Getting the clothes and toys from the US to Germany

August 13, 2015 4:59 PM

My friends are moving the family from the US to Germany. They are planning on getting rid of most of the things they own, but would like to keep a number of the children's toys and books, some instruments, clothing, and miscellaneous other items. I'm guessing they're looking to keep around 250lbs of stuff to be shipped in boxes. What is the least expensive way of shipping several 40ish pound boxes from the US to Germany?
posted by The Great Big Mulp to Home & Garden (7 answers total)

Best answer: They may want to look at the U-crate and similar options from upakweship.com. The forums at Toytown Germany are also a great resource.
posted by melissasaurus at 5:39 PM on August 13, 2015

What about using USPS? I think they offer the lowest shipping cost.
posted by Queeny at 6:11 PM on August 13, 2015

As someone who has moved back and forth between Germany and the US a few times in my life, I would also recommend paying for extra suitcases. (I'd recommend calling the airline to see about specifics: I'm guessing that each traveler could bring one additional piece of checked luggage for, say, $50-75 each?)

I'd certainly check out DHL, UPS, FedEx, and the USPS. Unfortunately, it has gotten extremely expensive to mail package abroad through the USPS so that'll likely be a back-up option rather than ideal first choice.

Another thing to consider, if you're willing to help and are interested in visiting them (of course!) They could bring those additional suitcases but leave some items with you, too; you could bring a small carry-on with your belongings as well as their checked suitcases. In return, they could give you some German goodies, like delicious chocolate, to take home as a thank you. (Admittedly, this is a bit of wishful thinking and projection on my part!)
posted by smorgasbord at 7:16 PM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]

I moved to Germany from outside the eu with a 10 smallish boxes of books and clothes (using a moving company who did customs paperwork) and they held up the while lot at customs and really had me Over a barrel making me prove how long they'd been out of the eu and I had to show job contracts and tenancy agreements etc from my previous country. Totally unexpected and really weird. They felt they were household items, but they weren't, they were personal items. Anyway, my point is that you should take pictures of what you pack in each box. And german customs really do their job.
posted by pairofshades at 9:38 PM on August 13, 2015

Nthing suitcases. I moved from the US to Spain eight years ago and have slowly been bringing my things over in an extra suitcase every trip. It will always be much cheaper than traditional shipping, as long as the items meet the weight/size allowance. Non-essential items like books or toys with sentimental value can sit in a box in a parent's or friend's attic until the next trip.
posted by lollymccatburglar at 4:38 AM on August 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I guess the issue with suitcases is that the rest of the family is already in Germany, and he only plans on taking one flight back before remaining there for the foreseeable future -- there won't be much in the way of reason or resources for coming back to the US, so multiple trips are out. And he'd have to buy luggage. (And, boy, would I love to go visit them and bring some of their stuff, but, miracles aside, that's not in the cards for a long time.)
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 11:11 AM on August 14, 2015

FWIW your luggage don't need to be suitcases, I've seen people bring large cardboard boxes as their checked baggage. Make sure to stay under 50lbs per bag (since there is usually a steep surcharge above that weight).
posted by vegetableagony at 3:22 PM on September 2, 2015