If you are moving from the USA to Europe this year, part of the moving process is to decide what to do with items and how to move them overseas. It is not easy and simple, not only to pack and ship but adjusting to a new life in Europe after moving will be hard too. But, one of the first steps to do in this process, is to make a plan of what to do with your belongings and what are the options.

Options for moving items from the USA to Europe

There are three main options for how you can move your items overseas. First, of course, separate items you want to move to Europe, and then consider these option:

• Shared container service – when moving from the USA to Europe, this is the most common option for shipping household items. This means that you will share the container with other people if you don’t have enough items for a full container. At the same time, this option is the most affordable.
• Exclusive container service – if you have more items to move to Europe, enough to fill the entire shipping container, then choose an exclusive use container. This process is faster and your items will be shipped as soon as possible.
• Airfreight service – if you need fast shipping, then this is an option for you. But, at the same time, this option is the most expensive one and there is often a limit of how many items you can ship.

Hire a company for international moving

Research companies for moving from the USA to Europe and choose the best and reliable company with a long experience. No matter if you are moving furniture, are you shipping your car from the USA to Europe or moving just the essentials, having professionals on your side is necessary at this point.

Get recommendations from people that moved overseas recently, ask then what they have done with belongings and how did they moved them safely. Read online moving reviews from past clients and make sure that the company is licensed.

Packing items for moving overseas

When packing items for moving overseas, they must be protected more than usual. Boxes will be carried a lot and shipping can take a couple of weeks, so they need to “survive” lifting, weather changes, etc. If you are moving on a tight budget, find affordable moving supplies but make sure items are packed properly.

If you don’t know how to pack items properly, then hire professional packers to do it instead of you because packing for moving overseas is not the same as packing for moving locally or within the country.

Not moving your items when moving from the USA to Europe

It is natural not to move all your items, you can move to Europe just with your clothing packed in a few suitcases. But, there is another question, what to do with all your household items? It is not easy to get rid of all unwanted stuff because you need to make a plan for how to get rid of them. After separating stuff you want to move and don’t want to move, it is time to take other steps.

Selling your items before moving

To pack for relocation and move items overseas is not easy and definitely not cheap. Selling items before moving is a great way to get rid of the and at the same time to earn money, which is very important when starting a new life on another continent. How to sell items?

• Sell online and use websites for selling/buying to post photos and prices of all your items and people will contact you. Also, use your social media profiles to notify people you are seeling your furniture, clothing, decoration, etc.
• Organize a yard sale and invite all the people from the neighborhood. People love yard/garage sales because they never know what treasures can be found at an affordable price.

Give away to friends and relatives

If you have a friend who really loves your table, or chairs, or decorations, clothes, now is the perfect time to give those items away. Your friends and family members will be so happy to have something that reminds them of you, and at the same time, you don’t have to deal with those items. Give away plants, furniture pieces, kitchenware, home decorations, glassware, etc.

Donate

If you want to make a good thing and help people who don’t have money, the best solution is to donate your items to charity. The USA has so many different organizations where you can donate clothing, books, toys, or furniture and some of the companies will come to your house to pick those items. If you don’t have time to organize a sale, donating is the best and easiest choice.

Throw items away

Some items are old, broken, damaged and they cannot be used again. Recycle or throw those items away because they probably don’t’ have a purpose anymore. There are some companies you can hire who move junk, so you don’t have to deal with it.

Summary

Most people move only the most important items when moving overseas, and one of the main reasons for that is the high costs of moving and shipping. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy new things in Europe than to move your old ones. When moving from the USA to Europe, there are so many different things to finish before moving, especially paperwork. That’s why most people leave tasks related to packing for the end. This is a mistake because packing and shipping take a lot of time too.