Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Aelric]

Alright, so before I came to Korea I gave up a whole lot of my worldly possessions as the economic crunch turned the last of my college loans into rent money between graduating and coming here. One thing I gave up was my desktop PC. So, once here and once I had some money saved, I picked up a bunch of parts and made myself another one. Problem is, now my time in Korea is coming to an end and having never had to deal with the post here, I'm unsure whether I should pay the extra baggage fees and box it up to take to the airport, or if I should ship it. Mind you, I also am planning to heading to Thailand for a few months to decompress before returning to the states. Now, the PC plus monitor together would made two boxes plus my suitcase and backpack. What do you think, people? Will it be cheaper and less hassle to ship to Thailand and then America, or to carry with me on the plane and eat the baggage fees, of which I have no idea the cost. Pure opinion here, folks, let me know.

[SeoulNate]

I would call the airlines and check first, but if i had to guess, the fees are going to be insane, even more so because you are going to Thailand first.

Just remember, flying pretty much anywhere west from Korea you are only going to be able to take one checked bag, and one carry on weighing 14kg or less. Everything extra is like 20 bucks per kilo.

IMO, since it sounds like you are fairly computer savvy, take the PC apart and pack all of the pieces in your luggage and send the tower home visa the mail. It will be lighter without the risk of damage to your components.

[ttompatz]

[Aelric]

I thought of the taking it apart method. I second it as being the best method, though I was a we bit worried what it would look like taking a bunch of microchips onto a plane. Out of their case, they may look like an bomb. I figure in that scenario, the case is a goner along with the monitor, but I suppose I can sell one easily enough on the forums here and get a case and screen at home. Might pose a problem in Thailand, though, as they are not known for their sprawling tech malls in Chiang Mai, plus selling a monitor there would be a problem. Still, it is the best solution I've heard thus far. Cheers.

[moosehead]

copy your hard drive on a portable external, package up your software on dvds, bring your license info and give away that cpu and monitor to someone you know can make good use of it.

you'll be SO glad you did - moving overseas is also a lesson in learning to live with less, and once you go notebook, you'll be glad you did. they make great ones that weight 1 kg and go at supersonic speeds - lighten up and enjoy the ride !!

[brickabrack]

That's kind of what I was thinking.

There might also be the shipping by sea.
I know from CN, I shipped about 30kg and it cost me just over
$50 last year. I received the package about 1 month later.
Not sure about SK.

Good luck.

[Steve_Rogers2008]

[SeoulNate]

[Aelric]

Yeah, ship by sea is bad news from what I hear.

Anyway, to the others, I do have a laptop as well, but I'll always be the kind of guy who wants a custom built PC that I can build, tinker, tweak and (if need be) fix on my own in my home base. This time in Thailand will not be as mobile as most who go there, as the whole trip is more a writing retreat/break from Korea/place to make my savings last long than in America since there ain't no jobs out in those parts. I may heed the advice in the long run and just take the laptop, but I don't regret building this setup here in Korea. It's served me well for two years and I've speced it to handle anything I throw at it for a few more years to come, be it video editing, music, games, photoshop, whatever. It's my baby. I kiss it on the disk drive.

So, I guess I'm gonna visit the post office soon. Thanks for the advice, people.