Shipping personal effects U.S. to Ireland

killasser

I've moved from U.S. back home to Dublin. I sent a few personal effects (2 suitcases, golf bag) via a shipping company in the U.S. Has anyone done this in the past? Do you know what port charges, handling charges, document charges I could expect in Dublin? Should I get a receiving agent or let the shipping agency choose one?

él statutorio

Pretty sure there are a few luggage forwarding companies who do this.

It's usually cheaper just to pay for the extra bags when flying though. That was my experience anyway when i looked at it.

killasser

Here is my experience of shipping items from U.S. to Ireland


I recently moved back home from Florida US to Dublin. As I was taking a detour around France before getting to Ireland, I wasn’t able to take too many bags without it costing a fortune. So, I decided to ground ship a few items. Here is my experience that I hope will help someone in the future.

U.S.
I got a quote from a company in Miami that seemed reasonable. In the quote I had entered door-to-door. I was shipping two suitcases and a golf bag, which they quoted $438.00. That was reasonable as I would probably pay that much or more if I was to bring them on the airlines. The bonus was that there was no limit on the weight when shipping ground. I packed all my heavy items in these bags and dropped them off at the warehouse in Miami. Note: make sure you write your shipping ID on each bag with a marker. Do not use label as they will fall off.

Ireland
After some research I found that you will pay VAT on all incoming products, and yes that does mean used clothing and shoes. But there is a reprieve, fill in a Transfer of Residence form (C&E 1076) and send it to the Customs House about two weeks prior to your shipment arriving. Also, send them copies of proof that you resided in the U.S. for at least a year, I sent them copies of my car insurance and two utility bills; one from over a year ago and one from a month ago. You also need to show them proof that you are residing in Ireland; an employment contract will work. After doing this, a lady from Customs called to verify everything, she did want an Advise of Arrival. I had no idea what this was, I called the shipping company in Miami to enquire about it, but they didn’t know what I was talking about and fobbed me off with “You’ll get all that in a week via email” Found out later that this is something that the receiving agent will send.

Receiving Agent:
This one was a surprise to me. I was expecting the shipment to get delivered to the address that I gave the shipping company in Miami. Apparently not! After an email they said that the quote does not provide for shipping to the door, only to the port, and I would have to deal with the receiving agent and customs myself. The Receiving Agent called me and explained that they receive the items, store them and release them, at a cost of course. They can also deal with customs as well for a cost. Total cost of doing everything without the custom’s clearance, as I done that myself, was €160.

Also, they must get paid by the Miami shipping company first before they release the items. The day the shipment was to arrive I received an email from the receiving company to say they haven’t received payment from Miami yet but they had contacted them a few times. The next day, I received a call from the receiving agent, the payment had been made and the shipment is cleared through customs and can be picked up at the warehouse in Swords. Opening hours are 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm Monday to Friday. The will hold it there for 7 days before getting charged storage fees.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Wompa1

killasser wrote: »

Here is my experience of shipping items from U.S. to Ireland


I recently moved back home from Florida US to Dublin. As I was taking a detour around France before getting to Ireland, I wasn’t able to take too many bags without it costing a fortune. So, I decided to ground ship a few items. Here is my experience that I hope will help someone in the future.

U.S.
I got a quote from a company in Miami that seemed reasonable. In the quote I had entered door-to-door. I was shipping two suitcases and a golf bag, which they quoted $438.00. That was reasonable as I would probably pay that much or more if I was to bring them on the airlines. The bonus was that there was no limit on the weight when shipping ground. I packed all my heavy items in these bags and dropped them off at the warehouse in Miami. Note: make sure you write your shipping ID on each bag with a marker. Do not use label as they will fall off.

Ireland
After some research I found that you will pay VAT on all incoming products, and yes that does mean used clothing and shoes. But there is a reprieve, fill in a Transfer of Residence form (C&E 1076) and send it to the Customs House about two weeks prior to your shipment arriving. Also, send them copies of proof that you resided in the U.S. for at least a year, I sent them copies of my car insurance and two utility bills; one from over a year ago and one from a month ago. You also need to show them proof that you are residing in Ireland; an employment contract will work. After doing this, a lady from Customs called to verify everything, she did want an Advise of Arrival. I had no idea what this was, I called the shipping company in Miami to enquire about it, but they didn’t know what I was talking about and fobbed me off with “You’ll get all that in a week via email” Found out later that this is something that the receiving agent will send.

Receiving Agent:
This one was a surprise to me. I was expecting the shipment to get delivered to the address that I gave the shipping company in Miami. Apparently not! After an email they said that the quote does not provide for shipping to the door, only to the port, and I would have to deal with the receiving agent and customs myself. The Receiving Agent called me and explained that they receive the items, store them and release them, at a cost of course. They can also deal with customs as well for a cost. Total cost of doing everything without the custom’s clearance, as I done that myself, was €160.

Also, they must get paid by the Miami shipping company first before they release the items. The day the shipment was to arrive I received an email from the receiving company to say they haven’t received payment from Miami yet but they had contacted them a few times. The next day, I received a call from the receiving agent, the payment had been made and the shipment is cleared through customs and can be picked up at the warehouse in Swords. Opening hours are 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm Monday to Friday. The will hold it there for 7 days before getting charged storage fees.

Hope this helps someone out there.

A little off topic here but any tip on bringing money from the US to Ireland? I know they say you have to declare anything over 10k but I can't find a rate of tax you pay on it. I've even read some people say that you won't pay tax on it, that you just need to declare it and what you're using it for. That the US and Ireland have a tax treaty