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Sell Your KitchenAid Mixer or Ship It to Australia
This post is straight from my inbox.
Well…kind of.
I get a lot of questions from readers moving to Australia from the United States about shipping electronics, mostly small kitchen appliances.
We didn’t ship any of our small electronics and we regretted it, but I’ll get to that it the post.
Is it cheaper to ship a KitchenAid Mixer or replace it in Australia?
Here’s a recent email I got from an SMG reader.
My husband and I are moving to Sydney from the United States.
We are frantically sorting through everything, trying to decide what to take. I hear two schools of thought on this.
Some say take what you are going to need because it costs more to replace it than to ship, and others say just replace it.
I’m sitting here, looking at my KitchenAid Mixer and the cost to replace that will be double, if not more, than what I paid in the States. But will it work ok with a voltage converter?
I don’t want to replace everything in the kitchen. Is there any alternative? Or a cheaper place for small kitchen appliances in Sydney?
Lamps and such I’m fine with leaving, but I’m a baker and know I will miss my Kitchenaid.
Any advice or suggestions, please.
A cheaper option than replacing you small kitchen appliances in Australia.
Ah, yes, the old “what should I do with my KitchenAid Mixer?” question.
This, of course, applies to your Cuisinart Food Processor or your fancy espresso machine that you probably also love and would miss dearly.
I know it’s heartbreaking because, the truth is, you have spent time building your “collection” of kitchen appliances up.
Acquiring just what you need and now, because you’re moving to Australia where the voltage is 220, you may have to give them up.
That’s exactly what I did and, to be honest, have regretted it ever since.
Things are expensive to replace. KitchenAid mixers, or any stand mixer, is way more expensive here in Australia than in the States.
For example, Good Guys Appliances has KitchenAid Stand Mixers for $699.99 and that’s marked down from $899. Crazy!
Same goes for food processors, instapot and just about anything for the kitchen is more expensive in Australia.
The good news is you don’t have to give them up. That’s right, keep them and ship them along with your other kitchen appliances.
Then the answer is a Step Down Converter with an adapter.
I have a friend here who brought all her kitchen gear.
She uses a Step Up/Down Voltage Transformer Converter that she got on Amazon before the moved.
They have never had a problem and the cost of the converter has more than paid for itself.
I didn’t even think of getting a converter and have ended up replacing most of my appliances over the past couple of years. Let me tell you, it IS expensive to do so and feels like forever to living without a food processor, blender or stand mixer.
Another option is to get a converter here in Sydney.
It is more expensive here, but you’ll still end up financially ahead depending on how many appliances you have of course.
Your two options for purchasing a converter are:
1. A Step Up/Down Voltage Transformer Converter. Buy one now and ship it along with your other things. Don’t forget to get an adaptor for the wall plug. Grab a few of those are you will always need extra.
2. Get a converter here in Sydney. It will cost more but will save you from replacing everything.
I didn’t do my research before moving and got rid of all my appliances. I had the lot – food processor, bender, a KitchenAid Mixer, an espresso machine, and a drip coffee machine (those are hard to find in Sydney, drip coffee is not very popular here).
I can say with all honesty that I wish I hadn’t and instead had the foresight to get a converter.
Here is a video from a Sydney based company Tortech that sells Step Down Convertors. You can see that they work fine with stand up mixers and other electronics too.
Hope that helps.
Oh BTW, cake flour is hard to find in Australia.
Yeah, I know. Weird bit of info here, but it’s relevant to those moving to Australia from the United States that like to bake.
You can find cake flour online, but it’s kind of pricey. I’ve tried adding cornstarch to all-purpose flour and sifting, but have never gotten good results. Instead, I would recommend getting an Australian baking book or try one of Donna Hay’s recipes then adapt your’s. Even though they don’t have cake flour in Australia, they do still have cakes.
International Moving Companies Near You
What are you taking to Australia when you move? Do you know yet?
The truth is you don’t need to know right now what’s going with you.
But you do have to get a shipping quote ASAP, especially now.
Why? Because international moving companies need to schedule your move to Australia far in advance, some ask for 6 months in advance. Yes, COVID has changed everything, including international shipping.
When filling out the form below…
Use your “real” contact details for BOTH phone and email. If you don’t use your real contact details, then they can’t get in touch with you for your quote. Makes sense, right?
Moving (back) to Australia from the US later this year. Have been in the US for the last 10 years. Have a Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer. The bottom says “Max wattage of 325”. So what does this mean in terms of a converter? They seem to be available in 300 and 500. So does this stay behind and I re-buy in Adelaide?
Since you want a converter that can handle at least 10-20% more than the highest-wattage appliance, go with the 500. In terms of leaving it behind or re-buying, do a little online investigation and see what prices are to re-buy vs purchasing a converter. Of course you can use the converter for other small appliances you have also. To do a quick check on prices try Appliances Online. Here’s a link to KitchenAid Stand Mixers.
Hello Lauren, thank you for posting this very useful article about moving with Kitchenaid Mixer. We are moving to Sydney next year from NY, and I have many kitchen appliances (incl. Kitchenaid mixer, Breville food processor, espresso maker…) I really don’t want to part with. You mentioned about getting an adaptor for the wall plug (for the transformer bought in the US I assume), do you know which one/brand adaptor I can buy? Do you also recommend to buy the Tortech transformer instead of bringing one from the US?
Thank you very much for the information.
Best regards,
Jen
Hi Jen, Sorry for the late reply to this. Traveling right now so not as up on the blog as usual. I would definitely get a transformer in the States and ship it with your kitchen appliances instead of getting one in Australia. I added that for those who didn’t get theirs before moving and are in need of one in Australia. Sorry for the confusion. It will cost less in the States and you have more of a selection. You need to make sure not to run any appliance with higher wattage than the voltage transformer wattage. Most of your kitchen appliances have the wattage listed on the appliance, usually a small sticker on the bottom. If you do get your transformer in the States you will need an adapter for the wall plug. Be sure to get a converter that can handle at least 10-20% more than the highest-wattage appliance. For example, for a 1400-watt hair dryer, you’ll want one that can handle at least 1600 watts. You want a transformer to run at about 80% of its wattage capacity to avoid any damage for long term use to your kitchen appliances. The bad news is the higher wattage capacity transformers are bulky and heavy, but an easy trade for still have your mixer in Sydney. I sold off all my small kitchen appliances and regretted it as replacing them was expensive in Australia.
Hope that helps.
Lauren