bajabound2005 - 9-28-2006 at 02:13 PM
Nomads, need your advice and experience. We are just getting ready to move our household goods to Baja with our newly received FM3s. We are hiring a
third party (reputable!) to move the goods as we cannot do it ourselves. We are bringing a small amount of furniture, BBQ, patio furniture,TV,
freezer (no other appliances), computer, clothes and lots of boxed up stuff (kitchen stuff, holiday stuff, etc).
Do we need to be with the mover when he goes through Customs into Baja? If not, what does he need to have with him? If so, what do we need to have
with us? Can we cross at San Ysidro or do we have to go to Otay? He will have a pickup truck hauling an 18ft trailer. He says that last few times
he's been able to cross at SY with no problem.
Ideally, we would prefer NOT to have to be at the border with him as he wants to make the drive straight through from Sacramento to Ensenada - we
would prefer to take 2 days to make the drive (and we can't leave before he does!). Please share what you know. Thanks.
[Edited on 9-29-2006 by bajabound2005]
BajaWarrior - 9-28-2006 at 02:30 PM
Otay crossing is best for Pacific side. I built a home in La Bocana de Santo Tomas and hauled everything but the brick and the slab down there. Have a
semi detailed list of your belongings, they inspect it, make their own copy on their form, and you go to the bank window and pay the duty. That's it.
We did haul all of our own furniture down there, and most of it was previously ours. Did not need a reciept of any kind. Just a list of the values of
the items. Sometimes they would skip the paperwork, have cash on hand (wink). Currently I am building a new home below San Felipe, and we go through
the new border at Mexicali, and so far, they take the cash. That works for me. I realize that someone else is taking it for you, but pass this
information to him. Bottom line: You don't know what to expect when you get there.
Timbercrete - 9-28-2006 at 02:31 PM
I think I might be worried about the word "Hired". I can see the items getting hung up at the border, as the driver can't prove or declare ownership.
If it were my items, I would be traveling with them.
bajaguy - 9-28-2006 at 07:02 PM
BB check your u2u
bajabound2005 - 9-28-2006 at 07:37 PM
Yeah....bajaguy; that's not going to work for us....and it doesn't have to; I know there's a way to do this even if it costs us some $$$; that's ok,
just need to get it here and don't want to have to be at the border to get it here.
bajaguy - 9-28-2006 at 07:44 PM
hahaha....ok, check the other u2u.......if you need a phone number or e-mail, let me know.......or....I'll just back out somewhat un-gracefully
bajabound2005 - 9-30-2006 at 09:27 PM
Wow! You guys and gals are normally LOADED w/advice and on this topic we're getting little? Where did we go wrong?
alaskabazaar - 9-30-2006 at 10:22 PM
Possibly by not taking the advise of those who know . . .?
jerry - 9-30-2006 at 10:25 PM
its seems if this person is reputable? knows what hes doing he will know the answers to your questions??
if i was taking someone elses stuff down id sure want to know exactly what was in my load and the owner to be with me taking it across whoknows what
a person could be hiding in the stuff?? just a thought
Timbercrete - 10-1-2006 at 05:33 AM
Another problem I see is this hired person might be OK working in the states but not in Mexico. When you hit the border or one of the many check
points along the way, the inspectors might take exception to a non Mexican firm hauling in Mexico. With this, you just furnished the check point
supervisors home. The only way would be if the driver claimed the stuff as his own.
Now, how reputable is that 
bajabound2005 - 10-1-2006 at 07:19 AM
It's not a firm, just a guy who has a big trailer. So let's say it's friend helping us move our stuff. Rather than dealing with the Menaje de Casa
we're thinking it might be easier to just declare the stuff and pay duty.
Salsa - 10-1-2006 at 09:47 AM
From our experience a few years ago,
We had more than one vehicle worth of stuff, so we had to hire A liscensed firm to take the stuff across the border and THEN transfered it to our
vehicle. The fun did not end there, we were checked for paperwork on the toll road.
By the way, it took us 4 days to cross the border -- but that is another looooong story!!!!!!!!!
Don
The Easy Way
Timbercrete - 10-1-2006 at 12:32 PM
I think the easiest way would be have a yard sale, sell everything and buy new when you arrive. 
bajabound2005 - 10-1-2006 at 12:39 PM
Well, we did that part, now we are down to things that can't be replaced or we don't want to part with!