Moving household belongings from the United States to Greece

The hardest part of packing for a move to Greece often happens before the first box is filled. A dining table might fit your current home beautifully and overwhelm the next one. A shelf of ordinary books might matter more to you than an expensive appliance. Deciding what deserves space in the shipment takes a clearer picture of your new life than a packing list alone can provide.

Start with the home you expect to live in, the belongings you want around you, and the things you need during your first weeks. Then ask a mover to price the shipment you actually want to send. That order makes it easier to compare practical choices and resist shipping items simply because you already own them.

Plan around your new home

Before paying to move large furniture, get the measurements of the rooms it will occupy. Include doorways, stairs, elevators and any awkward turns between the street and the apartment. A sofa that fits the living room still needs a workable path into it. Photographs and measurements give the mover something useful to assess before pickup day.

Ask what comes with the property. A furnished rental changes the calculation for beds, tables and kitchen equipment. If you have not chosen a permanent home, consider how much you want to commit to shipping before you know its size. Temporary accommodation and possible storage should be part of the plan, rather than decisions made when the shipment is ready for collection.

Make a separate decision about each large item. Compare the quoted cost of including it with the effort and cost of replacing it in Greece. Keep sentimental value in the calculation. A family desk may be worth bringing even when buying a different desk would be cheaper; a bulky spare wardrobe may be easy to leave behind.

Build an inventory you can use

Walk through your home room by room and divide the contents into things to ship, carry with you, sell, give away or leave in storage. Write down the furniture and estimate the boxes before requesting prices. Include the basement, garage and closets. Those overlooked spaces can change a small shipment into something much larger.

For furniture, record dimensions and take clear photographs. Mention glass doors, loose shelves, stone tops and pieces that come apart. For boxes, describe the contents plainly: books, clothing, kitchenware or bedding. An estimate based on “some personal belongings” leaves much more room for misunderstanding than an inventory with counts and descriptions.

Keep the inventory current as you make decisions. If you remove a bedroom set or add several boxes, tell the mover before the arrangements are finalized. Save one version for your records and use the same list when comparing quotes. Otherwise, an apparently lower price may simply cover fewer belongings or different services.

Choose a shipment size that matches what you need

A move abroad does not automatically mean shipping an entire household. You might send a few boxes of clothes and books, selected furniture and keepsakes, or most of the contents of your home. Ask which service suits that amount and what information the mover needs to assess it accurately.

For the United States to Greece route, Hermes International Movers handles boxes, partial household shipments and larger moves, with home pickup and packing choices based on the shipment. Its Greece service page describes the American side of the move, the handoff to its approved destination agent in Piraeus and the information needed to start a quote. That gives readers a direct way to compare a few boxes, selected furniture and a full household move.

When discussing a smaller shipment, ask about pickup and warehouse drop-off choices, packing requirements and the receiving arrangements. For a larger move, ask whether photographs or a survey are needed. Let the inventory drive the discussion. Booking more space than you need wastes money, while an understated inventory can leave you revising the plan at the last minute.

Compare what each quote includes

Put the quotes beside the same inventory and check their scope line by line. Identify who packs the goods, who collects them and what preparation is included. Ask about access at your current address, especially if the truck cannot park nearby or the crew must use stairs. Explain those details before accepting a price.

Follow the shipment all the way through the quote. Establish what the receiving agent does, where you collect your belongings, and whether delivery to your home is included or must be arranged separately. If your home is outside the arrival area, ask how the remaining journey will work. Do not assume that a quotation mentioning Greece includes delivery to every address in the country.

Ask which charges are included, which are excluded and what circumstances could create additional costs. Request the answers in writing. If the shipment or destination changes, ask for an updated quote. A short written clarification now is easier to work with than conflicting memories of a telephone conversation after pickup.

Agree on packing before you begin

Decide which items you will pack and which need professional attention. Ask the mover for its packing requirements before buying materials. Heavy books, fragile kitchenware and furniture need different treatment; using one box size and the same wrapping for everything is unlikely to be a good plan.

Give fragile and irreplaceable belongings their own discussion. Show the mover photographs of artwork, mirrors, antique furniture or other pieces that need assessment. Describe existing damage and loose components. Ask how each item should be prepared and who will do that work. Avoid improvising repairs or wrapping delicate surfaces without suitable advice.

Number the boxes and match those numbers to your inventory. Keep descriptions useful enough that you can locate bedding or kitchen essentials later. Photograph furniture before it is packed, and keep the inventory and images somewhere you can access while traveling. Paperwork buried inside the shipment will not help you answer a question during transit.

Prepare for the weeks around arrival

Your own travel dates and the shipment schedule are separate parts of the move. Ask what the quoted timing covers, what remains an estimate and how schedule changes will be communicated. Plan for a period without the shipped belongings, particularly if your new home depends on the arrival of beds or basic kitchen equipment.

Set aside the clothes, chargers, documents and everyday items you intend to take with you before the packing begins. Mark that area clearly so those belongings do not get loaded by mistake. Keep the mover’s contact details, the shipment reference and the receiving contact together with the current inventory.

Before leaving the United States, confirm the next contact point and your availability in Greece. Check that the receiving team has a working telephone number and the correct destination details. With the belongings chosen, the packing agreed and the collection or delivery arrangements written down, there is much less to resolve while you are trying to settle into a new home.

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