answer:I would suggest some kind of durable storage container system such as PackRat where you can pack items securely and in a weather-proof locking container. Then find a local service or person to entrust with local storage of the container until you have determined where you are going to live. At that point, it might be convenient to send the container as-is, or repack it (some items being proved unnecessary due to local availability, hence “too expensive to ship”) and arrange with US and your now-local Customs people to clear the shipment at both ends. It would definitely be worth your time, and it may be worth a fair amount to you in actual dollars, too, to consult with professional movers on planning and execution advice in this regard. That customs clearance thing can be a big, expensive and time-consuming hurdle to overcome. If your package fails to clear Customs at either end it can languish at a dockside warehouse (at your expense for the storage space) for weeks, months or indefinitely (or fail completely and require shipment back to the source or even destruction). In our business we make routine shipments of mechanical and construction materials overseas to countries who are in desperate need of the products we provide, and still we get hung up in Customs during the import process. (One hopes that would not be such a big hurdle with shipments between the US and UK, but still, best not to take chances.) Good luck with the move. I’ve made over half-a-dozen coast-to-coast whole-house moves in the US, but I’ve never tried to move my domicile overseas. That does sound daunting.