We packed everything with us as we've heard of so many horror stories but then again we did not bring that much. We took a large cardboard box and just filled it with stuff and checked it. Make sure to bring receipts with you and read the the thread on this as it came in handy! If you do decide to ship, it will be really expensive to ship and get back to you and if it gets stuck in customs, you are basically screwed. So just prepare yourself to do without if you decide to ship it.