Making aliyah! Advice about sending a lift please...

amother

Sat, Feb 09 2013, 11:26 pm

So....
this is getting really very exciting! We are IYH making aliyah this summer.
I am looking for advice about taking a lift.
Can anyone recommend a shipping company? I visited a website for aliyahlift.com I think it was called, and I found it to be quite confusing. I could not work out if we would need a small container or large container. Can anyone advise me please about:

1 How do I know what size container we need, for a significant number of beds, some other furniture, lots of kitchen stuff and tons of clothing and sefarim?

2 Which shipping companies have good reputations?

3 could anyone please tell me approx what they paid, how long ago, what size container, so that I can have a point of reference to compare to?

4 how will I know if my furniture can fit into an israeli apartment? should I avoid bringing my very large couches?

TIA!

tizunabi

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 12:29 am

let's start with a few basic questions.
1. do you own your home there/ are you selling it to make aliya? (how quickly would you need to move your furniture from there?)
2. Are you buying an apartment/house here or are you renting? Do you know where you want to live?

These things are really important so that you can have an idea of how much space you are going to have. Most american furniture is better off staying there because it is big and bulky and apartments here aren't huge. (there are exceptions which is why I ask..)

tizunabi

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 12:32 am

as for lift things, I never did send a lift of my own, but my friend did.
Here is part of the quote she got for her "partial shipment" (basically not a huge lift, but something semi-small)
Also, these are for door to door shipping rates.
Standard Charges
Base Shipping Rate to israeli city X : 200-399 Cubic Feet is only $1900 and $4.50 for each additional cubic foot
Base Shipping Rate to israeli city X: 400-800 Cubic Feet is only $2755 and $5.50 for each additional cubic foot
Israel Port Fees : about $1 per cubic foot

Optional Charges
Insurance
Total Loss insurance : 1.5% of the declared value
All Risk insurance : 3.0% of the declared value

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 12:37 am

OP here

thanks tizubani!

we are trying to sell our house here int he states. when we get to israel we will probably end up in an appartment. another thing I keep thinking about is should I bring my collections of outgrown clothing. I would kick myself if I had anotehr baby and needed those clothes but had given them away.... IYH I am very young and probbably will have more kids with Hashems' help.

tizunabi

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 12:52 am

Knowing where you will be ending up is super important. Even if you end up in an apartment and not a house there are apartments of all shapes and sizes.
There are tiny 3 bedrooms and big 3 bedrooms. There are apartments with 5 bedrooms and some with 2. Will you be buying right away in Israel? (then it might be worth it to buy before you come so you know what you can send) or are you planning on renting for a while?

Liba

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 4:09 am

We bought our home in E"Y before we came and were able to measure our space to make sure everything would fit. I bought our 220v fridge in the states and since I had measured I got a slightly size smaller than I would have if I hadn't. The bigger one wouldn't have fit in the space in the kitchen.

I would be very wary of bringing any large furniture or appliances if you don't know where you are going to be living.

We filled a 40' container. We brought a couch, beds, dining room set (buffet, breakfront, large table, chairs including armed chairs, kitchen set including kitchen chairs, clothing, clothing and more clothing, all of our kitchen stuff, toys, book shelves, shelving units, drier, grill, stove/oven etc.

We brought a house full of stuff and I don't regret it.

Our lift cost us just about $10,000, but that was 7 years ago.

We had our movers (Gentle Giant, which I think is just a Boston based company) come, they looked around, discussed what we were moving and told us what size container we would need. They were 100% correct. We discussed bringing less stuff, but even just our dining room set and beds (which were non negotiable) were going to be just over a 20' container. Once it was more than a 20' container, financially it made sense to fill the 40' and bring everything with us.

vicki

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 6:56 am

Wow. Hatzlacha on your upcoming move. So exciting!
You will speak with people who will swear you should take only a few things. And buy what you need, when you know what you need in Israel.
Then there are people like me:
I brought a 40 ft container and I am very happy with my choice. We came less than a week before school started and I was so glad that with all we had on our plates - work started for both of us IMMEDIATELY, getting the kids ready for school, etc - we didn't also have to worry about purchasing pots/pans/clothes/furniture/appliances/non perishable food ...
We used Strand. They come, look over your belongings and tell YOU what size you need.

We've been here 6 months and while we don't have the ideal furniture for our apartment, we have a nice comfy home and haven't bought much in the way of kitchen stuff, clothes, furniture since we got here.

Oh and by the way - we brought some things we had room for in our lift that our kids had outgrown - baby supplies and other things - and we hadn't been able to sell before we left - people really want good condition stuff here. We've sold just about everything.

Tamiri

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 8:36 am

Reputable companies (we used Strand) are very good at approximating the space you will need. Please don't go with a discount company, it's not worth it. You have very little work to do: decide what you are taking, call the reputable shipper to come out and give an estimate, have your checkbook ready and that's about all. Especially if they pack for you.

amother

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 9:48 am

This is OP

Thank you so mu;ch for your advice everyone. Yes,unfortunately we have no idea what size 3 or 4 bed apartment we will be renting when we first arrive, does anyone know how long before we come we should start looking fo a place to rent????

Tamiri, Liba, Tizunabi and Vicki, you give good information, thanks. Vicki, I am the poster who PMd you recently about your neigborhood and school, thanks again for all of the helpful info! Smile

Meiraleah

Sun, Feb 10 2013, 10:59 am

we used kef international and were very happy.(u can pm for details). they and strand were comparable in terms of pricing. they come to your home and go room by room while you tell them what you plan to take. then they were able to estimate what we needed.
we had a 20'. it cost about $7000 including taxes and tips. both kef and strand were very thorough in explaining the prices and process for sending a lift. they'll come out to your home to speak w you. there are 20', 40', and a customized size option (more pricey).

we moved in august and were told not to look for a rental until shavuot time but it may depend on community you are going to rent in.
do u have someone who will be checking out your rental before you come so they can help you estimate how much space you'll have? you could always rent a machsan until you buy to store what doesn't fit...

vicki

Wed, Feb 13 2013, 6:14 am

amother wrote:

Vicki, I am the poster who PMd you recently about your neigborhood and school, thanks again for all of the helpful info! Smile

I figured. You're welcome.
Glad to see you're tackling the next step now.
What an exciting time!

ETA - we moved in August and were told certainly not to expect to get anywhere before Pesach. People are busy with Pesach rentals.
But soon afterwards start asking around. My dh took a trip in May but in the end we found something after he returned - in June. Things start hopping for the summer around late May/early June.

shabri

Wed, Feb 13 2013, 7:12 am

We used Sonigo, we were very happy with them

My parents used Strand are we're happy with them.

The way they do their pricing, Sonigo turned out to be cheaper for us since we were not sending. Full lift and strand was better if you were sending a bigger shipment.

This was the case about 2 yrs ago. Could have changed.

eema2five

Wed, Feb 20 2013, 4:48 am

Nefesh Bnefesh's email list has lots of discussion on this.
We did send a lift, but not right away!
I am so glad to have our bedroom set, and LR and DR furniture as well as our kitchenware.
BUT your furniture and appliances may not fit. Or they could...
some things you can replace here others you simply can not.
PM/e-mail me if you'd like .
We live in RBS, and have been here for 8+ years.

amother

Mauve

Fri, Apr 07 2017, 12:54 am

OMG! This thread is a blast from the past.... I knew I recognized the title as soon as I saw it. I am the OP of this post. Unfortunately our aliyah plans fell through and we are still in chutz l'aretz... Sad

I wish the new poster hatzlacha, may your dreams work out for you!

FranticFrummie

Fri, Apr 07 2017, 9:17 am

Stay FAR away from Rainier movers! It was a nightmare from start to finish. So many kapparot, things left behind on accident, broken, etc. I found a dead rat in one of the boxes!

They avoid answering damage claims, and put you off until the time limit expires. I wish there was a rating of less than "zero stars". Sad

amother

Ecru

Fri, Apr 07 2017, 9:42 am

A good way to phrase staying away from a certain mover just say It recommend mr. So and so. Not, stay away from mr. XYZ!

I did through Landau's for about $500/700 for 11-14 boxes and some random stuff. It took six weeks. I was very happy. Bh. I made yeridah from Israel to USA. But they have a location in both. Its owned by a belzer guy.