Moving is generally not wallet-friendly. Especially when moving long distance, out of state, or abroad. If you add on top of that a lot of items as well, it becomes even worse. But there are some things you can do that will help you lower the costs of moving even if it’s not by a lot. Of course, you can always find some ways to get good deals and affordable international movers Chicago can offer. But there are also some important tricks for decluttering before moving abroad that can lower your costs.
Check everything on time!
When moving abroad we are not moving down the street. But to a place that has different laws and regulations as well as a different lifestyle. That also means that there are different items that might not be welcomed there. So before you decide to pack everything or before you employ packing services from long distance movers Chicago residents recommended to you, look into the customs policies for new residents.
The things you should especially read through are:
- Banned items – Every country has a list of items that are banned. They will be confiscated(and a fee will need to be paid) if someone tries to smuggle them in.
- Taxes on certain items – Some items require a specific amount of money to be paid in order to be brought into the country.
So sometimes decluttering before moving abroad is good, in order to avoid those circumstances. Especially if the taxes pass the value of the item, or they are banned. One more thing you need to check is airline baggage policies! Some moving experts US Chicago employ will also tell you that some airlines will refuse to fly some items in their planes.
Sell, donate, or store
While you decluttering before moving abroad sometimes there will be a pile of items that you will no longer need. So what can you do in those cases? It is best to make them disappear before you employ any of the packing services Chicago movers offer. And doing that is easy!
- Sell – You can sell any of the items that are in a good condition. There are multiple ways to sell them as well. You can put them on craigslist, Facebook marketplace, or do a yard sale.
- Donate – Another way you can declutter before moving abroad is by donating them. There are places where you can donate literally anything. From clothes, food, and supplies as well as for example The Furniture Bank where you can donate furniture.
- Store – One more option for people that still want to keep the said items is storage. This way you can place them in a secure and safe environment where(for a certain price) you can keep them for any period of time.
Decluttering before moving abroad in order to lower the price or remove unimportant items is the usual approach people take. And that is fine as well. But many forget to check if they can even move items into the new countries. So they find themselves in tough situations. Being careful is never bad so take it slow and like we already said make sure to check everything!