Hi all, I’m planning to do what the majority of you on this board have done: move to Taipei from elsewhere, in my case, Austin, Texas, for work and study. This will probably be within a couple of years, exactly when depends on a few things, but I’m starting my planning way ahead of time!
Was wondering about the logistics of moving to Taiwan (specifically Taipei): I would probably not have much in the way of household goods, but I own a lot of books and may have a special piece of furniture, stuff like that.
–Are there moving companies you would recommend or warn somebody about?
–What question(s) should I be asking about this that I’m not thinking of?
–Any tips on routine stuff like the forwarding of mail, stuff like that?
:snoopy: I’m all ears!
I have surfed around on this site and haven’t found anything specifically about the move itself, but if there’s a thread that already exists, could someone kindly direct me?
xie-xie!!!
Shipping from the States is difficult now. The post office used to have a wonderful international shipping rate for books that has been discontinued, as has international surface shipping. It has become an expensive nightmare shipping heavy things from the States.
I would suggest storing your books and things at home if you can and then shipping it out at a later date if you decide you want to stay long term and can’t live without them. If you spend a small fortune shipping things out and then decide not to stay in Taiwan for one reason or another, you may regret having shipped out more stuff.
However, if you do want to go with a shipping company, I would recommend Allied Pickfords. I used them from Taiwan to the UAE and they were great.
As for forwarding mail internationally, I have never known anyone to do that in Taiwan, but I have friends in the UAE who get mail forwarded from the US and UK. They pay a yearly fee to their post office for the service and it works well for them.
[quote=“Texas Guy”]Hi all, I’m planning to do what the majority of you on this board have done: move to Taipei from elsewhere, in my case, Austin, Texas, for work and study. This will probably be within a couple of years, exactly when depends on a few things, but I’m starting my planning way ahead of time!
Was wondering about the logistics of moving to Taiwan (specifically Taipei): I would probably not have much in the way of household goods, but I own a lot of books and may have a special piece of furniture, stuff like that.
–Are there moving companies you would recommend or warn somebody about?
–What question(s) should I be asking about this that I’m not thinking of?
–Any tips on routine stuff like the forwarding of mail, stuff like that?
:snoopy: I’m all ears!
I have surfed around on this site and haven’t found anything specifically about the move itself, but if there’s a thread that already exists, could someone kindly direct me?
xie-xie!!![/quote]
Hey, Texas Guy!
Austin? Isn’t that the best city in Texas? At least, for music & all?
I would not bring any books or furniture out here, unless one is in for the long term, one invests in a dehumdifier, and generally is willing to put much more maintenance into the deal. Taiwan has tons of water vapor, posing as humidity. I have personally wreaked irreversible damage on books i insisted on bringing out here. Same with my quitars.
Taiwan is a place to make money, not bring cherished possessions, unless one if prepared to go the time & expense needed to ensure protection.
Dust is also a big problem.
Don’t bring anything you can’t live without. Seriously. If you end up settling down here, you can bring some books and things back with you each time you visit home.
Put your stuff in storage. Inventory and number the boxes if you want, so you can have a friend or relative ship individual items or boxes to you later if you really need them.
There are new and used English bookstores here, as well as online ordering from places like Amazon, so you won’t have any shortage of stuff to read here, and if you’re studying Chinese you won’t have time to read English.
…any other thoughts on that? Specifically about shipping boxes of books and small stuff? Or having them shipped on your behalf? Is there anything like UPS/FEDEX that works as well as or better than the US Postal Service without digging too deeply into your wallet?
And Yes, Austin is a cool place! There is even a Friday noon concert @ City Hall. Haven’t been to it in a while; I hope it’s still going on. And it’s fun to watch the bats leave from the bridge on Congress Avenue (evenings, @ Bat Suppertime!!!). :America:
Rangers Lead The Way! :America:
USPS is best in my experience; the others are more likely to get delayed in Customs, and to have tariffs imposed. They’re also likely to hassle you with paperwork and to want copies of your passport or something. Oh, and don’t have any boxes declared over about US$75 in value, and that will greatly reduce your chance of taxes.
Hey Texas,
shipping things here is pretty pricey. My brother sent me a small box of my books and it costs upwards of $45 US. It’s not recommended. Some of the others above had good ideas.
As ‘open-minded’ as Austin is, you may still have a difficult time adjusting to Taiwanese-Chinese life. You may like to think you come from a racially diverse city, but according to your city demographics there are only 4.72% Asians in Austin. And I doubt if they have a strong cultural presence. Many people find it difficult to live in another culture. There’s lots of things that you’ll disagree with. So prudence in shipping your whole life here is suggested.
Dragon had a nice idea…
But if you can adjust, this is a great place to be a foreigner. :happybiker:
Thanks for the answer, Spirit Guide!
[You may like to think you come from a racially diverse city, but according to your city demographics there are only 4.72% Asians in Austin. And I doubt if they have a strong cultural presence. Many people find it difficult to live in another culture. ]
That might be the city as a whole, but my university, especially certain parts of it, looks like Asia!!! Plus I’ve been to Taipei 3x thus far for summers & Christmas/New Year; enjoyed every bit of it. Got lots of friends in that part of the world + I’ve been in a few other cultures here & there in my time, no biggie.
Having said that, though, the advice you all give about moving in stages makes a lot of sense. There may be some things that as a permanent resident, I will find kind of upsetting. They just haven’t happened yet, whatever they are.
Sounds like a great battle plan is dump as much stuff on my side of the International Date Line as I can, and move the rest over in onesies and twosies as circumstances allow. Did you say $45!!! OUCH! :snivel:
Travel light, freeze at night!!!
I was a student at UT Austin too by the way… I really liked Austin, and if I could go back I’d probably go back to Austin. Anyways I’d initially take the important stuff (your guitars or whatever) but anything heavy find a shipping company that will seamail stuff for you. I heard USPS doesn’t do that anymore so you may have to find a freight company who will do that, I am sure there’s some cause US exports alot of stuff to Taiwan. You might want to call around.
Oh if you bring any guitar and if its bolt on electric guitar (like Strat and Tele) you should take the neck off and hide it amongst your luggage. This will make it less apprant and less likely to get stolen.
Oh and if you do come to Taipei can you bring me a longhorn T shirt?? I really miss the campus…
Sure, feel free to remind me around the beginning of May.
No guitars–I’m the bookworm type. There may be some more important books, maybe a box or two, that are my favorites &/or important for scholarly reasons.
Thanks for the advice; I appreciate it!
Hook’em!
[quote=“Texas Guy”]Sure, feel free to remind me around the beginning of May.
No guitars–I’m the bookworm type. There may be some more important books, maybe a box or two, that are my favorites &/or important for scholarly reasons.
Thanks for the advice; I appreciate it!
Hook’em![/quote]
You ever thought about just using E-books that way you can access them anywhere in the world and not have to worry about shipping, and save the environment at the same time. Books sure are heavy I guess just bring the ones you must have. By the way what was your major at UT? Is Larry Faulkner still the president of UT?
I now go to UOP (long story… I still have to complete my bachelor’s…) and all their books are electronic. That’s good for me because buying/shipping books across the sea will be expensive and they sure got TONS of books you gotta read (my current class has like 5 textbooks…)
And you thought Calculus was bad…
I’m studying Foreign Language Education way up on the 5th floor of the Sánchez Building.
Hey, how do you make the box like the one in which you quoted me? Thanks!
[quote=“Texas Guy”]I’m studying Foreign Language Education way up on the 5th floor of the Sánchez Building.
Hey, how do you make the box like the one in which you quoted me? Thanks![/quote]
Like this
Humidity in Taiwan is 90 to 100pct so books cant survive .
I’ve had books here for 13.5 years and live in a particularly humid area in the Taipei burbs, and my books are doing just fine. 
I’ve not had AC or dehumidifiers until the last couple years. Leather items (belts, shoes, jackets) require special care to survive though.
I’ve had books here for 13.5 years and live in a particularly humid area in the Taipei burbs, and my books are doing just fine. I’ve not had AC or dehumidifiers until the last couple years. Leather items (belts, shoes, jackets) require special care to survive though.[/quote]
I dont know how you do it my friend. In the summertime I had to keep my leather jacket in the car, otherwise it would mold up in a day or two. And the wintertime it was my second skin.
All my books rotted to pieces. I remember days in Neihu when literally raindrops were coming off the ceiling and onto everything (and im talking being INSIDE). The walls were literally streaming with water. I pretty much had to hide anything not waterproof and almost had to wear a raincoat inside. Luckily this was an extreme example. But the rest of the time 90 to 100 is not a joke . Molds all of our wooden furniture within days , all clothes get damp , etc.
But all that moisture means your skin stays lookin young !!!
Shoot, the vets even recommend washing your persian cat (if you have one) once a week or two to keep them from getting moldy !!! And I am not kidding here.
[quote=“rahimiiii”]You ever thought about just using E-books that way you can access them anywhere in the world and not have to worry about shipping, and save the environment at the same time. Books sure are heavy I guess just bring the ones you must have. Is Larry Faulkner still the president of UT?quote]
I have found some great buys at the bookstores in Taipei, Eslite + the place in Taipei 101 (Front Page/First Page/Page 1???), etc. I tend to pick up some stuff whenever I’m there.
utexas.edu/
I had forgotten to answer your question: no, it’s now President Powers, formerly of the School of Law. As I recall, he’s a pretty bright lawyer who had an important role in bringing down the Enron crowd. Anyway, you can look him up on this link and get his bio if you’re curious.
I forgot if I asked this before; sorry–what about shipping my newfound literary treasures back to myself in the US? Is the Taiwanese postal service reasonably cheap, safe, hassle-free, etc.? Can I get the bookstores to ship the book home to me if I’m not simply chomping at the bit to read it right then and there?
Thanks, everybody. :thanks:
I just found out this Emoticon means “Not Safe For Work.” Wassupwitdat?
If you needed to post a link to a page that had, say, some nudity on it (and I’m sure we all “need to” at times 
), you would add that emoticon so people who are browsing at work would know not to open it.
The existence of that emoticon doesn’t mean it’s ok to post links to hardcore porn, though. Here are the rules on that issue: