Hey guys.

I'm jumping the gun a bit here, but we finally got our NOA2 (yay!!! ), so we're starting to talk a bit more seriously about this whole move thing. We've been talking about it for a long time, of course, but I'm scared to make any concrete plans until we know he's been approved, so we haven't really looked too deeply into our options. Anyway, for those of you that have already made the move, how did you ship everything? He's coming from Vancouver all the way down to Kentucky.

He lives in an apartment with his best friend, and won't really have any furniture to move. He'll be bringing clothes, books, movies, computer/printer/games, his portable a/c-heater (I think), and a television.

It might all fit in his car, but I think he's decided to sell the car and fly down. I'm a worrywart, so I would rather him not drive all that way alone, so Uhaul type things would be out. I've had a quote from UPack sent to me, but I don't know if the trailer or the cube would be the best. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

sadly I sold everything in my place for way too cheap and took what I could fit in my car..

Awww. I would even suggest it as "the most inexpensive alternative", but there's no way my nerdy boy is leaving his Star Wars stuff behind! (Including the FX light saber replica *shakes head* )

Earmuffs,did u drive ur car from canada to states. if u do, please i want u to give me the procedure and the requirement, to drive a car from canada to state what re the document to provide on the car at the POE and what did it cost u to change the information of the car when u get to states.

I basically fit what I could into boxes and shipped it down (from Vancouver to Philadelphia) through UPS ground shipping. I also didn't have any furniture - just books, clothes, my computer and monitor, and various sentimentals. I sold most of the stuff I had before moving down so basically brought bare essentials. Total came down to $350 for five boxes.

the car had US plates so that I cant help you with.. I didnt have an inventory list.. they sent me to a garage where I got out and told them I had a cat, the lady said I love cats whats her name. then one guy took me inside and sat me down and right after that they came and gave me my keys and said your cars parked around the corner.. Dont think they even looked through it..

theres a few threads on here about importing a car..

im sure someone will be along to let you know

UPack is good and ideal for many people (including me), but they're probably more than you need. I moved several pieces of large furniture (desk, dresser, long shelves) as well as several smaller furniture items, 50-60 boxes, and a few other things, and it all fit (just) in the minimum 5 feet you pay for when you use a trailer. To ship from Vancouver to MI, it cost about $1500.

Nini&Bee's choice of UPS ground is probably better for you.

I have sent boxes from the U.S. to Canada (East to West coast), boxes from Vancouver to Montreal, and other stuff from Vancouver to the U.S.
Each time I simply went to the post office.
They are awesome.
They tell you it will take a month and it takes from 4 days to 2 weeks.
I highly doubt it was ground sent, although that is what I had paid for.

I am happy with the service and the tracking.

And it was not expensive. Can/US about $40 to $50 per box...they were heavy is why it was that much.
That included insurance.
Be sure to mark used stuff/personal on the box so receiver does not pay anything to get it.
Oops, actually I forgot what I had written exactly. Do get advice on this, so receiver is not charged anything.

Selling the TV and getting another one would be wise, as they are cheap to buy and cost a lot to ship.
Many things are like this...

uhaul was cheap.

we got a truck and drove it for 12 hrs or so and it cost us $480 plus gas.

Geez...you think they'll ship an antique upright piano...hahahaha.

Actually, I've looked into it and just to ship my piano down to NC will be about $2000 and that doesn't include the few pieces of furniture and personal belongings I want to take along.

My dad was talking about making a bracket of some sort to put in the back of a uhaul to keep the piano in place and take it all down that way. Gonna be a long drive!!

I drove from BC to TX and packed as much stuff in my car as I could. 2.5 days of driving. What a way to see the country.

The Peach Arch crossing (BC-WA border) was pretty easy as far as getting the car across.

1) VIN check. They typed in into their computer and gave me a form that they told me I'd use when I register the car later on in the USA.
2) Gave them my car insurance paper (to prove I owned the car). They typed it into their computer and gave me the paper back.

That was it. The customs guy said "You've just got personal household items in here?" Yep. OK.

I've heard that some crossings ask for a piece of paper from the manufacturer (GM, Honda etc) that states it's certified for US EPA regulations. My car has a sticker under the hood that said it passes US EPA regulations. So I never bothered getting the manufacturer paper. When I looked up my car (GM) it said something like every car from 1981 to 1995 was certified and allowed. I can't remember the exact years, but it was a wide amount of years. Basically anything could cross. I never popped the hood and there were no questions about EPA rules when I was there.

They never did any checks for if I actually had the emissions stuff hooked up. I did of course. Didn't want anything to be an issue at the border.

They marked the value of the car as $0.00 K-1 personal exemption. Didn't charge me any fees at the border for the car. I think I paid $18 for processing my paperwork (immigrating). Other than that, I was off and driving in Washington.

I used a mover.... but I was bringing a lot of items. They have a minimum weight amount so if you don't have much they're not worth looking into. My valuables and legal documents I just packed into my car because that came with me as well. I also did a pile of grocery shopping for the items I can't get here in FLA, so that made me happy.

Jeje, here's a link to the Vehicle Importation Regulations. Check with the DMV in your State for (www.dmv.org) for the vehicle registration requirements. Florida made me pay the tax on the bluebook value of my car, plus $170 to change the plates and register the vehicle.