Ship the things that are expensive to replace, genuinely loved, or hard to buy in Cyprus: good furniture, artwork, books, kitchen equipment, tools, and anything with sentimental value. Leave behind freestanding wardrobes (Cypriot homes have fitted ones), heavy curtains and thick carpets, most garden furniture, and anything bulky you were only keeping out of habit. UK electrical appliances work on Cypriot sockets without adaptation because the plug and voltage standards match, which surprises most people and saves a great deal of money.
The good news about electricals
Cyprus uses the same three-pin plug and the same nominal voltage as the United Kingdom, a legacy of the colonial period. Your kettle, washing machine, television, lamps and power tools will all work without adaptors or transformers. This is one of the strongest practical arguments for Cyprus over other Mediterranean destinations and means the kitchen you have spent years assembling can come with you.
Furniture worth shipping
Beds and good mattresses, dining tables and chairs, a sofa you actually like, bookcases, desks and anything antique or well made. Cypriot furniture retail is more limited and often more expensive than the British equivalent for mid-range quality, so replacing a house of furniture locally is rarely the saving people expect.
Furniture that is usually a mistake
Freestanding wardrobes are the classic error, because almost every Cypriot property has fitted ones and the shipped wardrobe ends up in a garage. Very large corner sofas frequently will not negotiate the narrower internal doors and stairwells. Heavy winter curtains and thick carpets are wrong for the climate and take up considerable volume. Flat-pack furniture rarely survives a second dismantling and is cheap to replace.
Things you will be glad you brought
Books, because English-language bookshops are limited. Good bedding and towels. Specific medications and toiletries you are attached to. Tools, particularly if you are buying a property that needs work. Christmas decorations, which sounds trivial until December. Anything British you would find yourself hunting for — clients mention specific tea, baking ingredients and cleaning products with real feeling.
Climate considerations people forget
Cyprus is hot and bright, and the sun is unkind to things. Dark leather furniture becomes uncomfortable, delicate fabrics fade, and wooden furniture can move with the humidity change. Anything with sentimental value should be positioned away from direct sun in the new house. Conversely, winters in the hill villages are genuinely cold, so do not give away every jumper.
The ruthlessness test
For each item, ask whether you would pay to ship it if you had to write the cheque for that item alone. Loft contents, the spare-room furniture, the exercise equipment nobody uses and the third set of crockery all fail that test. Shipping is priced on the space used, so every genuine decision to leave something behind reduces the bill.