We are moving from Pittsburgh, PA to Israel soon and need to decide
how much stuff to take with use and how to ship it. The price will
determine how much we will take. We are looking for a list of our
options for shipping / mailing our stuff, including pricing, contact
information (i.e. company name, telephone number etc.), how long will
it take, will they ship to our home or do we need to get it ourselves
from customs, and any other information that is relevant.

The stuff:
* As far as furniture is concerned, the only thing we might want to
take with us is an ikea children's bed (like this:
http://www.ikea-usa.com/product_presentation/show.asp?productnumber=00032586&type=ART&id=7796,420).
* Boxes - minimum 5, could be as much as 15 if the price is worth it.
* Computer flat screen, in the original packaging.

Will gladly add more info if needed.

Thanks

Dear Vered, 

Thank you for asking. 

The Israeli law stipulates what kind of wares you are allowed to bring
into the country. Legally, you may ship "most of your household goods
into Israel without paying duty provided that you have both owned and
used them overseas" (Source: Jos Steeman Alkmaar BV, "What you need to
know when you're moving to Israel"
http://www.steeman.nl/en/israel.html). Some types of immigrants are
entitled to import more than that, as clearly detailed in Jos Steeman
Alkmaar's site (<http://www.steeman.nl/en/israel.html>). If you are
not a returning Israeli citizen, you may have to pay custum for the
screen (it may be also worth mentioning that the electricity and the
broadcasting system are different in Israel and the US, and your
screen might need an adaptor to work properly - Equipment that runs on
110V will not work in Israel).

The Jewish Agency offers most olim assistance towards the cost of
travel to Israel (http://www.jafi.org.il/aliyah1/loans.htm).

Shipping in a container could take anywhere between 15 and 50 days to
arrive to your new doorstep.

Overseas Movers  
+++++++++++++++
HK Worldwide Moving <http://www.worldwidemoving.com/> - specialises in
moving and shipping to and from Israel. They claimed to be recommended
by Aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel) centres
<http://www.worldwidemoving.com/israel.html>. Regarding fees, the site
offers free estimate http://www.worldwidemoving.com/form.html ; the
company offers delivery into your new residence in Israel.
3641 S. Washtenaw Ave.
Chicago, IL 60632
Tel: (773) 640-5200
Fax: (773) 640-5202
Toll Free: (800) 897-1555
Email: info@worldwidemoving.com

KEF INTERNATIONAL <http://www.adwizards.com/kef/> (an Israeli firm)
also ships especially to Israel. They also offer delivery to the house
and custum clearance - both for extra fee. Sea freight is billed by
the cubic foot. Prices are $4.00-6.50 per cubic foot from a warehouse
in the United States—appliance pickups are usually free—to the Port of
Haifa or Ashdod, including crating. Air freight costs about 4 times as
much per cubic foot as sea freight. To that, you must add other (many)
costs: custum clearance, delivery in Israel, packaging, insurance,
etc. Their toll free number is 1-888-814-8518.

SEfco International <http://www.sefco-export.com/israel.htm> also ship
to Israel (to Haifa port). Their fees are available here for see sea
freight - http://www.sefco-export.com/ne-haifasea.htm and here are the
 air freight rates: http://www.sefco-export.com/telavivair.htm (and do
not include custum services or shipping to your house). Tober Intl.
(Haifa) arranges their  local clearance
and delivery to residence: 718-268-6233 and 914-737-5112 ; Sefco c/o
Tober Group warehouse, 185 Randolph Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237 ;
info@sefco-export.com .



Other firms
+++++++++++
http://www.uniworldcargo.com/services/smallbaggage.htm - ships
internationally but there are no prices or timetables on the site.
Call 1-866-6-BAGGAG (1-866-622-4424)

http://www.globemovers.com/ - offers international shipping, but the
site does not disclose information about fees, shipping to Israel in
particular, etc.

http://www.movingu.com/international.html - also does not disclose
details regarding its ability to perform the task.

http://www.gamma-shipping.co.il - ships to and from Israel, but
doesn't provide the requested information.


Other Sources
+++++++++++++
There is a mail list called "Tachlis" where you can get questions like
yours answered: birnbaum@jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il - I have no idea how
active it is.

The Jewish Agency's tips for shipping
http://www.jafi.org.il/aliyah1/shipping.htm

I hope this answered your question. I searched for carriers to Israel
and their rates in the Internet, suing keywords such as <shipping "to
israel"  carriers>. If you need any clarifications on this answer,
please contact me. I'd be pleased to clarify my answer before you rate
it.

---

Request for Answer Clarification by vered-ga on 22 Apr 2003 11:07 PDT

Is there a minimum volume for shipping? If so, would I do better
sending my boxes by regular (lowest class) mail? I am asking because I
will probably only ship boxes, no more than 10, and I am trying to
determine whether shipping is worth it.

BTW - we are Israeli citizens returning after a one year stay in the
states, so the first part of your answer is not relevant for us.
Thanks for adding it anyway...

---

Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 23 Apr 2003 07:59 PDT

Dear Vered,  

Postal shipment is worthwhile if you have things that take a lot of
space but not a lot of weight: it is measured by wieght. The US Postal
Service actually has a volume opportunity as well.

You could get information on rates here: 
http://ircalc.usps.gov/IntlBulk/speed2.asp?method=17&CountryInfo=Global+Priority+Mail+service+is+available+only+to+Jerusalem%2C+Tei+Aviv%2C+and+Haifa%2E&strServices=17;18;&methodtext=M%2Dbags&Country=Israel&cmdSubmit=Continue
(If this very long link doesn't work for you, try:
http://ircalc.usps.gov/ and search on volume mailing).

In Seafreight, claims the helpful Australian site "IFB"
(http://www.ifbnetwork.com.au/General%20Pages/Freight.html), there is
usually a minimum charge of between 0.5 and 1.5 freight tonnes. The
minimum of various shipping companies changes and is negotiable, but
is usually around 1-3 CBM (cubic metre, the size of a fridge or
several cartons - a CBM is about 27 sqr feet).

Export 911 provides some calculations:
http://www.export911.com/e911/ship/w_or_m.htm

I hope this helps.

---

Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 23 Apr 2003 08:23 PDT

I would like to add another clarification, gathered from the sites I
have visited and not directly connected to your question.

Sea freight might be the most cost effective way to move things from
one country to another. However, it is vulnerable to theft, weather
conditions, etc. Mail postage is more expensive, safer, but you'll
have to do custum clearance yourself.

If you have children (I imagine you do, if you think of bringing a
children's bed with you :-) it might be nice for them to get things
from "home", that they already know. Don't underestimate this effect
for you, too: it might take a while until you'll know how to find the
same things in your new country, how to be understood, etc. In other
words, it might be a good idea - psychologically rather than
financially, to move with you part of your "home" in the States.

Last but not least, I wish you good luck, a safe moving and a great
time in Israel.

Thanks for the info. BTW - another option that I just thought of was
to take an extra suitcase on the plane. Trans-atlantic flight for 3
people allows 6 suitcases, and we pay around $90 for checking in an
extra suitcase (upto 32KG), which is cheaper than all the other
options.

I appreciate your notes on the emotional aspects of moving, but as my
clarification mentions - we are going *back* to Israel. Going back to
our home that we miss dearly.

There is an Ikea in Netanya Israel, so it might not even make sense to
move that bed with you. For the price, it might be easier to just buy
it again once you get there.

Good luck with your move, I've lived overseas before, and have always
found it educational and wonderful.