Compare shipping with selling and replacing
Choose the same belongings for both alternatives. Enter the charges you would actually pay, including 0 for a charge that is included in another line or does not apply. Leave an unpriced charge blank. All results are converted to NZD using the rates you enter.
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Record quotes and currency conversions
Use up to two foreign-currency rates. Enter NZD received or paid for 1 unit of that currency, with the date and quote/source. Include conversion and payment fees in the cost rows unless already included in the rate. An indicative rate remains an estimate until your payment quote is fixed.
Set arrival, delivery and delay assumptions
Use the date the belongings will be available at your home, after clearance and final delivery. The days without them run from your arrival to that date. Rates below cover only extra costs caused by waiting, such as furniture hire or the additional price of furnished accommodation.
Use a daily storage equivalent only when the terms support it. For a minimum charge, weekly block or flat storage quote, enter the total as the rate and 1 chargeable day, then choose “No” for extra delay days. Reprice it when the delay changes. Keep the actual terms in the quote notes.
Price the shipping alternative
Enter any additional charges outside the freight price. If packing, delivery or another service is already included in freight, enter 0 for its separate row and note the inclusion above.
Price the replacement alternative
Include equivalent replacement items, delivery, baggage and disposal or selling charges. Enter gross expected sale proceeds separately; the calculation subtracts them once.
Match the comparison to your existing moving budget
Review one chosen alternative against the existing moving budget and its arrival-cost purchases. Add a new payment once, or replace the matching existing entry. If a quote has instalments, split its total over the actual due dates in that budget. Do not add the total as well as its instalments.
The payment review below retains unknown dates and payments beyond the eight weeks after arrival. It does not import or remove any budget entries. Expected sale proceeds reduce the comparison cost, but become usable cash only when the receipt is confirmed.
Enter your quotes to see the amounts priced so far, missing charges and the difference between the two alternatives.
Compare the belongings you would actually keep
List one set of belongings and price both alternatives for that set. Include condition, expected remaining life, size and whether the items will suit your New Zealand home. A cheaper replacement that you would soon replace again may be a poor comparison.
For a shipment you have already decided to send, ask the mover for the additional charge to include these items. A share of the container price does not tell you how much removing your sofa would save. Use only costs that change with that decision, including extra packing, insurance, handling and delivery.
Keep irreplaceable or sentimental items separate from the financial decision. Record any practical reason to keep them in the belongings notes.
Check what each quote includes
Use a written quote and record its date, validity and exclusions. Check:
- Packing, collection, freight and the final delivery address, including stairs or difficult access.
- Insurance cover, insured value, excess and exclusions. The premium belongs in the cost comparison; any amount you might have to pay after loss or damage is a separate risk to consider.
- Clearance and any inspection, treatment, storage or other border charges still to be quoted.
- Storage charging rules and the date from which charges start.
- Baggage or parcels you would send separately, and fees for paying or converting currency.
If a charge is included in freight, enter 0 in its separate row and record the inclusion in the quote notes. Leave a charge blank while its price is unknown. The worksheet shows the priced subtotal and withholds a complete comparison until the relevant charges are filled in.
Replacement costs should include delivered prices for equivalent items, selling fees and disposal charges. Enter gross sale proceeds separately: the worksheet subtracts them once. If selling and disposal cost more than the sale raises, the net sale result will be negative.
Test the cost of a late delivery
Use the date your belongings will be ready at home, after clearance and final delivery. A port-arrival estimate may leave more time to cover. For replacements, include the retailer’s delivery or collection wait.
Enter one-off essentials separately from daily costs. Daily costs might include furniture hire or the extra cost of furnished accommodation while you wait. If your ordinary rent is already in your moving budget, adding the whole rent again would overstate the cost of shipping.
Extra delay days move the shipping readiness date and any payment tied to that date. Fixed payment dates stay fixed. Storage increases with delay only when you select that charging rule. For weekly blocks, minimum charges or flat quotes, reprice the total under the actual terms rather than assuming every extra day costs the same.
Worked example: ten more days can change the choice
These fictional figures illustrate the calculation. They are not shipping quotes or current exchange rates. Assume 1 GBP = 2 NZD.
| Shipping cost | NZD |
|---|---|
| Freight: GBP500 | $1,000 |
| Packing, baggage and final delivery | $300 |
| One-off temporary essentials | $200 |
| Storage: GBP5 a day for 20 days | $200 |
| Extra waiting costs: NZ$10 a day for 30 days | $300 |
| Shipping total | $2,000 |
Replacing costs NZ$2,500 for purchases, $100 for delivery, $50 for baggage and GBP25 ($50) for disposal. Subtract GBP300 ($600) in expected sale proceeds: replacement costs NZ$2,100. All other charges are confirmed as zero in this example.
Shipping is $100 cheaper. Its other costs total $1,000, so the freight price could rise to NZ$1,100 before the alternatives tie. Ten more days add $100 in storage and $100 in waiting costs. Shipping then costs NZ$2,200, making replacement $100 cheaper.
The expected $600 sale receipt reduces replacement’s net cost. It still needs a confirmed amount and receipt date before you rely on it to pay a bill.
Check clearance before you commit
New Zealand Customs’ household-effects guidance, checked 20 October 2026, explains clearance arrangements, required documents and possible examination. Arrange the packing list and shipping documents with your mover, confirm who handles clearance, and ask which charges remain outside the quote. Concessions depend on your circumstances and goods; confirm their application with Customs or your clearance provider.
Check Customs’ prohibited and restricted items and MPI’s household-goods guidance before packing. Obtain current instructions for the goods you plan to send. The worksheet uses your entered costs and does not determine import permission or concessions.
Put the chosen payments into your moving budget
Open the payment review for the alternative you choose. Match its rows to freight, furniture and other purchases already recorded in your moving budget. For each amount, identify the existing entry, replace it if needed, or add the new payment once.
For a deposit and balance, split the quote total over the actual payment dates in that budget. Entering both the total and its instalments would count the same spending twice. Treat payments made before the budget’s opening date as part of reconciling opening cash. Keep later commitments separately when they fall beyond its eight weeks after arrival; this worksheet retains those dates.
Use the payment-quote comparison to check the cost of converting or sending money. Record the exchange-rate date and whether fees are already included. The shipping worksheet accepts NZD and up to two other currencies, using NZD per one unit of each foreign currency.
Download the editable worksheet before closing the tab. Open it on this page to continue later; the page link carries no entries. A printed or PDF copy includes the entered assumptions and results, but use the editable file to change them.
Can I compare just one item in an existing shipment?
Yes. Select the decision to add that item to a shipment already going, and obtain the mover’s additional charge for it. Include only other costs that change when you add or remove the item, then compare those costs with its replacement and resale figures.
Does a blank shipping charge mean zero?
No. A blank charge stays unknown. Enter 0 only when you have checked that it does not apply or is already included elsewhere. A daily cost also totals zero when the entered dates or storage days establish that there are no chargeable days.
Can I count expected sale proceeds as cash for arrival?
Use expected proceeds to compare the alternatives, but confirm the sale amount and receipt date before relying on that money for an arrival payment. Keep another source of usable money for bills due before the sale is paid.