Can anyone recommend a moving company or cargo service to move my household items from Michigan, USA to Bonaire? Can someone who has moved to Bonaire from the US please give me some guidance and explain how to do this? Thanks, Jack.

Here is what I did:

I called a local company who does shipping and moving. They came and packed up my things and shipped to Amcar Freight in FL. If you do a google on Amcar Freight you will find them. Easy peasy. Then in Bonaire, you get your container or for me boxes at Rocargo and pay the duty (if applicable) and tax and shipping. I paid the shipper separately for shipping from Cape Cod to Florida.

And I can tell you what NOT to do.
I hired a major US moving company to move me to Bonaire (rather than to Florida). They took three times as long as they said they would, trashed my oil paintings, and lied about that, so i had to pay for all the painting restoration myself. (The moving company had also told me the insurance they sold me would cover the paintings, but it did not.) And my credit card company, despite piles of evidence I sent to them, would not help me.
It was a hellish experience and a very expensive lesson.
Because I had moved outside the United States, it was not practical for me to file a law suit.
Do exactly what Ann says!!

HI Jack,
Not sure how much you plan on moving, I
moved to Bonaire last March with my husband, 2 year old, dog, pickup truck and our possessions. We used a 40 foot container.

I had a moving budget so it was a bit tricky and seemed like it would never come together.

Amcar is www.amcarfreight.com
Maria at Amcar freight was such a great help. maria@amcarfreight.com

A very detailed inventory spreadsheet made American and Bonairean customs go smoothly without hold ups. It also made unpacking very easy.

I will tell you one thing - I almost went crazy and it seemed like the madness would never end with all the research, packing, moving and waiting... It WAS all worth it If you have other questions, feel free to email.

Does Rocargo deliver boxes to homes or not? Or is there a delivery service for this?

Hi, John and Sue!
Rocargo is the agent for FedEx, so if you ship something FedEx, they might bring it for you. Or they might say you were not home, in which case you could pick up the box at Rocargo.
If you ship boxes via Amcar (See above), Rocargo also handles those.
I believe we also have DHL here.
There's another thread dealing with mailing packages.
Since you just mention "boxes," I'm not sure what you have in mind. If you're shipping much, it makes sense to use Amcar.

As a frequent importer of stuff into Bonaire, I can assure you that Rocargo will deliver for a reasonable fee :-)

Typically NAF 80 for a open bed truck's worth, and that will even include bringing the boxes into the house.

Container delivery is probably more expensive, as is cost for bringing a forklift to the delivery point.

Drop them an e-mail at info@rocargo.com

At AMCAR we work with Mercy - she's great!

Jake

Question, does Recargo have a receipt they give you when you ship items through them for tracking purposes? What happens if something is lost, can you track your items and file an insurance claim?

Just curious.

Cynde, Rocargo is the receiving agent on this end.
You ship through somebody in the US, such as Amcar or a moving company. You list every single item you are shipping, you insure, and you can file a claim, but the insurance companies have a variety of ways of getting out of paying.
In addition to the damage to my paintings, I suffered the loss of some boxes and a chair which disappeared out of my cargo container before Rocargo delivered it to my house and unsealed it. The insurance covered the chair and boxes, but that was a tiny amount compared to the cost of restoring large oil paintings, which included getting an expert to fly down here from the US to provide an estimate and then a team of experts flying down from the US and spending two weeks doing the restoration.
Anybody who has anything unusual in their cargo container needs to find a company willing to insure that unusual item. I would have done that, but I was lied to by my mover and misled by the mover's insurance company. Their papers gave absolutely no indication that the insurance which I bought to cover my paintings would not work. When I asked them to point to the section of the policy which excluded the paintings, they invented new meanings for words and claimed meanings for syntax which could not possibly convey such meanings. They sounded like something out of Alice in Wonderland.
Rocargo also told me only one possible route existed for shipping a cargo container from MA to Bonaire, via Miami and Amcar.
But my national moving company found another route, so my cargo container spent one month in below freezing temperatures in New York Harbor and two weeks in very hot and very humid conditions in Panama. When I asked Rocargo how this could have happened, I was told the supposedly nonexistent route my moving company used was cheaper.
Jack, you have received excellent advice from Ann, Rona, and Jake. To some extent you are at the mercy of your movers. Since Amcar has pleased a lot of people, use them!! Good luck!!

Tish, what a nightmare! So when items arrive on Bonaire, and at Recargo, they have a slip for the items "received?" The whole thing sounds very complicated!

Thanks for the sympathy, Cynde.
It was quite a while ago, and I've recovered. Living in paradise is worth it.
Not sure I understand "a slip for the items 'received'."
You prepare an inventory, submit it to the movers, and keep a copy. The movers attach a numbered sticker to each box and each unboxed item, such as furniture. The numbers also appear on a list of boxes and items. It's pretty well organized.
When you arrive, if something is missing, you locate its number on the form and report that number missing. If you are reporting damage, you also refer to the number on the box or item.
Sometimes an item has been removed from its box. Or maybe it sprouts legs and walks away.
Wish I had specified in the contract that my mover had to use Amcar, but since Rocargo had told me there was no other route to Bonaire, I had not known to do that.
I urge everybody moving down here to make the arrangements directly with Amcar and hire a mover only to ship your goods to Amcar. Wish I had known this.
Good luck to all who are moving down here. You will love living here!

Thanks for the info!

Ah...Tish, I get it. Recargo does not make an inventory of items in your shipment. They are just the receiving "warehouse" for your items that have been "numbered" by the moving company. Having used movers in the past, I get that part. I thought Recargo also made and inventory of items when they came in. Sounds like they do not. I assume, you just tell them what to do with your stuff

Rocargo does not function as a warehouse. They take the cargo container from the pier to your home,
Then they bring the boxes into the house. They did not unpack mine, but perhaps they would do so if asked. They returned later and picked up all the empty boxes.
They have little involvement with whether something is missing or damaged, although I did give them a statement and my signature when I finished unpacking. So they know if you eventually determine that something is missing or damaged. They were not impressed with my US moving company.
They were kind enough to pry open the wooden crates which contained the paintings which were damaged. They could see the paintings were damaged as soon as they emerged from the crates.
The Rocargo men were also kind enough to correct a problem with my refrigerator which was caused by my US mover. They said they had never seen a moving company deal with a refrigerator that way.
They of course put the furniture where I wanted it. In one instance they got a table which was too big through a door which was too small. I still don't know how they worked that magic.
They are very nice people, and they went out of their way to assist me. They are superior in every way to my US moving company.


(Message edited by tish on February 1, 2006)

Amcar Freight and Rocargo are the way to go. I did an entire household with two vehicles that way in December 2004. I did it as a self-pack: Amcar arranged for a container to show up at my house, I filled it with boxes and cars, they picked it up and shipped it to Bonaire.

Rocargo will warehouse if you ask them to, pay for it, and they have room. I rented a warehouse from them for 6 months. If there is any uncertainty about when you will take possession of your home, it is well worth it.

Dear BT posters,
Thank you so much for the information. I will use AMCAR from Florida to Bonaire, but I am having a hard time finding a moving company that will pick up my stuff in Michigan and deliver it to AMCAR in Florida. Does anyone have a suggestion for a US moving company that they have worked with? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks and best regards, Jack.

You are probably best off asking AMCAR for recommendations and working it that way.

Your cheapest option is to do it as a self-packing operation (like I did). If you are bringing more than one vehicle, it is a lifesaver. None of the moving companies will allow multiple vehicles in the same container, so you get hit for another $8000 or so.

What is the cost to ship a container to Bonaire?
How much is the duty, shipping, tax etc? How much would a move cost?

All said and done, I spent right around $20,000. One container of household goods gets in duty free. One car that you can prove you have owned over a year gets in duty free. 30% duty on any additional vehicles.

Get your residency first. If you don't, you have to post a bond before you are allowed to open your container, and it takes longer to get residency than it takes for your bond to expire, which causes all kinds of trouble.

Sue and John,
Like any move, you get bids, which can vary wildly.
Weight plays a part in the cost, so two families living next door to each other in the US could pay the same company different amounts.
And where you move from would affect the cost too.
You might be talking around $15,000. Or more. Wild guess.
Since I had obtained residency and played by all the rules, I did not have to pay duty.

One comment Here, ROCARGO is an Agent, FEDEX says they are fedex but fedex is not fedex outside the USA, I found that out the hard way, I'm used to paying for the service and then only duty and or taxes, ROCARGO added a fee so "they" could make money on the fedex shipment and I had to pick it up at ROCARGO, I'm preparing a letter to Fedex about the service, there was also other problems but that's living in Bonaire!

Yes, but the paperwork is complicated and not in English so you need the help for bringing in a container worth of goods. I understand your frustration with small items and FedEx.

Yea, I'm not downing them too much just was not prepared for such difficulties, I lived in the UK for a year and service was a B there if the USA was an A and now it seems it is a C here due to the constant inconsistencies in how rules and laws are applied, you really never know how they will be from one person to the next but rest asured it will not be worse than the letter of the law.

The Rocargo/FedEx 'fee(s)' might be the basic ones they charge to cover the paperwork required by the gov't for ANY imports. The basic paperwork includes charges like: "gov't port fee (for ocean freight items), insurance, agency b/l (bill of lading), admin charges, surcharges, etc. If you received anything of any value by FedEx (i.e. not just documents), then gov't paperwork has to be done. Rocargo is the official FedEx agent here. The other express mails also have reps/agencies here (DHL, etc).

Since I will be bringing items in November via Amcar/Rocargo, I am not a resident ,Will I need to get a bond as previously mentioned to be able to receive my items or is this for whole containers only?? This will be my first shipping experience and I want as few hang ups as possible.
Thanks,
Teresa

Talk with RoCargo. If you are bringing this stuff in in addition to a container, there may be a problem. If you are only bringing in a little bit because you don't own enough to fill a container, I don't think it will be.

Teresa,

We just shipped our stuff to Bonaire using Amcar/Rocargo in July. We did not have enough to fill a container - they managed to deliver everything at once using a pickup truck. But since Tim's residency wasn't finished yet, we did have to pay a bond. The bond was the tax for all of the used items, which was refunded when he got his residency. If you are not applying for residency, then you simply pay the tax.

Thanks Kevin and Jenny!

I did speak with Rocargo and Mercy @ Amcar. I was preparing to have things shipped the week before we arrive, but now I am thinking that maybe we should ship it the week prior since I was told that shipments are not always on time. Any thoughts or advice is appreciated??

Thanks,
Teresa

we had two different shipments, two weeks in a row. they both arrived as scheduled, but the paperwork caused a delay for us to actually get our stuff. i think it was only a few days. they didn't charge us for holding our shipment while the paperwork was being prepared. i have read (on sunbelt's site) that there is a daily fee for holding your container, but i suppose this didn't apply to us. check with Rocargo to see if you will be charged if your shipment arrives before you do.

even if your shipment is here when you get here, you should count on having to wait a few days while they clear it & finish the paperwork. you might want to pack an airbed in your luggage if you don't have any furniture. the second day we were here, we got a fridge, a washing machine, & some pillows from city shop, who delivered on the same day. they also sell mattresses. if you go to city shop for appliances, beware of the transformers they try to sell you.

Jenny,
What do you mean by "Beware of the transformers"?
We bought a Fridge and stove when we were there in July and a transformer for the fridge so that our contractor could install the cabinets around them.

Teresa,

What Jenny meant was that they will sell you the transformers they have in stock or want to sell you, not necessarily the ones right for you.

We told them we had us-style 110/220 plugs in the house, the refrigerator they sold us used a us-style 110 style plug, the transformer they sold us to go with the fridge was however made for european plugs going in and out. Which meant in order to use it, we had to have adaptors going into the transformer and then back out of the transformer into the wall. Hardly ideal. Also, we couldn't find the correct adaptors that support the 3-prong (grounded plugs).

After finding this out AFTER buying/delivery they basically told me I would have to find adaptors myself and good luck.

In the future I would just go the electrical store -- (I think the name was etcetera?) and have them sell/make the CORRECT transformer for the job.

the electrical store that Tim means is called Hitess.

Tim,

The type of transformer they sold you sounds like the stock Bonaire transformer - it will convert 220/125/110/100 to 220/125/110/100 based on the combination of the junction plug on the input side and where you plug in the plug on the output side. Here on Bonaire you typically set the input to 125 and the output to 110 (for regular devices) or 100 for things with compressors, like refrigerators. You will blow your compressor in time if you run your fridge at more than 110V/50Hz if it's a U.S. fridge (wanting 120/60).

To get the ground you have to run the ground from the outlet around the transformer to the place you plan on using it (like the ground pin on your appliance plug).

Some folks sell three-prong voltage "stabilizers" but they don't down-convert the 127V on the U.S. outlet down far enough.

So, the "wrong" transformer Jenny refers is not wrong, it's just more of a kludge than one initially expects to need to use when one moves to Bonaire, and yes, you do have to end up going to Hitess, Playa Trading, or Kooymans to get all the various converter plugs you need. Welcome to life on Bonaire :-)

The other option is to get a $1000 whole house voltage transformer (one per phase you want to convert) - we use a couple of them here in Belnem, and our outlet voltage is around 108V. No additional transformers required. GE makes them in the States, and you have to ship them down (about 120 pounds of weight).

Jake

Jake,

Correct, they weren't "wrong" in the sense that they wont do the job. They were just "wrong" for the wiring of the appliance and the outlets in the house.

After going to Hitess, I found that they would have put a transformer together for me with the correct plugs, no problem, but since I already had been sold the wrong type, I was pretty much stuck with the cludgy multiple adapter solution.

I was just a bit disappointed that city shop would sell the appliance along with a transformer that the appliance wouldnt even plug into! And without telling me in advance what I would need to get.

But life in Bonaire is good enough to negate these minor inconveniences! Live and learn.

I won't really come to City Shop's defense here, but the multiple adapter solution isn't necessary. HiTess, Boomerang, Kooyman and Playa Trading all sell plugs. Pretty much any appliance I buy, I cut the cord and put a new plug on it to match the outlet that the appliance will be next to. Cheaper and more reliable than an adapter.

The other thing I have found convenient is the three-prong outlet that HiTess sells, because it also allows European two-prong round-pin plugs. One kind of outlet all over the hotel now, and everyone can plug in.

And infinitely better than any adapter Kevin.

ok can someone tell us an approx price in their opinion from fla via amcar and recargo for living room furn couch 84" large chair small table 4 chairs some lamps art work bedroom queen matress box spring 2 dbl beds misc sheets linnens some wall art and lamps just a guess works for us for now

You need to know the weight and of all the stuff you are shipping and dimension, will it fit on one or two skids ect, then call Merci at Amcar, give her the information and she will give you an estimate.

There is a rate request form on Amcar's website. http://amcarfreight.com/ratesf.htm When we shipped our stuff down, we didn't need to know the weight at all - they charged us by the cubic foot, but everything we shipped was in small to medium boxes, except for 1 mattress.

Hi Ron and Carol! I just realized who you guys were!
I have sent you an email with info on what I have shipped through Amcar to Bonaire and think that that will give you a pretty good idea of what it will cost you! Rocargo is the one who kills you with all their fees and duties. Gave you info on that too. Hope to see in February at the annual meeting!
If you happen to be on island beginning of November, I will be there the first till the twelveth.

One thing to be aware of: Pick your Michigan to Florida mover carefully. Be very sure they are reputable and be very cautious of bids that seem really cheap.

At least here on the west coast, there are several mover scams. Typically, they low-ball the move and then refuse to hand over your stuff until you give them more (lots more -- like $3k to $10k) cash. And then stuff is missing, broken, etc. A friend of my wife is going through this currently...and they just want back the family photos at this point!

Just wanted to drop a note regarding shipping from the states. We shipped from Tennessee to Miami then to Bonaire. Our shipment arrived as scheduled, boxes intact and delivered. Mercy at AMCAR was very helpful as was Cheryll at Rocargo. Our shipping went exceptionally well.

I really appreciate everyone who gave suggestions and helpful advice.
Thanks a bunch,
Teresa