Moving from Russia to US - any recommendations for moving / shipping company?

[Wouter 141]

Finally finally my wife got her CR1 visa and will be moving from Russia to me in the US in 3-4 weeks.

She wants to take a reasonable amount of her stuff that would fit into about 10-15 boxes, no furniture, no kitchenware, no large items.

Just mostly clothes and personal items.

It's too much to fit into 2-3 suitcases so it needs to be shipped.

Does anybody have a recommendation for a good and reliable moving or shipping company from Russia to the the US?

Big international moving companies are geared towards large moves with furniture and stuff that would fill a shipping container. (The will move her stuff but at an exorbitant price)

We looked into DHL but they don't ship large boxes from Russia.

All suggestions are welcome!

 

 

 

[SteveInBostonI130 3,328]

Congrats!

 

We have used Meest to ship to and from Ukraine.  They also ship to Russia.

 

https://us.meest.com/services/service/delivery-to-russia

 

I was not able to find direct information about shipping from Russia to the US.  Perhaps you can call them to see if it's possible.

[Mike E 11,727]

Cheaper to just replace it all at a thrift store.  Some thrift stores sell clothing by the pound.  

[Caboose29 173]

If you find a solution please share. I may be in the same situation several months from now. 

[Wouter 141]

3 hours ago, Mike E said:

Cheaper to just replace it all at a thrift store.  Some thrift stores sell clothing by the pound.  

Haha, you may not be familiar with the wardrobe of Russian women. With the Valentino dresses, Ralph Lauren shirts, Dior handbags, and Louboutin shoes, eh, unfortunately that's not an option 😆

 

[Wouter 141]

3 hours ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

Congrats!

 

We have used Meest to ship to and from Ukraine.  They also ship to Russia.

 

https://us.meest.com/services/service/delivery-to-russia

 

I was not able to find direct information about shipping from Russia to the US.  Perhaps you can call them to see if it's possible.

Thanks!

I called them and they only do from the US to Russia but not the other way, unfortunately.

 

[JSWH 262]

I second @Mike E and recommend at least to hold off on shipping for now. I moved to the US in 2017 and initially was planning to bring most of my wardrobe here, all those designer dresses, high heel shoes, purses.... Little did I know. Not only the weather conditions and my lifestyle turned out to be completely different then I imagined, but I felt very out of place in most situations compared to local women. So very soon, my sartorial preferences have completely changed.

I brought 4 suitcases of clothes with me and within a year almost everything went to Goodwill. The stuff left behind that I planned to bring later, was donated to various relatives in Russia to their great joy.

Should your wife insist on shipping her precious clothes nevertheless, Russian Post can be a solution. I'm not sure Meest ships from Russia. UPS/FedEx/DHL are exorbitantly expensive. 

Good luck with your wife transition and assimilation. To us, that time was anything but easy

[Mike E 11,727]

40 minutes ago, Wouter said:

Haha, you may not be familiar with the wardrobe of Russian women. With the Valentino dresses, Ralph Lauren shirts, Dior handbags, and Louboutin shoes, eh, unfortunately that's not an option 😆

 

If these items  are authentic don’t expect a cheap shipper to deliver.   

[SteveInBostonI130 3,328]

6 hours ago, Mike E said:

Cheaper to just replace it all at a thrift store.  Some thrift stores sell clothing by the pound.  

 

Not knocking thrift stores - they can have some pretty nifty stuff.

 

This suggestion would not go over too well with a Russian woman.   I would like to get a ringside seat for a such a discussion.

 

They spend a significant portion of their income on quality and/or designer clothes.  My wife would gladly pay $100+ for Diesel jeans rather than $20 for a wrangler, for example.

 

@Wouter, It seems Russian Post is probably the best option.  About $40 per 10 kg or so.  

 

Can your wife store her things with relatives?  Bring the items she needs for the time of year and location you are in, and keep the rest to bring back on a later trip.  Also, TJ Maxx, Marshals and Nordstrom Rack may be a big hit for her.  My wife loves those stores. 

 

Also, as @JSWH mentioned, your wife may decide not to bring any of them.  After she adjusts to the way people around her look and dress, she may want to tone down her wardrobe. 

[TBoneTX 43,422]

Not Russian, but Mrs.-T-B.-to-be arrived from Ecu with one small suitcase.  She was amazed at the concept of thrift stores (alien to Ecu).  She soon had a very full closet of designer stuff.

 

We arranged entire weekend trips around visiting thrift stores in nearby cities, in fact, which was good for sightseeing and getting out of the house.

 

Once, she was especially pleased with a Banana Republic item that she found, and I burst out laughing and had to explain the concept of a banana republic to her.  She said, "Bananas ARE one of Ecuador's largest exports!"  

[millefleur 5,039]

7 hours ago, Wouter said:

Haha, you may not be familiar with the wardrobe of Russian women. With the Valentino dresses, Ralph Lauren shirts, Dior handbags, and Louboutin shoes, eh, unfortunately that's not an option 😆

Sounds like she's going to be very overdressed compared to how most Americans dress!

 

Back to the question: when we moved to the States from Russia, my husband and I shipped a bunch of our winter shoes and some other items via Russian Post EMS. It was completely fine and they even provided a tracking number which was updated regularly. My mother-in-law regularly sends us boxes of stuff from Russia and she even sent us a document via UPS last month. Apparently UPS Russia is a thing now so you might want to look into that? That was in Saint Petersburg, though, so might not be available where your wife is.

Edited October 10, 2021 by millefleur

[Wouter 141]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

Sounds like she's going to be very overdressed compared to how most Americans dress!

 

Back to the question: when we moved to the States from Russia, my husband and I shipped a bunch of our winter shoes and some other items via Russian Post EMS. It was completely fine and they even provided a tracking number which was updated regularly. My mother-in-law regularly sends us boxes of stuff from Russia and she even sent us a document via UPS last month. Apparently UPS Russia is a thing now so you might want to look into that? That was in Saint Petersburg, though, so might not be available where your wife is.

Obviously she wouldn't be wearing fancy clothes on a daily basis, but they are very special and dear to her so they definitely will have to come over so she can wear them on those date nights 😀

I think UPS could be a good option. They even supply packing material and they can do door-to-door pick up and delivery, so that may be the way to go.

Thanks everyone!

[millefleur 5,039]

1 minute ago, Wouter said:

I think UPS could be a good option. They even supply packing material and they can do door-to-door pick up and delivery, so that may be the way to go.

Thanks everyone!

Let us know how it goes and if UPS works out!

[millefleur 5,039]

10 hours ago, Mike E said:

If these items  are authentic don’t expect a cheap shipper to deliver.   

I don't think the cost of the item matters if they are personal items of clothing. Pretty sure shipping companies just go by weight, just like everywhere else. The only items that are extremely difficult to ship out of Russia are antiques, significant historical artifacts and real works of art, and not because of the shipping company, but because the Russian government will not allow them to leave the country.

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by millefleur

[Mike E 11,727]

Just now, millefleur said:

I don't think the cost of the item matters if they are personal items of clothing. Pretty sure shipping companies just go by weight, just like everywhere else. The only items that are extremely difficult to ship out of Russia are antiques, significant historical artifacts and real works of art, and not because of the shipping company, but because the Russian government will not allow them to leave the country.

 

I think one gets what they pay for.
 

So for example if I put a brand new laptop computer in my free checked luggage allowance, I would expect the laptop computer to be removed from the luggage before I claimed it from the baggage claim.  My recourse is zero in that case thanks contracts of carriage and international treaties.  
 

Whereas if I shipped it using FedEx and insured  it, I would expect the computer to be delivered intact.  
 

For really important stuff I carry it myself.