anyone had experience with overland or ocean freighting household goods from US to San Pedro?...seeking reputable firm for move this Fall.

Try UPS, they have a "World saver shipping" for a decent price.

I ship lots of stuff through Hyde Shipping in Miami, FL. Depending on what Is being moved I ship to them in different ways. Hyde ships to Belize via ship twice a week. Get whatever you what to ship down to them and they pack it into a container going to Belize. Over the past 3 years they have gotten everything I've shipped down to Belize City. I use George Bradley as my customs broker in Belize although if household goods valued less than $3,000 you can clear the shipment yourself. Shipping isn;t very costly and is based on volume rather than weight. Duty on the other hand can get costly. You pay duty based on value of the item, then you have to pay the General Sales Tax and then an environmental tax (I think). The taxes are about 15% and duty can be free to 35% depending on the item. I think there is another company based out of Houston which also does the same trip but I've never dealt with them and there is someone who will go overland from Houston. Again, no experience with them. This topic has been discussed several times before.

If you are shipping a considerable amount (12+ boxes or a small container) then ditto with Hyde Shipping and George. Duty varies by what you are shipping, anything from 5% (ceramic tiles) to 45% (cosmetics). Once this is added you pay GST at 12.5% on the full amount plus shipping, and then add environmental tax. You will also pay George a brokerage fee based on the number of "line" items.

If you are just shipping a couple of boxes, then USPS to the post office (General Delivery, San Pedro, Ambergris Caye) is the way to go. You will still pay the duty and GST but their brokerage fee is only 75BZcents per box.

I used MCW from Mobile Alabama. I absolutley DO NOT recommend them. Use anyone besides MCW.

It depends on your circumstances, what you have in mind and how fussy you are about your furnishings I guess. Hyde in Florida has a good reputation and Sterling Freight in Houston, TX I hear is good.

I thought of doing the same thing. After investigation I decided to buy all (most) of my house hold items locally. The furniture is fine here. You can buy American mattresses and most anything else with just a little looking around. If you have the time I think it makes the whole experience better. There are still things I and my guests bring down with every visit but we are quite satisfied with buying locally in general. The big stores in Belize City can get anything over to the Island for you at a reasonable cost. A neighbor or mine bought all her furniture and furnishing for a 1500 ft2 2 bedroom condo and had it set up in two weeks, ready to rent. I couldn’t believe it. Mirab’s sent their men out to San Pedro and did the set up. Admittedly my place took us took us a while longer but most of our furniture was built to order.

You may save some money I guess but not all furniture is suitable for the climate down here. There is also Mexico for some shopping and some of my friends are using a trucking service to bring items down from both the USA and Mexico and they say it is the way to go.

Good Luck either way it will work out.

How about tile and appliances? Anybody got a lead on Coral Stone or slate in belize? I am building and considering shipping from Miami because I can't find it "so far" in Belize. Also thinking of shipping appliances. Anybody got ideas for these items locally? From what I've seen so far is not what i'm looking for. What about a phone number for the customs agent mentioned? Thanks, Sting

There is a Daltile distributor in Belize City. I didn't use them but you might find what you want at a Daltile store in the US and have them deliver to Belize City for you. I've shipped appliances through Hyde Shipping with no problem. George Bradley's phone number is 011-501-600-4221 and Hyde Shipping is 305-913-4933 ask for Benny.

Where does one find a list of pricing for duties to be paid for items coming in. I called George and he quoted me 25% for tiles coming in where another person on this thread said it was 5% for tiles?