Shipping a bed from the US to Munich

Hi Everyone,

I'm moving to Munich (well first Freising) from Massachusetts hopefully before the end of this month and was initially not planning to ship anything.. then I decided I wanted my bed (especially after reading something about the German beds not being that comfy). Then I find out that shipping my queen size bed cost the same as shipping my bed, frame, couch, love seat, tables and a bunch of boxes.. which made me feel a lot better. However, is it worth the hassle? Are there hidden costs etc that I should watch out for? The thought of looking for furniture and an apartment at the same time just sounded too much. Thanks!

Leave it, and get a new one here..

There are many styles and comfort level to choose from...

I wouldnt waste my time shipping it over here. Besides how long will it take to get here and what will you sleep on in the time that you are waiting for it?

They sell beds here. Not sure what you read about German beds not being comfortable, but that's not my experience. Not that I've slept in many different ones, mind

Unrelated question: Are you going to be working in Freising or commuting to Munich? Here is some stuff on the town, in case you hadn't found it yet.

Hmm, Perdido it would take 1 month to ship it and it will be stored free for another month until I find a place. Then as soon as I find a place (I'll be in a furnished place for 2 months in Freising) I'll have my stuff, sounded very simple and that meant I could concentrate on finding a place instead of furniture. Is $1500 too much to pay for the shipping? That's the quote I'd gotten (haven't committed yet) I thought it was reasonable considering the hassle it would save me (unless this in itself will be a lot of work on the German side, seems pretty easy to ship from here). By the way, I don't speak a word of German so shopping would probably not be the easiest thing for me. I was kinda hoping someone would say it was a good idea.
Small Town Boy, I actually read it on this site I'm pretty sure, I'm not very picky about anything really but one thing I do want is a bed I like and I didn't want to waste a lot of time looking for one when I could ship it. Yes, will be working in Freising but will hopefully move to Munich after my two months stay there and commute. Will check out the site, thanks.

Yes, this is a stupid move. Especially for $1500 (and possibly another $1500 when and if you move back). Sell it and use the money to buy another one when you get here - you can pick up a decent one for a few hundred yoyos. Shop assistants will speak english to you if it looks like you are going to spend some money.

Anyway, at Ikea all of the names are in Swedish anyway, German won't help you.

One thing I can guarantee : It will cost you MORE than the 1500 you're quoted.
When our stuff arrived in Germany they started asking for all kinds of documents which we of course tried to send/fax asap but everyday there was something else missing ..and we had to pay for everyday our stuff was with them...so we got another bill for like 750EUROs , of course they did not ship until that was paid. So we paid the freakin bill but had to wait another 2 weeks or so...(didn't pay for that)
I would not like to go thru that again, seriously.

But that was my experience.
In any case, if you decide to do it, inform yourself about the shipping company...and ask them who they use once the stuff is here in Germany , that is even more important.
After that get in contact with the company here and make sure you know everything that is required beforehand..get your papers ready.

Good luck

piggy, if you decide to ship your bed, make sure you say it's over a year old. Otherwise, you will have to pay customs fees on it.

We shipped our bed (and other bedroom furniture) from the US, and I'm glad we did. The bed frame wasn't the big deal, but the mattress is deluxe and I'm always so glad to return to my own bed after travelling. You don't get mattresses like that here, so if it's important to you, it might be worth it.

Also be sure you send over extra bedding. You can't buy the right sized bedding here for American beds. This includes pillow covers as well as sheets and comforter or duvet or whatever.

OK, I guess what I really wanted to know was the experiences momof2 described, is it going to be worth the hassle once it gets to the port? Will I end up paying more for stupid shit they don't tell me about here? Is it normally a painless process? momof2 I was told that to make it easier when the stuff comes that I should get a broker? for (supposedly 50 euros) to help with the customs. I was also told that there would be an additional 200 for something once it gets there (forgot exactly what), and that there wouldn't be additional costs. The documents I would need are listed on the shippers website (seems like a ton of stuff).

Cinzia, exactly, can I get beds like that? I guess some say yes and some no? If they did I wouldn't care about shipping..and If I ship it I wouldn't bring it back to the states anyways.

You can get beds like 'that'. You just have to spend maybe one day looking in and around Munich to find the best deal. Tis not so difficult.

Ok, I'm confused. Can you or can you not get American beds? Aren't the sizes different anyways? In any case, if it is going to be a major pain to ship I won't but it would be nice to have everyone agree on one thing though sorry, I'm completely relying on your replies since I don't have a clue.

sizes are done in centimeters here. 2 meters by 90cm all the way up to 2 by 2meters.

Don’t do it! Sell it and buy one in Munich. You will save $$$$$.

What do you mean by American beds? You can get a twin-sized bed, a double bed, a queen-sized bed, and maybe even a king sized bed. It's true that the standard German couple setup is two twin mattresses in one king-sized bed frame, but they do sell "complete" king-sized mattresses (200x200cm). The sizes might be a tiny bit different, but they are basically the same idea.

Is the $1500 to ship your entire household (probably reasonable) - or just the bed (very unreasonable)? Is your employer paying the bill?

As mentioned, German beds are plenty comfy. What I don't think I've seen here are box springs, which might be important if you like height. I think most bed frames here are a bit (or a lot if it's a futon) lower than American versions, and don't use a box spring. Probably someone else on the forum can advise about frame heights and such.

You can start learning German by searching "matratzen" on Google and browsing the bedding store results that come up. You'll have to learn it sooner or later anyway, such as when you get hungry, so I'd recommend to go ahead and start.

Randy,

That's too funny, is the "when you get hungry" comment cuz of my username? Believe me, I'll pick it up fast when it comes to feeding time.. and I am planning on learning German...obviously.
Anyways, 1500 was initially for just my bed since the minimum was 200cuft. So since I'd have to pay that then I added in more stuff until it got to 200cuft which ended up being my couch, love seat, coffee table and end tables, and five boxes of things. Unless there was going to be a huge hassle getting them once in Germany (like someone said it would be). Although I wanted new furniture, it sounded like a better alternative until I get settled.
I just would like to know if everyone out there had horrible experiences having stuff shipped? Yeah btw, I'll get reimbursed for the shipping.

Big bed mattresses & box springs - American style

I miss my american bed very much.

I had my stuff shipped over and it wasn't a bad experience although it was handled mostly by our relocating service. I stayed in a furnished place for about a month, and my things were waiting on me for the final two weeks. We however did not bring a bed and I really wished I would have. If you like sleeping on "your" bed, then I would advise you to consider it.

It's true. I am not saying to ship your bed...but...you cannot get mattresses like back home here. They are quite different...esp the box spring bit. When I go home and sleep on my mom's double mattress I sleep like a baby...it's like being on a cloud.

dont ship it - you should buy mine... its definately VERY comfortable and trust me when I say that the matresses are great

good luck in germany

i was going to recommend that you ship it, but then i remembered how difficult it is to manuever a queen box spring in tight corners. you should probably keep that in mind.

If you're getting reimbursed , that's another story I guess. If you make sure you have all your documents that they will require from the German customs, then it shouldn't be such a big problem.
In our case we didn't call them until our stuff was already here and then it started , they wanted a copie of this and that from a notar etc. , after we fedexed that, she said oh, we need more, and then they forgot to mention we needed to sign a paper saying there were no guns etc. in the container...
All this time the lady was working only until 12pm , so when we missed that we had to wait another day to talk to her again , and paying for each freakin day, this was really hard on our nerves.
After they had everything they said, well, you know they are not convinced and want to open the container...a few more days...of course we paid for that as well...
As I said after paying the bill it still took them about 2 weeks to ship it..
Arg...my blood boils just thinking about it.

BUT we were slow at the beginning, should have informed ourselves before the stuff even arrived etc.

So, if you do that you may be fine...

Good luck

ah, and don't use the company FAIRTRADE in Bremen...stay away!

momof2, what do you mean by "should have informed ourselves before the stuff arrived"? You mean you should have had everything ready in advance?
I know there is a list of documents you need but nothing says it has to be notorized...? Yeah, this isn't sounding that easy or a better alternative. I e-mailed the shipping company rep about the company I would be dealing with in Germany and normally he e-mailes/cals right away. Now he's disappeared.. so I don't know what the company would be..and do I even have a choice of who they use anyways?
Yeah I'm sure it will be difficult with the box spring..but I'm hoping to find a place that can accomodate.. am I day dreaming here? That would be funny if I had to throw it away cuz it can't fit in the door!!!
Sandals, do you deliver and is it exactlly like miine?

That quote is quite low, so I'm guessing it doesn't include someone to negotiate your goods through customs (well, I gather that from later posts as well). Have you looked for other quotes, one that would do this for you? My experience is much like "man of leisure"'s - was totally fine, they handled the importation and customs, and I have my American bed which is sooo much more comfy than the IKEA double bed, supposedly extra soft mattrass (snort!) I ordered for the guest room and slept in until my bed got here. If you have the cash, bring your own stuff. Makes getting adjusted a lot easier if you have things from home. Plus, shopping for large ticket items when you don't speak any German (yet!) is a tremendous pain in the ass (my secretary ordered my Ikea bed for me before I got here). A lot of people on here do speak German and I think don't quite understand or remember what it's like. It's not like you'll get a lot of money if you sell your stuff in the US anyway and there's not always someone selling what you're looking for on this English forum.

That's my experience anyway. Like someone said I think, depends on how attached you are to the stuff you have now. If it's just odds and ends which are second hand anyway, and your Ami bed is super firm as it is, you'll be able to sort out getting something just as good eventually (though for an apartment full of furniture, you'll pay a lot more than 1500 US bucks, that's for sure).

Thanks Butterbean. How do I get someone to help with customs? By the way I found out the name of the company that I will be dealing with in Germany, DIJK EURO. Has anyone had any issues with them?
I've had a lot of shipping companies calling me and (since I had no idea until recently that I would need some help with customs) just decided on this company and stuck with it. So other companies provide that service? I might be able to negotiate..since I haven't paid them the deposit yet and was going to actually today.

As for the shopping, I guess I could point and pay but it's never as easy as that and, if possible, I want to avoid that adventure for now.
I guess since I'm flying on Monday I've made up my mind..but wish that I had asked for advice earlier. Is there anything that I should bring with me (documents) that I will need? Other than the list of items, proof of work permit/residence permit etc. Thanks.

Ok, yes I mean the documents for customs...BUT it just dawns on me that it may have been more complicated for us as we are turkish citizens who left the US...they wanted all our visas , work permits in US and here etc.
They wanted all those pages in dh's passport notorized.
Please try to find out, this may just not be the case for you, if you are an american citizen. I really don't know.
May be all piece of cake for you..

Hey Piggy,
I dont know your real name, so that is why I write that! Ok, hope you read this before you depart for Munich! I am from the states and will tell you firsthand, it is merely matter of opinion, but I have experienced comfortable and uncomfortable beds here in Germany! I can say though the beds are NOT the same as US beds. Having worked for a customs broker I can tell you first hand it should not be THAT difficult to clear your household appliances once they get here. As long as you have ALL the necessary documents. Working permit, Passport etc. You MUST know exactly what your sending over( have a list and if you can take photos of the goods) as claiming as customs can be a lengthy process if you dont have everything organized. Best bet for you is to call a broker, ask them what paperwork you need and just say you have a friend moving overseas, dont say it is you, as they WILL try to sell you their services. I dont know what the German customs laws are, but some countries are stricter than others! If you havent done so already, search online German customs clearance and you should be able to find out the information your looking for! I know from living here Germany is expensive and it would be much easier starting out that you pay the money for shipping your goods overseas. I dont think 1,500 is a bad price for shipping household goods! I know a car to ship from East to West coast costs 1,000USD$, so with that said, you decide if 1,500 is a lot?... If you need anything else send me a message and I will be glad to help!

Yes, it is a stupid idea. I hope this fully answers the original question.

If you need to know the reason why it is a stupid idea, then there is a good reason why you asked the question in the 1st place.

Somebody obviously got up on the wrong side of the bed, if you have nothing constructive to say, please don't. Wow, I'm making friends already!!

I think shipping your furniture over makes sense, and I'm not saying it just to make you happy. As you say you don't speak any German, so if you have no-one to help you out shopping can be a nightmare (for anything, let alone choosing a right mattress, comparing bed frames, slats and what not). You'll (presumably) be working full time, which means that finding the time to go shopping for furniture would be a hassle more than anything else. You may also have to take time off work to take delivery of the furniture (on different days and at different times?), and you'll possibly have to add delivery charges to the price of the items. I think $1,500 for shipping doesn't sound exorbitant; buying new furniture here could easily set you back by more than that.

I should add that my opinion is probably influenced by the fact that we shipped one bed (though not from overseas) AFTER coming to Munich because it turned out to be cheaper than buying the mattress and bed we wanted.

Just one last thing if you do decide to ship your furniture, put yards and yards of plastic around all cloth items. Couches, bed mattress, and box springs. Ships are noted for not being very clean to these items. Lots of mice, rats, and cockroaches. All of which love to breed in cloth and make nests. Do not put moth balls in your container for you will never get that smell out of the cloth items, as some people might tell you this will prevent the bugs and rodents from coming into your container.

Thanks everyone for all the information.
Butterbean based on what you said (that there are shipping companies that provide someone to help you with customs) I changed to a shipping company that does provide that service and their quote was only $100 more. And they pack all non-fragile items (the shipping company I had initially chosen would not have). In any Thanks everyone.