Hi all. Was wondering if anyone had ever shipped a desktop computer and monitor overseas?

My wife is in the Navy and is going to Air Traffic Controller school at the end of april for 4 months in Pensacola Fl. She has to live on the Barracks and I wont be able to see her. Rather than going through the trouble of me moving down there for four months during hurricane season etc we decided it would be better for me to return to England til school was done. We have to vacate our current apartment as it is a corporate furnished apartment paid for by the Navy since we were evacuated from New orleans. I dont drive yet So i cant really stay here.

Anyways, any furniture we were able to salvage from new orleans was put in storage for us and will remain there until we find out where we will be living after my wife's school. We have been told that we cannot add anything to storage. We dont have alot of stuff as we live in a furnished apartment. Basically we have clothes, a small TV, DVD Recorder, Stereo and a brand new computer. Kerri has been told she cannot take any of this stuff with her to have on base. The other stuff I can live with selling, though they were christmas presents so it kinda sucks. However I really dont want to part with the computer if I can help it.

Weve literally had it about 2 months, is brand new and expensive. It cost $1500 for the computer and 19 inch LCD monitor, and I then added a top of the line graphics card and another gig of memory for about another $300. If we sold it we would probably only get about $900-$1000 for it at most. It would suck to lose so much money, especially as I will just have to buy a new one when I return.

I can pretty much rule out taking it home with me on the plane. I think that both the base and the monitor are too big and too heavy for hand luggage..also i can only take one piece. And Ive seen the way they throw suitcases around so Im worried that no matter how much bubble wrap I put them in they will just arrive smashed at the other end.

Can anyone think of any solution other than to sell it? has anyone ever shipped a computer overseas? how much did it cost? Did it arrive safely?

We have no relatives close by, and we wont be coming back to the memphis area after school so its not like we can leave it with anyone, even if we did it would be a whole days driving just to come up and get it.

I brought a computer with me on a plane once. I have a large suitcase that's big enough, and I packed it with a bunch of clothes to cushion it. It arrived in Casablanca just fine. But the airline let me have two pieces of checked luggage, not just one. (what airline limits international travellers to one checked luggage? tell me cause they suck & I want to avoid them)

As for your monitor, I'd say if you have the original packaging you can pack it in that and ship it to yourself in England and it should be OK. Buy the insurance and if it doesn't arrive OK, you're covered.

Good luck!

My fiance shipped over about 3 computers when he came to the UK....they were fine....sorry don't know any info on costs or anything.

My friend took his to the Philippines and a duffle bag

both my husband and his parents have brought over a computer on the plane.

My in laws put it in a box and sealed it up with bubble wrap inside and checked it as part of their luggage. that's allowed somehow.

Also, if you have more than that which you are worried about, have you looked into small storage in a place you will be able to access once you come back. That way you don't have to get rid of everything. Does she have family you can leave some of it with? There are other ways to keep everything for that short of a period of time. just something I'd look into if I were you.

And they won't let her have that stuff in the barracks? I'd double check that. The only time the military has ever said no to us or anyone else we've known that went away for school (other than boot camp) they were allowed to bring whatever they wanted in the barracks.

I shipped my laptop ... it arrived with no problem at all....
Make sure of packaging well.