Shipping or taking goods with you on the plane to Poland

Since I'll be in Poland for one year, I thought about shipping some stuff before I go. I know it is about $1.15 a pound U.S. Just being on the safe side so I don't have bring so much with me (in case it gets lost). It is supposed to take 6-8 weeks. Any experiences with shipping or any good ideas about logging a years worth of stuff?

Thanks,
Eddie

What company are you using to ship things? I would assume it is ok but just get insurance. Are there any customs problems that might hold up the shipment?

I'd suggest you to take as many stuff as you can (the one that you need of course) as in Poland goods are more expensive (sometimes much more) than in the US. Especially electronic stuff [make sure you have a transformer that works with Polish voltage), brand clothes, shoes, and a car :).

I sent a laptop computer to Poland last year. It was terribly expensive. I shipped it UPS, and of course I insured it. I was advised to insure it, and declare it, otherwise it would be stolen. The laptop was valued at $800. The shipping costs were over $250. I paid for three day delivery. I figured the less time it can sit around, the fewer opportunities there would be for theft. The laptop arrived on time, and intact. In retrospect, I should have just sent money, and the laptop could have been purchased in Poland. Of course, it wouldn't have been a surprise either.

That's surely the most expensive way (maybe besides Fedex) to ship stuff to Poland. If you live in NY, or Chicago area, the cheapest place is Polamer.com or Domashipping.com. I think one out of 1000 Poles living in the US would use UPS to send stuff to Poland.

And another (best) way would be to either personally take the laptop while flying to Poland or ask someone you know to ship it for you.

My wife and I moving to Poznan in 3 weeks. On June 17th we shipped 42 boxes of our belongings to Poland using Doma Shipping. We've used them before with no problems but were only shipping one or two boxes.

Doma and Polamer are very good. You should be OK with sending anything you want and how many packages you want. You will have it delivered to your doorsteps in Poland as well.

Thank you!

Is there anything like Doma or Polamer in or near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or Columbus Ohio in the US? I've been googling around for a shipping service like this to Poland for awhile now, but the only ones near us that do this are DHL, Fed EX and UPS. And they're all expensive.

Any US expats have experiece, good or bad, with a particular company?

just fill 2 extra large suitcases and pay the xtra charge for overweight. thats what i did. 40-42kg each. u can get loads of clothes here. just bring enuf so u can go with out laundry for a week. Just about every electronic item is available here. Save weight where u can.

get some vacuum travel bags to cut down on wasted space in your suitcase. well worth it.