Should I Ship My Things to Costa Rica?

The first question that comes into mind when thinking of shipping to Costa Rica is should I even do it at all. The answer to this is not always, it depends on a few different factors.

Can’t Live Without It

You are relocating to a new country but that does not mean that you want to leave everything from your old life behind. You have keepsakes that you have collected over your life that is impossible for you to let go….photos, memoirs, and reminders of the good times in your life. These might be things that you can fit in a suitcase or two and can carry with you on the plane, if that is the case there is no reason to send down a pallet or a container. But if these things are a bed your grandmother gave you or an armoire passed on through generations, you may need to look into Shipping to Costa Rica. Material items can be replaced but things that you hold close to your heart need to be taken with you.

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Amount of Items You Are Bringing & Budget

We are going to wrap these two together when it comes to Costa Rica shipping. If you can fit everything in a few suitcases then bring it on the plane. This will be more economical than having to ship them to Costa Rica, pay to get them through customs and then pay import taxes on them. Most of us however if we are moving to another country cannot fit our lives in a few bags. The two other options are a less than container shipment or full container shipment to Costa Rica. If you are shipping a lot of boxes and maybe one piece of furniture this can be done normally by palletizing the load and shipping it as a less than container load. However, if you are bringing several furniture pieces then it can be more cost efficient (you do not have to crate the furniture – a requirement for less than container loads) and safer to get an entire container.

The other factor in this section is budget. I will not lie it is not cheap to ship to Costa Rica. For less than container loads it can range between about $2000 and $4000. For full container loads it is about $6500 to $9000 and this is without import taxes. You have to weigh whether it is most cost efficient to ship or buy in Costa Rica.

What You Want To Bring

The third factor you must consider when shipping to Costa Rica is replacement value. If you look at what electronics, nice bed sheets, household appliances and furniture that is what people called US standards they are about double to sometimes triple the price in Costa Rica. Not to mention vehicles are about double the price and they do not have CarFax, so you do not know what you are getting. If you have a household full of items that you have paid off then it might be worth sending them down. Yes you are going to pay the shipping costs and import taxes but replacing those items might cost you a lot more both financially and time wise.

At Shipping Costa Rica, yes our job is shipping household goods to and from the country but we are also going to be honest with you. We will tell you if it is not worth it and you can make up your mind from there. So now the decision is yours ship to Costa Rica or start anew.