Relocating belongings by international mail, without an apartment lined up?

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
I have a relatively small self-move planned for March 1 or later, from Seattle to Zürich (job is already lined up). I was inspired by this thread to possibly pursue simply relocating myself via a bunch of boxes thru international mail:

https://www.englishforum.ch/daily-li...us-zurich.html

There is just the problem of needing to ship the boxes from Seattle myself, and not knowing to what address to send them until I have picked out some apartment in Zürich.

I can imagine several options:

Rely on a personal connection in Seattle to store my boxes and ship them once I know a destination address. I'd rather not have to do this.

Secure longer-term temporary accommodations from abroad. Sounds like this is possible (either a temporary furnished apartment, or a shared flat on e.g. wgzimmer.ch). I'd rather it be something I could tolerate for several months while looking for a permanent place, though, so I think I'd rather conduct this in person after I arrive.

Rely on new coworkers in Zürich to do the opposite of (1) (receive and store the packages, which I will later pick up). Really don't want to do this.

Pre-select a hotel or AirBnB where I can receive packages, and plan on staying there long enough to wait for all the packages to come in. I think this would work-- the hotel would handle my packages possibly for a small fee, and I could just stack up my boxes in my room (or leave them in their holding area if they allowed), and then deal with moving them locally in Zürich, first to my longer-term temporary flat once selected, and then finally to a permanent apartment. If one or more packages were delayed until after my stay in the hotel, that could be interesting, but probably they would just hold it for me as usual and I would just make a trip to pick it up.

Some sort of storage or moving company which could basically do the work of (1) or (3) as a service. For (3) It doesn't seem likely that a storage-only company would offer this, although maybe I could convince them as a courtesy or for an extra fee or something-- to just shove my boxes into a unit as they arrive. I did find a Zürich storage company that has this in their FAQ:

Ask my new company to help (like (3) but relying on another department instead of coworkers on my team). It is a good sized company so they might have the resources, but it is such an odd thing to request that it might require a personal favor from whoever would be coordinating it. I like to be self-sufficient outside of my job, so I don't like this option if it were even possible.

(4) seems like the best option to me. I will check with the individual hotel, but in theory I don't see any issues with this. If I went ahead with it, then the only puzzlement I still have is dealing with registration. If I understand correctly, the proper thing to do would be to register/de-register as I moved from address to address. Presumably my first registration upon landing would be okay for me to say I'm in a hotel and will be staying there until I find a temporary flat. I don't see any other issues with this plan, but for all I know I have overlooked some glaringly obvious thing.

2
I think your best option would be to rent a self storage unit that accepts deliveries, such as this one...

https://www.zebrabox.ch/en/private/f...ept-deliveries

Please wipe this 'option'. No hotel worth it's salt will accept and store packages for a future guest. Besides using their limited storage facilities, it's deemed by many chains to be a possible terror risk. However, many will store luggage that has been forwarded via a recognised luggage transfer service, such as the one that SBB use.

3
Okay wow, glad I asked, I didn't even think how bad an idea it would be at the hotel. I mean, my thought was I guess that I would mail the packages last minute so I would arrive before they did (probably). But. Yeah. Now that you mention it I see how suspicious and uncomfortable it would be to try to be receiving and storing a bunch of heavy boxes at a hotel.

Regarding the zebrabox thing, I actually found that on their FAQ, though I find that kind of cryptic. Am I a "business" client? And uh.. will they be okay with lugging multiple shipments of 20-60lbs boxes to my unit for me? I can certainly contact them and ask, but it just seems like it is above and beyond normal service for a storage unit. But tbh I've never rented a storage unit before so I'm actually not familiar in the least.

4
Have you actually calculated your shipping costs? If you are talking multiple shipments of 20-60lb boxes from Seattle, it's going to get expensive quickly. If I'm not mistaken, the USPS flat rate pricing max is for 20lb. A single 60lb box from Seattle would probably be around 250.00 US. I'm not sure what type of shipping options you have access too, but with the numbers I'm familiar with, (USPS, FedEx, UPS) you approach moving service costs (without any of the benefits) if you start shipping more than a handful of boxes.

5
I know somebody who regularly did (4) ahead of time for vacations, in order to avoid hauling a family's ski gear through airports. This was not in Switzerland, but I strongly suspect that the most expensive hotels are ready for such requests and the cheapest are not. The only question is where the line is relative to your hotel budget.

Just call a few hotels, and ask.

6
Yeah using an 18" x 16" x 14" box for reference, it's something like:

10lbs - $72

20lbs - $100

40lbs - $155

66lbs - $227 (66lbs is the heaviest they will accept destined for CH)

I am still working on getting a quote for a moving service. A lot of them just use 1BR apartment as a rough estimate. But I live very minimally. I have a table and chair and a few larger items like a bicycle and a couple guitars, but I'm prepared to take the guitars on the plane (checked), and just forget about my bike (it's old) and the few furniture items. That leaves maybe 15 boxes worth of stuff.

7
Please take my 2 cents with a pinch of salt as I have not done anything similar. I instead opted for support from my company through a sea shipment.

Option 1 seems to be best (though clearly not preferred by you). The other options require you to move these 15 odd boxes from one location to another (from hotel/ airbnb/ company/ storage location to where ever you end up staying) which I consider a hassle personally.

While this option does require you to rely and trust and especially burden a friend or family member - it gives you the option to ship something directly to your permanent location once you find one. You would need to do all the paperwork ahead of time.

Here's an englishforum thread (you've probably seen this already) detailing someone's experience.

Good luck!

8
Sorry, long reply with links coming...

Consider leaving the furniture unless it's very dear to you or antique or something. You don't know what your flat will look like, what the layout is, or how much space you have until you're here. Leave the electronics such as TV, since you've got both the signal difference and the voltage difference. In fact, check out some of our threads on what to bring vs what to buy to help you pare down how much you need to bring:

What to bring from the US?

What to bring from Home

preparation for going there : anything special to bring/do before?

What to bring? What to just buy in Switzerland?

Moving to Zurich From US - What to Bring?

How much money to bring?

What Should We Bring

Can we bring money into Switzerland?

What to bring to Zurich? Moving

Arrive in 2 weeks, what to bring?

What to bring in bulk

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Whatever you bring you'll either have to dispose of here or haul back home when you're done living in CH. Although many companies help with moving costs coming this direction, many don't help with costs when you leave. Something to keep in mind.

One option to consider is to bring at least some of your items as additional luggage on the plane. You're already considering doing that with the guitars, although they will probably count as oversized. Depending on carrier, you can bring another bag with dimensions of roughly 27" x 21" x 14", weighing up to 50 pounds for an additional $100. Of course you'd probably want someone to meet you at the airport with a van if you bring a lot of extra bags.

Some carriers let you bring a total of 4 bags per passenger, which might not get you far if you have a checked bag + 2 checked guitars. You'd have to contact the airlines individually for assistance and explain the circumstances. American Airlines website says it allows 10 total bags although they start charging $200 per piece once you're on the 3rd bag.

It's worth comparing costs for baggage vs regular Post vs a shipping company. Boxes can be taken as luggage too. Duffel bags are a practical way to save weight if you're bringing things that aren't breakable.

You might want to consider contacting a Swiss-based moving company like PackImpex for assistance and recommendations. Mr Wishes used a U.S. shipper that happened to partner with PI, mostly because he did have some furniture and breakable items we were pretty attached to. The U.S. carrier picked up our pre-packed boxes and the furniture, packed it in a crate and sent to PackImpex, which handled the Customs stuff and stored our items for a short time while we sorted housing. They then delivered the items to the new flat. Nothing was damaged in the move. I don't know if they would accept your boxes via the Post or anything, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

When I joined Mr Wishes a few years later, I did everything in airline luggage. A few pieces came with me right away, and the rest stayed in storage at my parents' house until I went home for a visit and brought more over.

Good luck. Lots to consider and do!

9
I'm surprised by how much I keep re-evaluating on what is actually worth bringing. Now I'm thinking I might do something like:

Ship 5 boxes give or take Put 10+ boxes, a couple furniture pieces, and bicycle into a small storage unit in Seattle (or into a friend's basement). Revisit the situation next time I'm back in the US. Carry-on: violin, Checked baggage: guitar 1, guitar 2, large suitcase

Not sure exactly, but yeah overall I think there are a bunch of items that I'm sufficiently on-the-fence about keeping to justify their storage for at least a year or two, but are completely useless to bring all the way to Zürich with me. Kind of assuming that I'll be back to visit at in 1 yr, or 2 yrs max.

I'll have to call around hotels and storage services and see how my box-shipping plan will work. I'll report back. Good thing is if I get it down to a handful of boxes it will be a much more reasonable request to make, would be easier to move around Zürich with a couple times, and it will not cost very much even if a couple boxes are heavy.

10
Keep in mind that when you're relocating to Switzerland you are allowed to bring your personal stuff but all has to come in one transfer. Well, at least that's the case when you plan to self drive it in through the border. Sending a few boxes may result in a duty stump, which I have no idea how they calculate for used stuff anyway. It may be peanuts, null, or 7% from the value of a new item.

11
2 points not sure if you considered

1. air freight from USA to EU isn't too bad usually, worth asking for a quote

2. you can use a box vs suitcase as your checked bags. Is it a pain in the *** yes but saved me some in shipping a few times.

And most things are not worth moving, worth considering as well, as I'm sure you're already thinking. I'm a very minimalist type of person and always shocked how I can still reduce further and further!

12
I have a (hopefully interesting and informative) update to make on this topic. First off, I am personally not worried about my case as I've had a local friend offer to help if needed. I'd kind of recommend this to anyone pursuing this same line as me, as it's always nerve-wracking to rely solely one the "system." But I love being self-reliant and it seems to be getting easier to do so these days.

So here is my update: Still haven't called hotels, but I'm kind of assuming at this point that I would not have trouble finding at least a few nicer hotels that would let me receive a few boxes. I asked Zebrabox (storage company in Zurich) and they won't receive packages unless you are a business customer. They recommended Swiss Post. After researching I've found some interesting stuff and come up with a new idea about how to do this.

Swiss post (aka Die Post) has:

1. PickPost: "offers you the option of collecting or dropping off parcels and registered letters wherever you want." I was able to register and get a PickPost ID, but their website states that it is a service only available to residents. Could get lucky, but as far as going by-the-book I would assume that if I mailed to my PickPost ID they would return-to-sender.

2. My Post 24: same idea as PickPost but 24/7 using AmazonLocker-style automation. Likewise got an ID for this but the service is restricted to residents only.

3. Poste restante aka "General delivery." This is actually an international concept, and Switzerland has a generous implementation: free for up to one month . From the horse's mouth . Here is a random blogpost citing it as a useful thing for getting set up in a new country. A couple threads about it on the forums here: 1 , 2 .

Here's how it would look in implementation: ship via USPS to chosen post office using poste restante . To USPS it will just look as though you are mailing to that Swiss address, so then it will end up in the hands of Swiss Post (Die Post) and they should hold it for you. Use a friend or family's address as the sender in case they return it. Obviously you can't abuse this or they will just return-to-sender. I haven't found anything official yet, but only a few small parcels under 30kg would probably be fine. Maybe select a larger Swiss Post office in hopes they have a larger storage capacity. Then, just grab a car with mobility.ch or whatever, and pick your parcels up, bring them back to your temporary flat, or a storage unit, or whatever.

I might give this a shot, especially if I get my overall number of parcels down to just a few boxes. Just to be clever, I could also deliberately scatter ("load balance" for you engineers out there) my parcels to different Swiss Post office locations, thus reducing the likelihood of any being returned, and enjoy a little tour of the city by car as I go around and pick them up

13
Your parcels will not be processed through Swiss Customs unless addressed to a Swiss resident or a company with a Swiss presence.

14
Assume nothing. You've just wasted a few weeks of time for the sake of the 30mins it would take to compose an email and send it to several hotels.

It's nothing to do with hotels 'being nice'. It's a matter of safety and security and individual hotel policy. As an example, this is the policy of a Hilton in Boston. Try to find something similar in CH. https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/con...ackages.pdf?HH

There's little 'enjoyable' about being new in the country and driving around a city with a very integrated tram system. It can be quite nerve racking at first.

I really feel that you're putting the cart before the horse here. It makes sense to deal with a system that you're familiar with, so look into delayed despatch and storage of the parcels at the US side, so that you're actually in CH to receive them.

15
Is Swiss Post not a company with a Swiss presence? The way a poste restante address looks is:

Name

"Poste Restante"

Normal address of a specific post office location

What you say sounds like a deal-breaker though so I will look into it.

That's the thing, I've been happy from the start to work with some service which will take care of this all for me, if it seems like it will be a decent value and is well documented. Dealing with a system I'm "familiar with" would not go very far. I have no idea what "delayed despatch" is, and searching turns up nothing. It sounds like it would meet my needs, though, from the name of it. I'm sure I could work with moving companies who I assume would offer storage either in the USA or CH end of the trip, but I expect this to be a poor value and have to negotiate for a reasonable price, since I'm only moving a few boxes. And so far I've seen terrible yelp reviews for local places offering Int'l moves, so it makes me just want to use some massive and well-documented service like postal mail. Would anyone else offer this type of service? Would I have to pre-fill customs forms for them, leaving address blank? Seems at that point I might as well ask a local friend to just do this.

I should indeed call hotels, I guess I was stuck in a bit of a loop on researching this. Driving around sounds fun to me but I will definitely heed your warning.

16
That would not worry the OP, would it Actually, although the Poste Restante looks best suited for the OP I would be careful with sending several parcels separately as that may incur customs. Relocating internationally you are allowed to move your belongings duty free but AFAIK there should be just one shipment with proper papers. Nonetheless, I have no idea how the Swiss customs calculate duty on used personal stuff. Recently, due to time constraint I did risk shipping via Post from Germany my macbook which I forgot during visit in Berlin. There was no duty stamp on my package :-)

And, BTW, there's no risk with Poste Restante wherever it is available. I used it a few times to receive my packages near Geneva and cary over the border to avoid duty (as you can cary over CHF300 worth things duty free)

17
Thanks for the reminder, I see you mentioned the one-shipment thing earlier and I managed to forget.

Customs does seem a little random. I have seen lots of old threads here with people doing various things-- filling in 18.44 with leaving the resident-specific fields blank, and stickin g it in a document sleeve on the package. Or just writing "personal effects - relocating to switzerland" (or something to that effect) in English and German on their box. Some getting charged, some not, most being able to get a refund if they asked for it.

18
Don't call as you'll most likely get reception or central reservations. You need to clearly state your request in an email, along with a translation in the local language of the hotel, and send it to the inhouse reservations team.

19
I don't think this is correct. Customs certainly don't check residence status of addressees. If the name is on the doorplate or letterbox (and in the case of detached houses it doesn't even need to be) then there is no reason why the parcel can't be processed through customs and delivered.

20
Just want to update with a warning for anyone considering following in my footsteps.

I was in a hurry picking out a specific post office to send to. Being accustomed to the US where things in outlying areas tend to have parking lots and more space, I made a poor choice. I actually chose one *in* the city, which had a back room and whatnot, but was really just a corner store kind of location. They refused the packages as too large/heavy, and suggested I check with the Sihlpost (the main/HQ post for Zurich, on Kasernestrasse, for anyone who doesn't know) as to where my packages might be. I felt bad already.

At Sihlpost I costed them a fair amount of time trying to explain my unusual situation (poste restante, heavy packages mailed from myself from abroad, etc), and also discovering that indeed USPS tracking numbers are useful to them in locating shipments.

I will eventually update again with a more conclusive verdict, since I haven't actually received the packages yet, but I just wanted to make some warning.