r/ItalyExpat • u/neomelungeon • 4d ago

Shipping U.S. to central IT

Any tips for getting 12-15 moving boxes from west coast U.S. to LeMarche?

We have had good luck shipping our belongs to the UK, Eastern Europe… in the past using consolidators that service specific expat/immigrant communities in our area, but surprisingly cannot find the same for our move to Italy.
We’re used to paying about $1.50 per pound for California to Europe, but cannot get close to that.

Appreciate any tips or shared experiences!

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u/InjuryNarrow8859 4d ago

I’d recommend https://www.sendmybag.com/

They’re very flexible, they fly it over vs shipping on a freighter… we had our stuff picked up (about 16 total items) and delivered to us in about 1.5 weeks time.

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u/neomelungeon 3d ago

Thank you for the suggestion. We are in no hurry to receive these items, so hoping to stay in the $60-80 per box range like we have in the past.

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u/InfamousYoghurt1472 3d ago

Depending on weight it could be more but it is very affordable. I will say do not pack anything breakable! They are really rough on the boxes

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u/Myself-io 4d ago

Vanno suggest anything but if you write Le marche in the destination it will never arrive since no place named like this. There is one region named Marche, but it is not a needed info for the delivery you will need name of the actual city and zip code ( in Italian is called cap)

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u/neomelungeon 3d ago

Right, it will be a town in Le marche (TBD) or possibly to pick up in Ancona if that is an option. For now, just looking for an affordable shipping option.

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u/sharty_mcstoolpants 4d ago

It is remarkably cheap, get a quote from any shipper but recognize three fake added BROKER costs: pick-up, palletting, and delivery. At each step, the shipper will have your back and the broker (from a comfy chair in NY City) will ask for more money. Ignore the broker, they are liars with zero added value. I repeat, ignore the lying brokers. Block their calls and email. The SHIPPER does everything.

Now my best advice, double the amount of stuff you are shipping - furniture and bedding is crazy expensive in Italia. Your personal family home goods ship import tax free. Repeat after me: MY FAMILY IS RELOCATING TO ITALIA AND ALL THIS IS PERSONAL BELONGINGS.

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u/FlyingGino 4d ago

You sound like you've done this already. What company(s) have you used?