Moving from Huangshan, Anhui to Houston

Client Info: Mr. Yan;
Shipping Route: Huangshan, Anhui to Houston;
Service Date: March 10, 2019;
Case Summary: Mr. Yan from Anhui entrusted Seapoe Relo with shipping his furniture from China to Houston, USA by sea.

Houston is the largest city in Texas, the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest economic center along the Gulf of Mexico coast. Although it is not as prominent as New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, Houston offers excellent education, economy, and employment opportunities. In addition, the cost of living in Houston is significantly lower than in other American cities, which is why many immigrants choose to settle there. Mr. Yan from Huangshan, Anhui, moved his entire family to Houston.

To ship his household furniture to his new home in Houston, Mr. Yan did his homework well in advance. When consulting Seapoe Relo, he asked many questions covering safety, customs clearance, delivery, timing, and pricing, and the Seapoe Relo representative provided detailed answers to each. In the end, considering service, price, staff quality, and the moving plan, Mr. Yan chose Seapoe Relo. The items shipped this time included beds, sofas, cabinets, desk lamps, tables and chairs, dinnerware, and more, totaling 20 cubic meters. During pickup and packing, Seapoe Relo's movers adopted different packing methods for different items to ensure they would arrive in Houston intact.

Tips for moving from Huangshan, Anhui to Houston:

1. New immigrants to the U.S. may bring reasonable household goods and personal property that they have owned and used for 12 months or more into the United States duty-free;

2. U.S. Customs generally imposes no time limit on the arrival of goods for immigrant moves; as long as your visa or green card meets the requirements, you can complete customs clearance for personal belongings.

3. U.S. Customs imposes a tariff of approximately 6% on ordinary brand-new items, but anti-dumping duties of typically 30-45% are levied on brand-new textiles, bedroom furniture, and similar goods. Of course, for personal luggage within a reasonable range for personal use, bringing some brand-new items along usually does not trigger customs duties.

4. Due to counter-terrorism requirements, U.S. Customs conducts inspections at a rate of about 10%, usually by X-ray scanning. If prohibited items are detected by scanning, customs will conduct a manual inspection, which may result in additional costs.