One of the advantages to FM3 status is the one-time opportunity to import up to $5,000 worth of personal household items duty-free. This may seem like too low a value for all your beloved furniture and knick-knacks, but because all of your things are used, you can place a low value on the lot. No one will question your valuation, and you can easily stay under the five-grand limit.
For shipments into Mexico, the Mexican consulate requires that you make a list of everything you are shipping, including the serial numbers of all your electrical appliances. Number each cardboard box, listing the contents of each, and leave three copies of the list with the consulate. Then pay the required $100 fee. You will undoubtedly receive heart-stopping and outrageously high quotes from giant moving companies like Mayflower and United Van Lines. Check around and see if you can get a lower quote from one of the smaller shippers in your area. If not, you may want to look on the Internet or contact one of these shipping companies located in Mexico: Strom Moving (376/766-4049, strom@laguna.com.mx), Transportes Balderas (333/810-4859, marcelabalderas@infosel.net.mx, mbalderasm@terra.com.mx), Gou Shipping (333/666-1404, gougdl@infosel.net.mx).
There are some people who, when they move to Mexico, bring everything from their old homes—from the accumulated stuff in the catch-all kitchen drawer (used birthday candles, ballpoint pen tops, twist ties, spice jar lids . . . which they throw into a box) to grand pianos! The decision on what to bring has much to do with how attached you are to your possessions and also where you are relocating. For instance, if you live in a high, dry climate like Arizona and relocate to a palapa on the coast near Puerto Vallarta, where the humidity is high, you will not want or need your sink-into down-cushioned sofa, your woolen navajo rugs and the painting of Great Grandfather Jones in the ornate gold-leaf frame. Even if you are attached to them, it is better to give or lend them to a friend or relative and have “visitation rights.”
These days in Mexico, it is possible to buy and replace just about anything that you leave behind. It is true that some things, like appliances, are more expensive in Mexico, but if you take into account the hassle and cost of moving it all, you may as well replace many items with new ones. In the last few years, Sears, Sam's Club, Costco, Office Depot, and Home Depot have sprung up all over the country, and although not as well stocked, nor as inexpensive, as in the States, they will have most of what you need.
Additionally, if you buy a home in an area with many expatriates, most likely it will be completely furnished! This is the rule rather than the exception.
Although you can buy just about everything you have left behind, you will most likely bring your own computer as well as your books, CDs, DVDs, and video collection. Towns with expat communities usually have very well-stocked libraries and some offer DVD and video rentals, not to mention that there are video rental stores everywhere. CDs of every kind are available throughout Mexico; Mexicans love music and this is reflected in their music stores, except of course, in small towns. Do you like Tom Waits? No problem! Charlie Mingus? Opera? The Tokyo String Quartet? You will be blown away when you go into a music store. They often have a larger choice than in the United States!
Before bringing down your DVD player, make sure it is universal and plays in all regions. DVDs sold in the States are for Region 1; in Mexico, Region 4. If you search, you can find DVDs that will play in all players and occasionally in Sam's Club you will see DVDs that say “for Region 1 and 4 players.” Most people stock up when they visit the States or have friends bring them down.
Books in English, unless there is a library or you are in a large city, are harder to come by. Tourist areas usually have a book exchange store but oftentimes all you can get is “vacation” reading, like mysteries and romance novels. Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon (powells.com), will ship to Mexico free with orders of $50 or more. It usually takes about a month.
Clothing and shoes are fun to buy in Mexico but you must be in a tourist area and buy clothing manufactured for the tourist trade. In general, clothing in Mexico is very expensive, unstylish, and poorly made. This is changing with the new Mexican middle class and the brand-new shopping malls (with 21-screen cinema complexes) springing up in middle-size cities. These malls have some European chains that have beautifully made, high-style—but not inexpensive—clothing. Shoes and leather goods are everywhere and many towns have malls that sell shoes only. Can you imagine 230 shoe stores all under the same roof?
It is important to keep in mind that most of what you wear in the States won't be appropriate for your new, more relaxed life in Mexico. Mexicans, though, are considerably more formal. It was not until very recently that Mexican men might be seen in shorts outside of their homes. Even in a store like Wal-Mart, it is always easy to spot the Americans with their flip-flops and extremely casual dress. Most Mexicans, except in rural villages or for a day at the beach, wouldn't be caught dead outside of their homes without being “properly” dressed.
