I have some old family belongings and furniture I would like to ship from central/eastern Europe to the States. I have seen a few websites that require contact forms, quotes, consultations, etc. My question is: has anyone had success shipping items like this? How do you find a service? What approximate costs can I expect?
I don't need speed nor is this a "relocation" type of shipping.
It is a lot of work for all parties involved and that is why even small details matter. In some cases it is cheaper to ship using a complete container, even if you have to fill it with packing material to stop things moving around.
My family have moved quite a bit of furniture internationally and considering the costs, insurance, damage, claims, etc. Unless you are talking about very high value antiques it is not worth the time, effort and cost.
In my experience people want new, modern looking stuff. A couple of years ago I had to sell beautiful estate furniture which cost tens of thousands to buy. I only got a couple of thousand after a lot of haggling, etc. I didn't even recover the shipping costs that my family had paid decades ago.