what to ship to the UK vs. what to buy new?

I'm really not sure what furniture items to ship to the UK vs. just buying all new stuff.

Has anyone done a comparison of big ticket items? Specifically a bed? Is it cheaper to ship it or buy new?

Obviously I'd make sure we had plenty of room for my US furniture before shipping it

It will cost you ALOT to ship, we're talking 5k and up possibly.  I just sold everything and have already bought some used furniture in Scotland.  Plus due to the tiny homes over there most of my stuff won't fit.

It depends on what you have, how much you want to bring over, how much it means to you, etc. I brought everything in my house (except for electronics) and have had no problem with things fitting into my US place. A lot of my stuff was either antique or had strong sentimental value, etc. And once you've decided that you need a big container to ship your things over, it doesn't cost you any more to fill it all the way up than it does to fill it 2/3 of the way up. It is expensive but, to me, worth every penny. But only you can decide whether that's the right option for you.

Cost is also dependant upon where in the US you are coming from and time of year might have an impact.

The weird thing I've found about the UK is.. if you go out to buy something big (like most furniture), it's really expensive, especially if you need it delivered.  Thrift shops don't have large items, at least not in our area.  But you can easily get stuff for free.  While we were waiting for our shipment, we were given area carpets, a bed and chests of drawers.. lamps.. garden furniture.. an office chair.. a stereo system.. the list goes on.. and I didn't even look at freecycle,  this was just locals seeing a vacuum at our house.  Sure, not top-range goods, but free!

So,  if anyone else can corroborate my experience, I'd say just bring the good stuff.

Also, there is lots of great stuff going for free on Freecycle. Also if you buy furniture from somewhere like Ikea or Ilva, I believe its the same delivery price if you buy one big item or if you buy 10! I find that in the smaller sized houses in the UK Ikea furniture is really convenient...especially the Pax Wardrobed!

So,  if anyone else can corroborate my experience, I'd say just bring the good stuff.

This is pretty much what I did.  And, yes, it's pretty easy to find free stuff in London, at least for us.  We live down the street from a charity shop, and I guess they get large donations that they don't have room to store to sell and often put free stuff out in front of the shop.  Nothing spectacular, but functional.   Ikea fills a huge void as well.

You can do smallish shipments with just things that you might have a hard time finding in the UK and things with sentimental value.  There's a few threads on what to pack, but if you want, you can post a list of what you plan on shipping before you do and people can let you know if it's worth shipping or not.

Thanks, everyone. I didn't realize that time of year would make a difference in price.

My husband wants to ship over his canoe. (Which is why I'm thinking of bringing some furniture, too.)

Anyone have experience shipping a rather large canoe? Or is it all pretty standard?

No experience with canoes, but if that's going in the ship, for sure you should throw in the furniture.  Call up some shipping companies for quotes.

Call up some shipping companies for quotes.

Will do soon! Thanks.

I would look over this site to get an idea of what to avoid and what to look for when choosing a moving company.  I wish I had found it before I put my first feelers out for moving companies.  I went with one of the recommended companies, and was somewhat satisfied.  The people they subcontracted with on both ends could have been a lot better, but I got my stuff and paid around the quote, which is a lot better than some people end up with.  Good luck.

Moggs: Thanks so much for the link.

Buying new is not cheap!  Paying to have your items shipped is not cheap!  The good news is I got my car insurance at GEICO!    (Actually GEICO does do international car insurance in the UK which is a useful sidebit of information)

However, I have just gone through this move and prepared some helpful tips to the very question you are asking.  It can be daunting, hopefully these suggestions make it easier for you. http://www.travelnwork.info/2008/01/to-sell-or-not-to-sell.html  If I missed anything and there are more questions please let me know.