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Moving My Perfumes to the US?

post #1 of 11
4/20/10 at 12:01am
Thread Starter 
Here's a strange question for a kind of strange situation. I own around 50 bottles of perfume, some of them are vintages and extremely valuable and others I have a sentimental attachment to. I have to move down to the United States in a few months and now face the dilemma of how to move my perfumes down south with me. Presently I live in Canada.

I've heard and read enough horror stories about shippers stealing high-end, easy to re-sell items. Perfume is probably in this category because there's almost no way to trace it back to the original owner, vintage perfumes are worth a lot of money, and they are small and easy steal. Obviously, I can't pack the bottles into a suitcase and take them with me on the plane. I'm moving a fair distance away and cannot drive down.

I'm really not feeling comfortable packing my perfumes into a box and hoping the shippers will get them all there safely so I'm trying to look into alternatives. Does anyone have any ideas?
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post #2 of 11
4/20/10 at 8:06am
Welcome Germa22, You might want to have the package insured, but insurance can never replace the contents.

Jack
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post #3 of 11
4/20/10 at 8:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by germa22 View Post

Here's a strange question for a kind of strange situation. I own around 50 bottles of perfume, some of them are vintages and extremely valuable and others I have a sentimental attachment to. I have to move down to the United States in a few months and now face the dilemma of how to move my perfumes down south with me. Presently I live in Canada.

I've heard and read enough horror stories about shippers stealing high-end, easy to re-sell items. Perfume is probably in this category because there's almost no way to trace it back to the original owner, vintage perfumes are worth a lot of money, and they are small and easy steal. Obviously, I can't pack the bottles into a suitcase and take them with me on the plane. I'm moving a fair distance away and cannot drive down.

I'm really not feeling comfortable packing my perfumes into a box and hoping the shippers will get them all there safely so I'm trying to look into alternatives. Does anyone have any ideas?

I dunno - I think you could pack them in your suitcae- not all of them but the rarer precious ones .If you bubble wrap well and pack well- they should travel fine.I have travelled with SO many perfumes packed in my suitcase -to Asia, to US ,to London and back - it's embarrassing !
If the absolutely most valuable ones are,each, less than 100 mls in size- you can put them in your LAG ( Liquids Aerosols, Gels )
1 quart- sized ,plastic bag and take them on the plane with you. My extraits have travelled everywhere with me that way .

Also - how about FedEx for the other perfumes ? Also you may consider sending the empty perfume boxes ( of the ones you pack in your carry on Liquids bag ) by FedEx rather than carry them in your suitcase which can be bulky.
Good luck !

PS. Welcome to Basenotes !
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post #4 of 11
4/20/10 at 10:31am
  • MFJ
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Not from the US or Canada, but if I had to move my bottles overseas, I would definitely ship courier via an option that accommodates hazardous materials, and insure the parcel! Let the handlers know that the items are fragile too. That should optimally minimize risk. Sure it is going to cost more, but it could be much worse!
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post #5 of 11
4/20/10 at 1:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by germa22 View Post

Obviously, I can't pack the bottles into a suitcase and take them with me on the plane.

Why not? You might have to pay $50 or so for the extra baggage fee, but it's worth it for the peace of mind, I'd think. I agree with mysticknot. If I'm going to be away for several weeks, I always travel with two or three full bottles in my checked luggage and I've never had a problem. As she says, perhaps you don't have to fly with all of them, just your 20 or so most precious.

And welcome to the Forums!
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post #6 of 11
4/20/10 at 7:42pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the warm welcomes and the suggestions. I might pack a few to go with me. At least the small ones. I'm unsure how they'd treat me since I'll be crossing over to stay for good instead of just to visit but hopefully it will not be a big deal. I've never been hassled when I go down to the US before so I hope that good luck keeps up. The most viable option, to me, seems like to go the Fedex route for the big ones and shell out the cash for hazardous materials courier. The cost doesn't bother me much so long as the peace of mind is there. Thanks, everybody!
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post #7 of 11
4/20/10 at 8:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by germa22 View Post

I'm unsure how they'd treat me since I'll be crossing over to stay for good instead of just to visit but hopefully it will not be a big deal.

Perhaps they'll think, "Feh. She's their problem now!"
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post #8 of 11
4/22/10 at 9:00am
I just couldn't resist:

UPS Air Cargo

After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a 'gripe sheet,' which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems; document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.

Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ' pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.


By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.

P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
*
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
*
P: Something loose in cockpit
S: Something tightened in cockpit
*
P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on back-order.
*
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
*
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.
*
P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume set to more believable level.
*
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.
*
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
*
P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.
*
P: Number 3 engine missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
*
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
*
P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
*
P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

T
And the best one for last
*
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.
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post #9 of 11
4/22/10 at 9:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by germa22 View Post

Thanks for all the warm welcomes and the suggestions. I might pack a few to go with me. At least the small ones. I'm unsure how they'd treat me since I'll be crossing over to stay for good instead of just to visit but hopefully it will not be a big deal. I've never been hassled when I go down to the US before so I hope that good luck keeps up. The most viable option, to me, seems like to go the Fedex route for the big ones and shell out the cash for hazardous materials courier. The cost doesn't bother me much so long as the peace of mind is there. Thanks, everybody!

Oh you will be fine ! The US is a fabulous place .

Good luck with taking the perfumes with you- don't worry - as long as you plan well when you carry your perfumes ,all will go smoothly. That quart sized bag takes more than you think !!!
Actually I found out that the airport authorities are not too bothered if the quart sized bag is a little bigger and not zip locked. As long as it is transparent . Any type of transparent food storage bag is acceptable as long as it is somewhere around a quart size. One trip back from London, I forgot to take my bag of liquids out and the airport official forgot too - it was quite remarkable.
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post #10 of 11
4/22/10 at 10:16am
I moved not too long ago and, although it wasn't an international move, I still had a lot of questions about the best way to move my collection. I agree about taking some of the more expensive ones on the plane with you. In addition to the quart-sized bag that you can take on the plane, you can also pack some more of your favorites in your checked luggage if you want. When I last checked, you could have something like up to 32oz in your suitcase. I think I packed around 10 bottles that way.
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post #11 of 11
4/22/10 at 10:29am
I am about to move from Denmark to Australia in just a few short weeks, and am faced with similar challenges.

I have had a big cull of my 70+ bottle collection and now have 20-30 bottles that I plan to take in my carry-on luggage (my small extraits and travel atomisers that will fit into a 1 litre bag), and my check-in luggage. Fragrances can be wrapped in socks/clothes and stowed safely inside shoes and boots etc. Previously I have also purchased a sturdy poster-tube from the post office, and filled it with my bubble-wrapped bottles. These are then locked safely amongst my belongings inside my cases.

You may have to be inventive, but I am sure a relatively short-haul move like this wont be too tricky.
Best of luck!
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