouraged to fill it up.  So we did!

Absolutely! Once the moves estimate how much stuff you have, you'll be told you either need a half-container or a full one. Either way, you may as well fill up the space because you're paying for it!