I lived in Italy for three years and decided it’s time to return to Russia. But I have a lot of stuff to move. Has anyone been in this situation? How did you manage transporting a large amount of belongings from Italy?
I recently shipped my stuff here by sea through a forwarder — a container, door-to-door. It ended up being cheaper than I expected for 1.5 cubic meters. For the return trip the setup is the same, but I’d check with Russian customs in advance — when relocating there are limits on weight and value for importing personal belongings; if you’re bringing electronics or something expensive you could be hit with a duty.
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I lived there for three years too, so yeah, shipping by sea in a container really is the cheapest option, especially if you can fill about one and a half cubic meters. I’ll definitely check customs in advance — I actually have some equipment and don’t want to get hit with customs duty, thanks for the heads-up.
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Small volumes — shipping by mail is realistic. For cubic meters and pallets I’ve seen discussions where people compared prices from several forwarders on the route — the variation is noticeable, so it’s worth calling 3–4 companies before agreeing.
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It’s better not to use CDEK (СДЭК) on this route — they lose packages and take a long time; several people have complained. If you send by mail, declare it as low value and mark it as used, and you’ll usually have fewer problems with customs.
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As for the paperwork for the cargo: when I sent it, they asked me to fill out the inventory in broad terms — shoes 10 pairs, dishes, clothing — without listing items individually. They sent a form broken down by category, and I had to state the value in euros. That’s easy for the Italian side, but with Russian customs on import it’s a different story — they pay special attention to electronics and technical equipment.
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We once sent a package from Moscow by post — buckwheat, probiotics, 3–4 sweaters, about €150 in total. It got held up at Italian customs; the status read „please provide documents“. So the takeaway: when moving, it’s better to have an itemized inventory with valuations ready on the Russian side, rather than scrambling to put it together in a panic later.
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I sent it through Poste Italiane — my items were mixed, some new and some not. They didn’t ask any questions; it took about three weeks. So for small volumes this is a reasonable option, especially if it’s not electronics — those are a separate story with Russian customs.
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Flew back via Yerevan — there were no questions about the items in my baggage, and the euros were within the allowed limit. But when bringing goods into Russia — when declaring a permanent move, the allowances for personal belongings are different than when you’re just receiving a parcel. It’s better to carry electronics in your luggage as personal belongings for the relocation, rather than as separate cargo — the duty/fee is different.
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Big furniture is a whole different story if you want to give it away instead of take it with you. You pay for a year — they pick it up for free, but on their schedule: the TV in two weeks, the furniture in three, and a big wardrobe they might even tell you “call back later” — and it can drag on for up to two months. I thought they’d come and take everything at once, but no — it’s a separate bit of logistics you have to plan for in advance, otherwise you’ll be left with a bunch of furniture and a ticket you’ve already bought.
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I gave the sofa and wardrobe to the neighbors — I figured that shipping them to Russia would cost more than I’d get for them if I sold them here. I packed the electronics and winter clothes into suitcases and paid the overweight fee on the flight — it was still cheaper than dealing with a forwarder for such a small volume. A container only makes sense if you can fill at least about one and a half cubic meters, and I didn’t have that.
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I took out insurance for the container separately — without it, the freight forwarders won’t be liable for anything.
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