12 replies to this topic

[kristashawn]

We have gotten quotes from two different movers, and I was surprised at the difference in what they charge. We have a two-bedroom apartment and we want to bring most of our furniture with us. One mover (recommended by our realtor, who told us "he is very professional but not necessarily cheap") wants $825 (this doesn't include the 16% customs duty). Another, whom I found on craigslist, wants $450.

 

Since we are grad students with few items of great value (mostly used/Ikea furniture), we are leaning towards the cheaper guy versus the "very professional" guy. But I thought I would ask the forum for any words of wisdom/things to look out for before we make a final decision.

 

[Note: we are opting to just pay the 16% import duty at customs, rather than doing the residency visa + permit. Besides the fact that doing all that paperwork would take longer, we also figured out that since our stuff is not worth very much, paying customs will work out to be cheaper than all the fees involved in getting the visas and the permit.]

[tijuanahopeful]

There are a couple of guys on Craigslist that own their trailers, so they're able to charge less for moving. I haven't called for any quotes yet because I'm not moving yet.  If you got a quote for $450 to move a two bedroom apartment, I'd go with them.  I also plan to pay the 16% import duty at customs.  My furniture that's going with me is all used, and the rest of my stuff is household items.  The news items that I own are a computer and flat screen TV which I bought in December of 2012, and a small freezer that I bought in January, and I have my receipts. I have to take my cats to the vet, get their shots, and have the vet issue a clean bill of health for them before I go.

[HK70]

You don't need to the visa thing unless you have a specific reason for it. 

 

There was a moving company that used to post here every once in awhile and they may have their own thread if you look for it.  I think they were called TET.  Not sure if they are still around or not.  But I used them to move my large furniture things that I could not get in my car or move myself.  They came to my place in Chula Vista wrapped up the stuff and moved it to my place in TJ.  They charged me approxiamtley $400 US dollars and I think I had to pay approximatley1,000 pesos in import tax but none of my stuff was new.  I thought they did a good job.  They had connections with the aduana.  They moved many people across the border and within Mexico.     

[kristashawn]

You don't need to the visa thing unless you have a specific reason for it. 

 

There was a moving company that used to post here every once in awhile and they may have their own thread if you look for it.  I think they were called TET.  Not sure if they are still around or not.  But I used them to move my large furniture things that I could not get in my car or move myself.  They came to my place in Chula Vista wrapped up the stuff and moved it to my place in TJ.  They charged me approxiamtley $400 US dollars and I think I had to pay approximatley1,000 pesos in import tax but none of my stuff was new.  I thought they did a good job.  They had connections with the aduana.  They moved many people across the border and within Mexico.     

 

I tried to contact them but got no answer, and now their website seems to be down. If anyone has up-to-date contact info for them, I will try to get a quote from them, too.

[tijuanahopeful]

I looked too, and they seem to have gone out of business.

[kristashawn]

I just got a third quote, this time for $1250! $450 is looking like a pretty good deal.

[tijuanahopeful]

$1250 is way too high!  You're probably looking at the same guys on Craigslist that I am! The guy that I'm going to call has three trailers, and the 14' trailer will hold everything that I can't move myself, and will probably have room to spare!

[kristashawn]

$1250 is way too high!  You're probably looking at the same guys on Craigslist that I am! The guy that I'm going to call has three trailers, and the 14' trailer will hold everything that I can't move myself, and will probably have room to spare!

 

We are going with Garcia moving, the ones who quoted us $450. They have a ton of craigslist ads, so I'm sure you have seen them. Danny was the guy I spoke to, and he was very nice on the phone. If you like I can update you to let you know how it went .

[tijuanahopeful]

 

We are going with Garcia moving, the ones who quoted us $450. They have a ton of craigslist ads, so I'm sure you have seen them. Danny was the guy I spoke to, and he was very nice on the phone. If you like I can update you to let you know how it went .

Yes, I would much appreciate it, even though I'm not moving until sometime in the fall.  Danny is the one with the trailers that I was thinking of. 

[kristashawn]

The move went well. I definitely recommend Garcia Movers! We paid $450 to the movers plus $370 at customs. Apparently, according to Danny we were a bit unlucky; depending on the mood of the customs officials, one might pay anywhere from $200-400 for the amount of stuff we had. Still, altogether it was cheaper than any other quotes we got, and they did a great job. Nothing was broken or damaged, and they were really nice.

[tijuanahopeful]

Thanks! I anticipate paying, but no one knows how much until they're finished looking at everything.

[HK70]

Krista did you ask the moving guy to see the reciept from customs? 

[kristashawn]

Krista did you ask the moving guy to see the reciept from customs? 

 

Well actually my husband dealt with customs himself, and he got the receipt himself, which was for $100. But there are always multiple people involved who want a little extra and depending on their mood, they can make your life easier or harder, and ask for more or less... So it was definitely a somewhat sketchy process, but we were willing to pay b/c they barely checked our stuff and passed us through quickly, and we had a two-year-old with us!

 

The other guys I got quotes from would have dealt with customs for us and gave us a quote that included customs and everything. But, as I said, in the end we still saved money with Garcia movers, even factoring in the extra bribes we had to pay at the border, dealing with customs ourselves.