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Importing Household Goods
Dec
29
2011
My husband and I will be moving to Ecuador next year after the completion of our home construction. My question is…what experiences have people had importing household goods? Are there any companies that you would recommend? We will be needing to transport a 40ft container from the US. Thank you.
Answer #2
Candace…my wife & I live in Canada & are planning to move to Ecuador later in 2012.
While we were in Cuenca earlier this year, we met a company called Relocation Services of Ecuador…a really great gentleman, Charles Barrett is the President of the company…the e-mail address is relocationservicesecuador@gmail.com
…These folks are strongly recommended by the folks at International Living.
You may mention my name if you wish….Mike Lentin in Penticton,B.C. Canada.
Regards,
Mullan.
Answer #3
Don’t bother contacting any moving brokers in Ecuador. Contact companies like Allied Van Lines where you currently live. They will handle everything from door to door. They will coordinate everything with a broker in Guayaquil, which is where all containers come in. I have used them in the past. United Van Lines is another, but I don’t have direct experience with them as I have with Allied. Forget about Barrett and any advice from International Living unless you have a lot of money to waste. Before you can import your stuff however,you have be permanent residents of Ecuador by getting a Cedula, which can take several months. Once you have your Cedula, you have 6 months to bring your household goods in duty free.
Answer #4
I would call Allied Van Lines. They have moved me internationally 3 times. They handle everything
Answer #5
All I can say is do your research. There are several companies in Cuenca which provide this service and some are exceedingly expensive, charging far, far more than others for the same service but claiming they do oh-so-much-more. So like others have mentioned, consider the big boys like Allied along with the local companies. Just be logical – make a list of who is claiming to do what for how much (perhaps put it in matrix form on a spreadsheet) and also do a cost comparison (which will shock you when you see the differences) — this will also allow you to do a service-to-service comparison. Ask for references and SEARCH the blogs for the negatives – not just the glowing reports. See if anyone says they were helped out of a seemingly impossible situation and then get the details. You will have to go with your gut a bit as well – anyone seem like they are blowing smoke or quite full of themselves? How does that affect your gut feeling? Many people are friends of relocation owners (this is a very small town in reality) and will crow about how wonderful everything went for their shipment even though they may have greatly overpaid. It is all part of our human need to not feel ripped off after the fact, if that makes sense. Don’t discount using an Ecuadorian company just because a gringo-owned company speaks your language. An Ecuadorian owned company can have its advantages regarding connections. I am NOT talking about payola – just about who knows whom and for how long. In the US we are more likely to answer a call or respond more quickly if it is someone we know, trust and have been dealing with over a long period of time so consider that in your choice as well. And, above all, don’t go for the hype of – oh, we had such a hard time ourselves that we decided out of the goodness of our great big ol’ hearts to start a business to help others. HOGWASH. Everyone wants to make a living and there is no dishonor in that – just make sure they are COST COMPETITIVE, efficient, timely, detailed and honest. In order to determine that – compare the negatives out there, not just the glowing comments. Good luck.
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Answer #1
Candace, there are some companies that handle that for you from here, one I have heard good things about is BCS (If I remember correctly) in Cuenca. I will try to find their contact information for you and put it here. I would recommend you join some expat forums and ask that same question that way you are getting straight answers from those that have done it. When my wife and I moved here, we sold everything in the states and bought everything we needed here. We did bring 14 suitcases though with the items that we wanted and or found to be quite expensive to buy, so for us a container was not necessary. Everything that we needed we had made or bought here. Furniture was less costly to have made here, which would have been our largest items needing a container, plus the cost of a container and shipping was very high in my opinion coming from Florida. I have heard some horrible stories from expats regarding shipping and customs though so my recommendation is to do lot of research first. Just my thoughts, hope they helped some.
larryp