She Sells Sea Shells by the Seashore

[FHBOY]

OK, gang, here's a weird one. At the request of SWMBO I am asking this question:

She has, over the last 40 years, collected sea shells and archeological pottery shards, and even rocks etc from our travels as mementos. They reside in big glass bowls as decorations, not in nice neat little academic drawers and such. She is wondering if she can bring her sea shells with us when we move down. No, not as hand or checked baggage, but as part of the stuff we are having moved.

Anyone? Buehler? Buehler?

Originally Posted by FHBOY

OK, gang, here's a weird one. At the request of SWMBO I am asking this question:

She has, over the last 40 years, collected sea shells and archeological pottery shards, and even rocks etc from our travels as mementos. They reside in big glass bowls as decorations, not in nice neat little academic drawers and such. She is wondering if she can bring her sea shells with us when we move down. No, not as hand or checked baggage, but as part of the stuff we are having moved.

Anyone? Buehler? Buehler?

The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do?"
---------------------------------

Unless she has some weird shells that are banned by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) that she picked up or bought in a clandestine marketplace while on vacation and slipped back into the US in her purse, chances are they are fine to ship in. Your shipping agent can confirm on this.

Harmonized Tariff Code # 0508.00.00 - CORAL AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, UNWORKED OR SIMPLY PREPARED BUT NOT OTHERWISE WORKED; SHELLS OF MOLLUSCS, CRUSTACEANS OR ECHINODERMS AND CUTTLE-BONE, UNWORKED OR SIMPLY PREPARED BUT NOT CUT TO SHAPE, POWDER AND WASTE THEREOF

[FHBOY]

Originally Posted by GringoCArlos

The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do?"
---------------------------------

Unless she has some weird shells that are banned by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) that she picked up or bought in a clandestine marketplace while on vacation and slipped back into the US in her purse, chances are they are fine to ship in. Your shipping agent can confirm on this.

Harmonized Tariff Code # 0508.00.00 - CORAL AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, UNWORKED OR SIMPLY PREPARED BUT NOT OTHERWISE WORKED; SHELLS OF MOLLUSCS, CRUSTACEANS OR ECHINODERMS AND CUTTLE-BONE, UNWORKED OR SIMPLY PREPARED BUT NOT CUT TO SHAPE, POWDER AND WASTE THEREOF

Thank you - that is the answer.

[Sunchamama]

Only possible concern is taking them back to the USA one day! You may run into the friendly not sooooo many friendly lovely freaking BP. They are by far not my favorite people in all the world.

[FHBOY]

Originally Posted by Sunchamama

Only possible concern is taking them back to the USA one day! You may run into the friendly not sooooo many friendly lovely freaking BP. They are by far not my favorite people in all the world.

I will tolerate SWMBO moving them to Mexico, like we've moved all over the USA. I think I'll attempt to draw the line at maybe bringing them back.
Yeah...like that'll ever happen.

[mickisue1]

You are giving me pause, FHB.

I not only have shells, but rocks, from the shore of every sea/ocean beach/large lake I've ever walked upon. My rule is that I can't look for them, they have to find me.

It means fewer, but better. Although I realize that "better" is in the eye of the beholder.

Now. What do I do with all these lovely memories?

[eagles100]

Originally Posted by mickisue1

Now. What do I do with all these lovely memories?

I'd say bring them with you and make beautiful wall and/or coffee table displays of them.

[sunnyvmx]

I say keep the memories, dump the shells and rocks and start making new memories and new collections in your new life in Mexico. Out with the old and in with the new. Leave a lot of your baggage behind or you may find your new life doesn't feel so new.

[edgeee]

when i said i wanted to bring my books, many said they were too heavy, and i don't think they meant the topics.
i thought they had rocks in their heads, given how important my books are to me.
(many of them can not be replaced.)

i have empathy for both of you. when i had fish tanks, they included some very important rocks and shells in them. i used a conch shell to breed convicts.
(fish, not narcos.)

i had to shed the fish hobby, and the rocks went too, but i'm keeping my books.
i'd rather have books than furniture, if it ever came to that.

[TundraGreen]

Originally Posted by edgeee

when i said i wanted to bring my books, many said they were too heavy, and i don't think they meant the topics.
i thought they had rocks in their heads, given how important my books are to me.
(many of them can not be replaced.)

i have empathy for both of you. when i had fish tanks, they included some very important rocks and shells in them. i used a conch shell to breed convicts.
(fish, not narcos.)

i had to shed the fish hobby, and the rocks went too, but i'm keeping my books.
i'd rather have books than furniture, if it ever came to that.

I used to feel that way about books. I kept every book I ever read or never read. I still had had my cub scout manuals from when I was 8 years old (about 59 years ago). I moved them and built book shelves for them every time I moved. The bookshelves were 21 feet long floor to ceiling. When I came to Mexico, I packed them all into boxes and stored them in the basement of a house in the US. They filled 42 boxes. This was after I had donated 15 boxes of the more valuable ones to a college library a few years before. After I realized I was going to stay in Mexico, I decided it was time to get rid of them. A used book store went through all 42 boxes and picked out the ones they thought they could sell. The other 40 odd cartons went to the local library for their annual fund raising book sale.

Now I don't keep books. Physical books I buy and pass on. Many of the books I read are electronic. I haven't completely succeeded in not collecting books. I still have a stack of 25 or so waiting to be recycled, but none stay around for very long anymore.

I don't miss them a bit.