Dilemma

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vivile

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Apr 1, 2009
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Hi

We are moving to Santo Domingo in the summer and we have a dilemma which is : should we buy our furniture (IKEA type) in Europe and move it to DR or should we buy locally? Basically we went to Santo Domingo once a few weeks ago and we saw some prices and realized that for some items the price differences was 30% higher in DR.
However, seing all the brochure and promos in one post, apparently the price differences is not that important...
So, what are your advice... should we buy our furniture / large accesories here in Europe (obiously not appliances) or in DR?
Thank you
 
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B

Bryanell

Bronze
Aug 9, 2005
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vivile said:
Hi

We are moving to Santo Domingo in the summer and we have a dilemma which is : should we buy our furniture (IKEA type) in Europe and move it to DR or should we buy locally? Basically we went to Santo Domingo once a few weeks ago and we saw some prices and realized that for some items the price differences was 30% higher in DR.
However, seing all the brochure and promos in one post, apparently the price differences is not that important...
So, what are your advice... should we buy our furniture / large accesories here in Europe (obiously not appliances) or in DR?
Thank you
Click to expand...

Yes, quality for quality, furniture and other things would be considerably more expensive to buy here than in Europe, and you will not find the same range of design, quality and variety here as at home. But if you buy in Europe you still have to ship the stuff here and go through all the hassle of clearing it through customs, getting it delivered from the port, risking potential transport damages and all the rest of the nightmares that many posters here could tell you about from their own experiences.

So unless:
a. someone else is going to be paying for the freight,
b. you are exempt from import duties
c. you have strong nerves and no emotional attachment to the things you will be shipping
d. you don't care about any of the above............
think very carefully whether that 30% difference in the purchase price does really make all that much difference in the end......

Good luck,

Bryan
 
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V

vivile

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Apr 1, 2009
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Thank you both for your quick answer
Where can I read regarding freight experience? To see how difficult is the process?
Also, when you refer to import duties. If I am moving for job relocation, do you know if I am duty-free? Since I am moving for a job? It is not business....
Thanks for your advice
Vivile
 
C

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Also, wouldn't it be easier to furnish a house or apartment once you've seen it? Buy your stuff in SD. There is quite a good selection these days.
 
A

amparocorp

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if you are going to rent, "unfurnished" in the DR means no stove and no refrigerator. be prepared for a mini heart attack when you see the prices and quality. sofas and chairs, mattresses, dominican made are very reasonable. also, be prepared to visit several stores before you buy anything because prices will be all over the place, as there is no one "best" store.
 
J

jalencastro

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Dec 15, 2004
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i think it is just easier to start over once you move to DR.
furnish the apartment little by little after moving in, yes the furniture and appliances may cost more, but in the long run you will end up saving a lot more than having to pay freight, duties, and delivery of your goods.
just like the other posters here advised, if you dont have any emotional value to what you are bringing over or thinking of buying, then just start over.
i speak from experience given my father had his stuff shipped to Ecuador and he paid a ridiculous amount of money to have it shipped from NY to his new home....
good luck either way :)
 
V

vivile

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Apr 1, 2009
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Although, even if I am not shipping furniture by boats, I will be shipping my stuff via air cargo. Does any one have experiences in this areas? Is it more easy or the same as by sea?
:)
 
L

las2137

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Unless you are moving here permanently or have your compnay assisting you with cost and logistics of a container, I recommend NOT shipping furniture, especially if it is Ikea-quality. People I know who have tried to do it on their own have been met with nothing but frustration and "extra fees" (aka bribes, paying a middleman, etc.).

Yes, you will spend more on furniture here, but if/when you leave you can resell it easily.

I moved here with 3 suitcases and found an apt that had linea blanca (major appliances such as refrigerator, stove/oven and washer/dryer). I have taken advantage of Carrefour for some furniture and ex-pat moving sales for other cheap items. If you are willing to spend a bit of time and explore outlying areas, you can find better deals than what you will get in major stores.

Good luck!
 
V

vivile

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Apr 1, 2009
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Thanks all for your advice, this is very useful.
The thing is that, anyhow I need to move my stuff... even if it is not furniture and I am not planning on staying more than several years in DR, we want our things with us, such as book, decoration, memories, ....
This is our home, so we will bring our stuff... So we will need a cargo air freight anyhow.
The only problem we see is that, if we take a sea freight we will have people locally (brokers... ) to deal with customs, but if we do it by air cargo, we will need to find someone once in RD to deal with our customs (since I imagine that doing it ouselves will be crazy).
......... what to do ????
 
beeza

beeza

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Nov 2, 2006
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When is the IKEA in Santo Domingo due to open?

I think then that would solve all the OPs problems.

I can't find the thread, but I remember laughing out loud after someone posted about how "self assembly" furniture would be received here in this country. I have an image of a load of Dominicans standing there crossed armed in front of a flat pack box, quizzing why it isn't "self assembling"
 
B

Bryanell

Bronze
Aug 9, 2005
694
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vivile said:
Thanks all for your advice, this is very useful.
The thing is that, anyhow I need to move my stuff... even if it is not furniture and I am not planning on staying more than several years in DR, we want our things with us, such as book, decoration, memories, ....
This is our home, so we will bring our stuff... So we will need a cargo air freight anyhow.
The only problem we see is that, if we take a sea freight we will have people locally (brokers... ) to deal with customs, but if we do it by air cargo, we will need to find someone once in RD to deal with our customs (since I imagine that doing it ouselves will be crazy).
......... what to do ????
Click to expand...

Vivile,
Airfreight is expensive, very expensive and particularly so for heavy, bulky stuff like books, but if you're not paying for the freight - that's great.

Be very careful with irreplaceable memorabilia like photo albums, and that kind of stuff. Carton boxes caught out even for a short time in a tropical downpour at the airport on the way from the aircraft to the warehouse will get saturated and disentegrate almost immediately. Once the boxes are are open you can say goodbye to anything which isn't destroyed in the rain.

Friends of mine have had nightmare experiences with airfreight of household goods, like going to the airport to pick up their stuff and finding warehouse and customs staff actually wearing their clothes and sleeping on their furniture, eating off their plates, with their silverware, drinking from their glasses, using their towels, and the rest of the stuff broken or missing. If you airfreight your stuff, do it through a reputable international household removal company that has a destination agent here who will do the formalities and deliver your stuff to your home.......and take out the best transit insurance that you can afford, even better than you can afford.

You will still have to go to the airport for customs verification so take a local friend/colleague with you to help with language/cultural difficulties.

This is not a scare story....I deal with transport claims all day every day both for sea and airfreight and many of those involve personal effects and household goods - the losses and damages can often be devastating both financially and emotionally, not the best way to start your stay here, believe me.

Ship only what you absolutely have to. Sell, give away or put in store everything else in your home country before you leave. It may be hard to live without your great-grandmother's dinner service or your uncle's collection of leatherbound first editions or even that box of your kids' first kindergarten drawings, but if you want to have them around you after your few years here, don't ship them them here - if by some amazing stroke of luck they arrive here safely, your maid will destroy them or you'll lose them when you ship them out at the end of your stay.

In the end it's your decision, but everyone posting here has had this experience or knows someone who did, listen to the voice(s) of experience and be wise.

Best,

Bryan
 
Y

Yachtmaster

Member
Jul 2, 2007
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jalencastro said:
i think it is just easier to start over once you move to DR.
furnish the apartment little by little after moving in, yes the furniture and appliances may cost more, but in the long run you will end up saving a lot more than having to pay freight, duties, and delivery of your goods.
just like the other posters here advised, if you dont have any emotional value to what you are bringing over or thinking of buying, then just start over.
i speak from experience given my father had his stuff shipped to Ecuador and he paid a ridiculous amount of money to have it shipped from NY to his new home....
good luck either way :)
Click to expand...

Agreed! I am currently furnishing a rented apartment in Santo Domingo, "poco a poco". What I cannot carry in my luggage when flying, I buy locally in SD. Part of the fun and experience of having a place and setting it up is shopping in the various department and furniture stores. First trip, I bought a refrigerator and stove, second trip sofa, settee and coffee table, next trip who knows. All that new stuff sure feels good............
 
Y

Yachtmaster

Member
Jul 2, 2007
296
20
18
www.genesisbvi.com
Bryanell said:
Vivile,
Airfreight is expensive, very expensive and particularly so for heavy, bulky stuff like books, but if you're not paying for the freight - that's great.

Be very careful with irreplaceable memorabilia like photo albums, and that kind of stuff. Carton boxes caught out even for a short time in a tropical downpour at the airport on the way from the aircraft to the warehouse will get saturated and disentegrate almost immediately. Once the boxes are are open you can say goodbye to anything which isn't destroyed in the rain.

Friends of mine have had nightmare experiences with airfreight of household goods, like going to the airport to pick up their stuff and finding warehouse and customs staff actually wearing their clothes and sleeping on their furniture, eating off their plates, with their silverware, drinking from their glasses, using their towels, and the rest of the stuff broken or missing. If you airfreight your stuff, do it through a reputable international household removal company that has a destination agent here who will do the formalities and deliver your stuff to your home.......and take out the best transit insurance that you can afford, even better than you can afford.

You will still have to go to the airport for customs verification so take a local friend/colleague with you to help with language/cultural difficulties.

This is not a scare story....I deal with transport claims all day every day both for sea and airfreight and many of those involve personal effects and household goods - the losses and damages can often be devastating both financially and emotionally, not the best way to start your stay here, believe me.

Ship only what you absolutely have to. Sell, give away or put in store everything else in your home country before you leave. It may be hard to live without your great-grandmother's dinner service or your uncle's collection of leatherbound first editions or even that box of your kids' first kindergarten drawings, but if you want to have them around you after your few years here, don't ship them them here - if by some amazing stroke of luck they arrive here safely, your maid will destroy them or you'll lose them when you ship them out at the end of your stay.

In the end it's your decision, but everyone posting here has had this experience or knows someone who did, listen to the voice(s) of experience and be wise.

Best,

Bryan
Click to expand...

I once shipped a TV, VCR & stereo system to the DR by air freight. It never made it. Don't know who's watching the TV or using the stereo system, but it sure isn't me.................
 
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