I’m leaving in a couple of months to go back home and had a couple of questions-
What is the cheapest way to send a large pile of stuff back to the UK? I heard that seamail to the UK had been cancelled last year- are there any other options?
What is the best way to transfer a largeish sum of money (around 50,000 TWD) back to the UK? Bank transfer, Western Union, or just carrying it out and changing it when I get back to Britain?
Cheers
Leave everything with me. I promise I’ll send it to you when you get home.
[quote=“ewan86”]I’m leaving in a couple of months to go back home and had a couple of questions
Cheers[/quote]
I am sorry to hear about the loss of seamail shipping, but is that only the postal system? There ought to still be regular shipping companies, no? Sorry, I just don’t know.
As for the money transfer: keep it simple and transfer it to your bank (or that of a friend or relative if you have someone you can rely on). Western Union is going to be pricer I think. The last thing you should do is bring NT$ back to the UK. You’ll probably find a larger bank willing to exchange the money to GBP, but you’ll get a lousy exchange rate.
Best wishes for your trip.
Tazzie
Sell everything, its better then paying for freight. Go to a bank and change the NTD into Euro travellers checks perhaps? You can also wire yourself the money for a small fee like 1000 or 2000ntd i think.
Picked up a young lady once and took her to her college and turns out she came from Taiwan with about 50,000 US dollars in 100 dollar bills (to pay for tuition). I was amazed. She couldve gotten her bank to give her a bank check? Or at the very least gotten US dollar travellers checks in 1000 dollar denominations (so she doesnt sprain her dainty hands signing 500 x 100 dollar checks). And for a whole afternoon we were hanging out in cafes and stuff with her backpack (containing the 50,000) laying on the floor.
Anyway thats going off topic. Freight is expensive, junk everything not absolutely needed back home. Dont carry cash !
Change into pounds and put it in your pocket … it’s only about 1,000 GBP
Yes, Belgian’s idea is better. I wasn’t paying attention to the amount – 900+ quid isn’t worth worrying about electronic transfers, etc.
[quote=“ewan86”]I’m leaving in a couple of months to go back home and had a couple of questions-
What is the cheapest way to send a large pile of stuff back to the UK? I heard that seamail to the UK had been cancelled last year- are there any other options?
What is the best way to transfer a largeish sum of money (around 50,000 TWD) back to the UK? Bank transfer, Western Union, or just carrying it out and changing it when I get back to Britain?
Cheers[/quote]
1- have a local friend call the post office for you and inquire.
2-take your money and passport to a Mega bank branch and exchange it for Pounds. Do not change it back in Britain, TW money has crap rates in every other country.
I’ve done the leaving-Taiwan thing both ways – shipping and selling. I strongly recommend selling. Things that seem indispensable in Taiwan seem to have a way of not quite fitting into your lifestyle in your home country, and many packed boxes remain packed in storage somewhere.
Get it down to a few boxes of the kind you buy at the Post Office and just mail them. I’ve never had a problem doing that and it’s not too expensive if you give some thought about what you’ll ship vs what you’ll take with you based on weight.
BP, where can I buy that terrific looking lunchwaffle?
[quote=“Deuce Dropper”][quote=“ewan86”]I’m leaving in a couple of months to go back home and had a couple of questions-
What is the cheapest way to send a large pile of stuff back to the UK? I heard that seamail to the UK had been cancelled last year- are there any other options?
What is the best way to transfer a largeish sum of money (around 50,000 TWD) back to the UK? Bank transfer, Western Union, or just carrying it out and changing it when I get back to Britain?
Cheers[/quote]
You can’t actually change it outside Taiwan…remember that!
1- have a local friend call the post office for you and inquire.
2-take your money and passport to a Mega bank branch and exchange it for Pounds. Do not change it back in Britain, TW money has crap rates in every other country.[/quote]
yeah - second (third, fourth…) the ‘sell everything’ approach. And travel light. Take cash!
It’s never advisable to change NT$ outside of Taiwan. There may be some places where NT$ can fetch a good price on the black market (this was the case for China ten years ago and Vietnam 15 years ago), and you can make limited exchanges in places like Hong Kong and other nearby destinations popular with Taiwanese tourists, but in general, if you take NT$ to Western countries, they’ll charge you a punitive exchange rate and tack whopping fees on top of that.
Hi Ewan! Are you here on scholarship? Did I meet you at the welcome do last September?
Anyway, we’re in the same boat and here are my thoughts:
I agree with everyone absolutely not to take the NT$ home and change them there. Either get UK cash here (only at Bank of Taipei really and best go to the big central branch next to the Presidential Building) or enquire about bank transferring home. Ask your home bank for advice and also whoever you bank with here. Alternatively, go somewhere with the money and spend it on travel etc.
Re getting stuff home, I have the same dilemma! I’m LIVID that the UK no longer accepts surface parcels from TW and even e-mailed to ask why (was, of course, fobbed off and told to enquire at the PO here, but I later heard it was something to do with the change in port of entry to the UK. Don’t ask more, I haven’t got a clue!), but so it indeed is. Do you have any idea how much weightwise you need to get home? The PO have a surface-lifted (called Lukong) option that flies over water and drives over land, which may work out for you. An alternative would be to try TNT shipments. http://www.shippingandtracking.com/Taiwan/DHL-FedEx-TNT-UPS-ChunghwaPost/rates_simulator.html is a good link which will take you to the price estimators for all services, including the local post.
As we’re going home via Germany where you can still ship surface parcels, we’re considering sending our stuff to our c/o address there, then shipping onwards also from there. Something to bear in mind with freight services is that there may be customs duties to pay on your own stuff. I recently contacted HMRC about this and am waiting for a reply - after being fobbed off by TNT UK!! Why do I hate UK Customer service people??? :fume: Anyway, the key to minimising this is to make sure that you only put down the 2nd hand street value of your stuff, ie you paid £10 for something, but it would now only fetch £1.50. We’ll avoid this by shipping from Germany as EU is customs free. OH, and using the post office service tends to avoid customs as well.
I got a very helpful reply from HMRC about importing our own stuff. Here it is in case it’s at all relevant for anyone.
You can bring in belongings free of duty and tax so long as you:
i) Are moving your normal home to the EC
ii) Have had your normal home outside the EC for a continuous period of at least 12 months
iii) Have possessed and used them for at least 6 months outside the EC before they are imported
iv) Did not get them under a duty/tax free scheme
v) Declare them to us
vi) Will keep them for your personal use and
vii) Do not sell, lend, hire out or otherwise dispose of them in the EC within 12 months of importation, unless you notify us first and pay duty and VAT on disposal.
Belongings include clothing, furniture, portable tools of trade, pets and other household and personal effects, but not alcohol or tobacco products.
The form required for your belongings is a C3 “Bringing personal belongings to the UK from outside the EC”. The form required for your Vehicle is a C104A. On completion both forms will need to be forwarded, together with any packing lists, relevant invoices, foreign licensing documents etc to the agent or shipping company that will be clearing the goods through UK Customs, in order that they can be presented to us when the goods arrive.
More detailed information on the above can be obtained from our Public Notice No. 3 “Bringing your belongings and private motor vehicle to the UK from outside the EC”, paragraph 5.1 onwards, which can be found on our website at hmrc.gov.uk and click on Quick Links in the box on the left of the screen. Scroll down to: Library Publications
Notices, Information Sheets & other reference materials - Import, Export & International Trade
Public Notices, Public Notice 3.
The Forms C3 and C104A can also be downloaded from the website by clicking on “Find a form” and entering C3 or C104A in the box.
I hope this is of assistance to you.
I must emphasise that the advice given is based on the information you supplied. If the nature of the transaction changes in technical detail, or the relevant details provided were incomplete or incorrect, we will not be bound by this ruling
PS, yes it was who you thought it was who wrote this and the last posts. I didn’t realise you were talking about Forumosa at the time. I also thought YOU were someone ellse!! I don’t do nearly 40 degrees C! Doesn’t work for what’s left of my brain after nearly 4 terms at the MTC!
Does anyone know of any service that will come to one’s apartment to buy furniture, etc? I have a lot of nice stuff that I need to get rid of by Wednesday and I’m getting a bit worried that the tealit method works a bit too slowly for my deadline.
Alternatively, does anyone want to buy a bunch of stuff for one cheap price? 
[quote=“likeanyother”]Does anyone know of any service that will come to one’s apartment to buy furniture, etc? I have a lot of nice stuff that I need to get rid of by Wednesday and I’m getting a bit worried that the tealit method works a bit too slowly for my deadline.
Alternatively, does anyone want to buy a bunch of stuff for one cheap price? 
[/quote]
A couple of years ago, Steve the mover cleared a bunch of stuff from our apartment when we were leaving. Obviously we had to pay him to do this.
I also put some furniture on the street after 10pm for the local recycling collection service. I was given the number for the office dealing with my street after calling one of the numbers on the blue bags (Taipei). They want a rough idea of what you are leaving out although much of it disappears before they get to it. Selling your stuff at such short notice is very difficult - no one was interested in our fabulous king sized bed and we had to give it away 
As far as keeping stuff, as a student in costly Oz, I was grateful for everything we’d sent. As the seamail was so cheap I wish we’d saved more and sent it. Of course, the cost of freight shipping to the UK might be more offputting…What a bugger they’ve stopped it 
If you already have a bank account in the UK, Whanan bank will wire money (regardless of sum it seems) for around 300nt… I do not know what are the costs to receive it there though… check with your bank. Otherwise change it into pounds here (I recommend Taiwan bank to minimize hassle… other banks are too touchy regarding this issue. There is a branch of the Taiwan Bank in Danshui… I am sure there are also branches in Taipei. Taiwan Bank isn’t as common as say Chinatrust though…) and take it with you… it ain’t that much…
I am asking the same question too because I got to carry 6 times that much to Germany next year, except I don’t have an account there and I need to get a residence permit before setting one up there.
I have a question regarding leaving and storage.
How about if you leave Taiwan unsure of your exact plans - you may stay away for 3 months and then return, or you may decide to stay away for good/a longer period beyond that 3 months.
Is there a storage service that will store your goods for a specified period, at the end of which, you can either take them out of storage, or have them sent to you in the country you are now living in. Or if you wish, continue to keep in storage awaiting instructions.
some things that might help.
second hand stores will buy a lot of stuff, and they will pick it up too. You will need to find ones near you.
You can certainly ocean freight to UK, but you cant go through post you need to get a shipping company…which is cheaper anyway for large amount of stuff. I have a number for a company based in Kaohsiung if thats where you are at. they pick up as well. I can also give you the number to my box guy who makes customs boxes, he is in Pingdong city. just be careful on your receiving end that you dont get F’ed for taxes/duty on bringing in your own belongings…no idea how UK works like that.
and as mentioned here, change your NT to pounds here. i never had an issue changing outside taiwan, but the rates were always just slightly worse. banks are con artists, they fine you, i mean have fees. but even changing money they skim off the top, you will never get actual market value. but lots of banks in taiwan change it without an issue. certain banks even have stalls in the airports for last chances.
Can anyone tell me about sea freight, how does it work?
If the post office offers it to the destination country, its cheap and easy, but everyone else I’ve seen quoted rates that are over 30,000 NT because it’s more of an international moving company rather than a shipping company. I do need to know in case I have equipments that are too large to send by post…