Moving household goods to Ensenada.. new problems

I suggest you contact Laurel Schniepp at Sullivan/United Moving 619 379-7746 or [email protected]   They moved a bunch of stuff across for us.  There are also several private movers who will take you stuff across.  Except for Laurel who is nationwide all my mover contacts are in the San Diego area, but they will travel a reasonable distance to pickup your stuff and take it over.  One guy I know comes all the way to norther CA and goes down to Cabo.

Laurel only does Menage de casas. I would love the others info if you have it though. Mexusa movers Danny says he can't get full truck loads through. And Dennis, Baja Movers, won't move clothing. He had a very negative attitude as well. After he told me this I said I would keep looking. And he has sent me two emails in less than 2 hours asking if I have found someone else. I'm sorry, I respect other people but I don't respect someone telling me they don't move clothing or shoes and then trying to force me to do it their way.

Only other one I can suggest is Alberto Jaramillo
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Beachin06 wrote:

Laurel only does Menage de casas. I would love the others info if you have it though. Mexusa movers Danny says he can't get full truck loads through. And Dennis, Baja Movers, won't move clothing. He had a very negative attitude as well. After he told me this I said I would keep looking. And he has sent me two emails in less than 2 hours asking if I have found someone else. I'm sorry, I respect other people but I don't respect someone telling me they don't move clothing or shoes and then trying to force me to do it their way.

What you need to be aware of  Beachin06 is that shipping between Mexico and the U.S. has changed, and it's never been that loose. Not accepting clothing is not new, in fact, it has probably gotten much tighter. The shippers have to get past the border agents and maintain a good relationship with those agents. There is a fair amount of hysteria about disease contamination on both sides which is probably why clothes are more of an issue, Yet twice in the last six years, I have been told by regular shippers like UPS that clothes are not accepted.

travellight wrote:

There is a fair amount of hysteria about disease contamination on both sides which is probably why clothes are more of an issue, Yet twice in the last six years, I have been told by regular shippers like UPS that clothes are not accepted.

I read long before pandemic that good intentioned tourist were bringing bags of clothes down to donate to the "needy" and were being told not to or charged a high duty.  It was more an economic thing that a health thing. 

Mexico does have some strange rules as some of the items I had Laurel ship down for me were on
  wood pallets.  MX won't allow certain types of raw wood in the country.  They had to take my items off the pallets from here and put them on  treated wood pallets. 

It might not be the movers it's more likely the MX border officials.  I also was told now with pandemic there is less traffic crossing so more of a chance to get inspected.

controlling the type of woods coming in is actually a well-founded restriction. The termites and other pests are very aggressive and softwood encourages that. The natural wood is heavy and very dense. I have a constant battle with termites here because of the typical kitchen cabinets in the kitchen.

Bringing clothes to donate is actually viewed as an insult. If you live here and want to donate a few very good pieces of clothing that's a different thing.

The things I have a problem with are items from the U.S. It was the U.S. they wouldn't ship clothes to. I brought the clothes I needed in my luggage and donated good items in the U.S. What Mexico wouldn't accept as a shipped item was natural toothpaste and the denture cleaner I used to clean jewelry. They wanted a prescription and a sanitation certificate. I tried to clarify that but it didn't work.  They basically didn't know what it was so they made assumptions and denied it. After talking to my dentist about this he shared that he was denied a new piece of equipment.
Possibly they figure that when something they have never seen comes in they may evaluate it for production here.  I just know when they say no, that's it. I doubt that anyone would want their clothes seized.

Mexico is a developed country, household goods you can purchase them at walmart, sam's club, la bodega and so on, no need to buy things from US and ship them to mexico. You are creating too much stress and drama for yourself, do not listen to most people since they spread a lot of negativity and info that are he said, she said. If you can separate yourself from your furnitures or household items and carry with you a few memories, then they shouldn't be no issues, you will find good quality furniture to purchase in mexico, i have purchased great quality things here i was unable to purchase in U.S. If you take your time you can purchase all items needed for your home and family at major cities and towns in mexico, drive if you need to, prices are less or equals as U.S. depending on your purchase. Those companies in US will overcharged you for shipping and you have to deal with duties in mexico. When i moved here i lost a tons of money by listening to people and reading info online which create a lot of fear and misleading info. I shop where the locals go, less stress and easy on your pocket. Bring your memories and clothes which you are allowed to,  for your pets make sure everyone one of them has health certificate to travel from your vet, get it 2 weeks before you leave for mexico, it is a requirement and they may ask you for the vet papers at the borders. Mexico  is truly not a backward country as people portrayed it to be. 

Miapsychicservices wrote:

Mexico is a developed country, household goods you can purchase them at walmart, sam's club, la bodega and so on, no need to buy things from US and ship them to mexico.

While I agree with you in theory, it doesn't exactly work for some items.  Clothing, kitchen wares, some furniture maybe.  We have tried to buy in MX but the stores just don't have and won't order exactly what we want.  Even Home Depot, Walmart, and Costco don't have some of the same items.  We are building a condo and wanted a microwave drawer, can't get it in MX.  There were a few other items we just couldn't get in MX so had to buy in US and pay the duty to have it shipped or took it across ourselves.

It's a waste of money to have to repurchase things I already own. We plan to have a furnished rental, but I love to cook and hate the thought of wasting my retirement dollars re-buying kitchen goods that I already have in abundance and could bring. Are there any written rules on quantity or type of items that they would disallow?

Cindye1010 wrote:

It's a waste of money to have to repurchase things I already own. We plan to have a furnished rental, but I love to cook and hate the thought of wasting my retirement dollars re-buying kitchen goods that I already have in abundance and could bring. Are there any written rules on quantity or type of items that they would disallow?

Yes the consulate has a list of what and how much of used stuff you can bring without paying duty.

cool.

James, Hi! Liked your post. We have a few items to move to Mazatlan this fall. We have tried to furnish our condos in Mazatlan with good success but have some items we can't purchase. And some art including some of my own work. We have been trying to figure out what our options are. Your info is helpful. We may just rent a UHaul to get the items to someone in CA or AZ, who transports across border.  Your San Diego contacts are great. We may take you up on calling Laurel. Thanks!

Excellent advice Miapsychicservices,

Something that I would add is that some of the owned stuff in the U.S. does not work well in Mexico. The material that was fine there won't hold up especially wooden items and metals. Rust and termites would make dust of them quickly. Plus prices on items here are much lower.

I agree, the selection is not as large, and I'm finding they are now priced almost as much as you would pay for the United States. The more familiar we get with the area, I'm sure will be able to find everything we need. I do love that the folks, locals that is, are very friendly. I think most of the tourists leave their manners at home. ; )

I have bought a trailer and with the help and by paying a mover and the border agents I have been getting my things there one trailer at a time. My house is 3000 sq ft plus a Casita. To purchase all my furniture for 4 bdrms, 2 kitchens, an outside kitchen and TV and pool area. Living room, office and rec room with ping pong table, 2 boats, a motorcycle, a golf cart, which is there now. My driveway to the lower gate is a long ways and to get there the golf cart is necessary. Plus taking the garbage down. Then I have another separate gate into my house and garage. And I'm adding 4 2 story casitas and another pool for rentals. So buying everything I need in Mexico all over again would be a huge undertaking.

@Beachin06 Steven's International did a fabulous job of getting our full storage unit from Ca to Puerto Vallarta