Hi, I just completed an order with a luxury furniture retailer in Europe (France) and am eagerly awaiting the delivery. I wonder if anyone has done this too?
In my case, I have been searching for years to find the perfect dining chairs to replace my current onesand when I saw these I knew I they were the ones so I am trying the experience. Chairs are made to order so I will be delivered in May.
After all costs are included (EU export/ Singapore import procedures, GST, sea-freight, uncrating and delivery to my door), I am "only" paying 16% more than a European client would. This chair is not sold in Singapore so I don't mind the cost of importing.
I have also seen that I could purchase other luxury furniture pieces at a cheaper price (all transport and customs procedures included!) than if I purchased it directly in Singapore (in these cases, there are resellers here that offer them but at higher prices)...so looking to explore this avenue after this first trial order.
I saw someone in this forum (post about lighting shop) was very disappointed with their experience in purchasing from a foreign site. I have added a complete insurance to my purchase so as to be refunded if the chairs are damaged during the transport.
If anyone would care to share their experience in importing furniture to their homes, it would be much appreciated, thank you.
I would suggest communicating with your vendors at EU side to enquire if they have experience shipping overseas. They probably have more experience in dealing with insurance, packing etc
The furniture needs to be packed the right way (e.g. reinforced crates) to prevent damage during shipping.
Furniture being large pieces are shipped by SEA, takes around 2 to 3 weeks minimum. I furnished most of my house with furniture from China and taobao, all shipped by sea.
Hello Sally, thank you very much for your reply and I totally agree, the vendor must have experience in shipping to Singapore (sea freight, import clearance and last-mile delivery to my home).
When I read your message, I reached out to my vendor (the order I am waiting for to arrive end of May), they actually have written a complete guide about how to purchase from luxury furniture brands in Europe and get delivered door-to-door in Singapore, which I did not know about.
Here is the link to the guide as it could be helpful for others here: Guide to importing furniture from Europe to Singapore
I do think that for it to be cost effective, it would have to be luxury furniture and not just regular low to medium-priced furniture unless there was a big quantity imported. A luxury item can actually be cheaper if you go through the purchase in EU and import to your home in Singapore, compared to purchasing the same item at a high-end retailer located in Singapore (saw this in a real-life example in the above mentioned guide, stunning).
We received the chairs, this was several months ago but it took me some time to get back here.
I would like to confirm that the entire process went smoothly and even our pet is delighted with our imported chairs. They arrived in perfect condition and the white-glove delivery to my home was impeccable.
Looking at the total price I paid, I can also confirm that it was, as expected, 16% more expensive being delivered here than if I were living in Europe (this includes all transport costs, customs, etc. and, most importantly, also the 9% GST to be paid here on arrival). This percentage will obviously depend on the volume ordered (cost per cubic meter decreasing when volume increases). Less than 8 chairs would not have made sense financially, but 8 units as I ordered or more, perfect!
Hi David, congratulations on getting these beautiful dining chairs for your space. I was looking for a link to the guide you mentioned about importing furniture from Europe to Singapore and didn't see anything. Could I trouble you to attach it again? Many thanks.
Hello, sure, here is the link about the article importing luxury furniture from Europe to your home in Singapore.
You will see there is a real invoice for the purchase of chairs and for the white-gloves delivery.
All costs really will depend on quantities and of course it will make more sense if there are enough quantities. If you purchase 2 chairs, it won't make sense but if you purchase 8, then logistics costs will be spread over a larger quantity (first cubic meter is always the most expensive).
Just chose which items you want and ask them to do the work for you, caclulating a quote based on your address and order's contents. From my understanding, they can provide furniture from practically any luxury furniture brand.
Hope it helps and let us know your experience !
I’ve imported furniture from overseas before, and overall it can be a great option when the piece isn’t available locally or the local markup is significantly higher.
The biggest things I’d recommend checking are the retailer’s export experience, packaging/crating standards, insurance coverage, and who is responsible for customs clearance and last-mile delivery. Furniture can also be tricky because even minor damage to corners or finishes can become an issue during sea freight.
Your approach of getting full transport insurance sounds sensible, especially for made-to-order pieces. I’d also make sure the insurance specifically covers damage during unloading and delivery, not just the international shipping portion.
If the first order arrives safely and the total savings are still worthwhile after GST, freight and customs, I can definitely see the appeal of using European retailers for other pieces as well.
Agreed, the retailer’s export experience is absolutely critical to the success of importing European luxury furniture to Singapore.
Crating and other additional packaging precautions (normally not used for deliveries within Europe) should never be ignored or skipped, especially if you purchase less than a container (LCL shipment) as your furniture will be loaded into the container by a third-party…
In our case, the entire process was handled by our European retailer and they could have loaded an entire container (if we were to purchase one full with furniture) at their own warehouse. As we were only importing the 8 dining chairs, we agreed to have them set on a palette (easier to be moved in loading, transit, etc. and much safer) and for the cardboard boxes to be inside a wooden crate (for extra protection). This did of course mean an extra-cost but in my opinion, money well spent. I found the photos of our chairs after being crated, attached. This can be costly but saves headaches for sure.
A full insurance is mandatory too, do not skip this. So many things can go wrong during international transport. The insurance must reflect the incoterm, I recommend you ask for DAP (Delivered at Place)_your address, which would include everything except the payment of the GST (based on the total value of the furniture+logistics&insurance costs) that you will pay once the import clearance is being done upon arrival of the furniture to Singapore. All procedures, etc. will be handled by the retailer, you just need to pay the GST when requested and be there to open your door when final delivery is scheduled.
Choose a retailer you can trust and, ideally, make a smaller purchase at first (perhaps choose a product that you would not find in Singapore), just to ensure they are trustworthy before committing to a larger purchase. It is really on the larger purchases, even more if you load a full container, that you can make incredible savings (on items that are also retailed in Singapore) but don’t rush into that unless you are 1000% sure of whom you are dealing with. I wish I knew my retailer when I had my relocation to Singapore paid by my company…I would have loaded a full container for sure.
@remongla: You asked me for a link to the guide....I have tried to paste the link here but it just disappears, perhaps a protection against spam?
Just look up "The Ultimate Guide to Purchasing Luxury Furniture in Europe and Importing It to Singapore by Imagine Outlet" and you should be able to find it easily.