The Ship Math
Walk your actual house. Add what you own, room by room, and watch what the ocean costs against what starting again costs. The numbers move as you go.
Ranges are ranges. Before you decide anything, get three real quotes.
Most people over ship. Movers quote by container size now, not by volume bands: a 20ft container runs about $3,500 to $7,000 door to door, a 40ft about $5,500 to $10,500, and a small shared load starts near $1,500 and is priced per cubic metre. Cheap heavy furniture costs more to ship than to replace, and anything with a motor fights the 230 volt grid.
How much of it is truly irreplaceable?
Sentiment doesn't do math. That's allowed. This slider exists so the calculator can tell the truth about the rest, and it applies to what is still in the ship column.
The voltage law
American electronics with motors or heating elements (kitchen gear, hair tools, most lamps as wired) fight the Dutch 230-volt grid and lose. Laptops, phones, and cameras travel fine. Check the power brick: if it says 100-240V, it's already a dual citizen.
The stairs
Dutch stairs are famous for a reason. Big American furniture regularly cannot physically enter a Dutch home, and there's an entire profession (the verhuislift, a furniture elevator on a truck) built around the problem. Measure before you ship a sofa across an ocean.
The duty-free rule
Your used household goods enter duty-free if you've lived outside the EU for 12+ months, owned AND used the items for 6+ months, and you're genuinely transferring your normal residence to the EU. The goods have to arrive within twelve months of your becoming resident, and they cannot be sold, lent, or handed on for twelve months after import. Keep an honest, detailed inventory. Customs is allowed to open the container, and vague lists invite exactly that.