What to fill a 40ft container with...

[singsing]

Hi there

I am going to be relocating to Singapore from Hong Kong over the next couple of months with a wife and 1 year old toddler in tow.

In Hong Kong we have lived in rented accomodation the three or so years we have been here and have not had to purchase any white goods, furniture, tv etc. In Singapore we'd like to make a proper family home and buy our own furnishing, decor etc

The question for this superb and helpful forum is: If I have a paid for 40ft container, what should I be buying in Hong Kong and bringing to Singapore and what should I leave to buy until I get there?

I am thinking along the lines of:

A new LCD TV (40" at least)
AV equipment
BBQ (I am aiming for a terrace or large balcony, I'm going to need one of these!)
Solid Wooden Furniture
Decorative Pieces - both Eastern and Western design influnces
Toddlers neccessities

Any advice much appreciated.

[ching]

Hi,

I'm not very familiar with the prices in HK, but LCV TVs in Singapore are quite reasonably priced.

Wooden furniture may be better to get here than HK too -- depends on what kind of furniture you want and if there is a specific style you are looking for.

A 40-foot container is a lot of space, particularly if you've been renting and haven't got a lot of stuff!

Are you paying for the shipment personally or is your company footing the bill? Would your HR folks consider giving you a relocation allowance plus a smaller container instead? You could take what you'd save on shipping and use it to buy stuff locally in SG

[clammy]

get the furniture, the decorative pieces that you like & prob the BBQ and all the BIG BULKY items on the shipment, the rest, you can get them cheaper in spore.. esp on LCD, electrical and toddler stuff... oh but kids clothes are not that cheap here...

and yes, consider changing to a smaller capacity with moving allowance for you to settle in, that is a better way to maximise it.
or see if you can split the shipment twice or to other forms that allow more flexibility...

i've lived in HK almost 4yrs myself and is back to spore so i know...

welcome to singers! cheers

[rafciu]

Hi Singsing
I`m moving to Singapore in the end of august and im looking to ship my stuff too.Maybe i could participate in costs of shipping...?
Let me know if interested.You can call me on 97420746
Cheers
Rafael

[ksl]

One doesn't normally purchase a 40ft container, if one doesn't need it. It takes such a short time for an experienced guy to tell you how much room you need, so why not get someone that knows.

Personally i wouldn't bother with anything until you have found a location to live. Unless you want to waste money that is. But maybe the options are cheaper in HK, the shipping of a container is not cheap, so I would first see if it is feasible or not. Everything is probably cheaper in HK though.

And to share cost with a stranger, you should think again, they have the death penalty here, for any drug smuggling.

[micknlea]

Asian sytle solid wooden furniture (this is meaning Chinese style rather than Indonesian of course) and decorative pieces are definitely cheaper and a bigger range in HK (and Macau) rather than Sing, if you want things like that bring them along with you.

The other stuff is pretty similarly priced and readily available. Electronics are slightly cheaper in HK but not a lot different.

[singsing]

Hi All

Thanks for all the responses. It’s a great crowd on this forum.

We have decided to just be practical and purchase the AV stuff that we were going to get anyway, regardless of the relocation, in Hong Kong and purchase furniture and other household items in Singapore.

That means it’s unlikely we would need a 40ft container. Its back to negotiations with HR around whether they would give me back the saving they make on the shipping cost in order to assist with buying furniture when we find a place in Singapore. Sharing a container with somebody else is out of the question, sorry! I don’t want to add any more stress for the family on this.

However, I've heard that toddler clothes are definitely more expensive in Singapore than in Hong Kong. There's no equivalent to H&M or Stanley market for example. So we're stocking up on some of that. Feel free to correct me if I am mistaken...

Looking forward to more space, cleaner skies, a more outdoor lifestyle, alfresco meals, having a swimming pool and gym at my doorstep etc

Not looking so forward to the loss of the ultra efficiency and convenience of Hong Kong.

HeHe, can’t have it all eh...!

Thanks All.

[Icemocha]

Wise choice not to ship any wooden furnitures here. Indonesian wooden furnitures we have here are better than wooden furnitures from HK. Unless you like the Chinese style.

Children clothings are indeed cheaper in HK. As for Stanley market, there are equivalent here in SG.

You will enjoy the ultra efficiency in SG.

[nmas]

hongkong price vs sg price is not a big advantage.

however if you go across the border and directly import things from China it will be a different case. Just like the Singaporeans here import things from Malaysia...

[sierra2469alpha]

Yeh agree re: 40ft - we moved a three bedroom apartment with two queen size beds, lots of furniture, a plethora of kitchen/crockery, books etc., and still had space in our 20ft container from Aus. All up it was $AUD5500 door to door.

Good luck with your move!