Exactly as @BhumiBabe said you get everything in India from Mac products to nail polish removers but I feel the quality here is good and reasonable than in India ! even the leather jackets are cheaper and of good quality . Need not tell tat Mobiles such as IPhones and iPads are very cheaper here e.g. IPhone 8 here is $699 which is approx 45k whereas in India it is 55k ! But the price definitely makes the difference !
I would suggest taking Corelle dinner set from the USA. You can get it in India but the price is on the higher side there.
I had shipped a container so we took our furniture. Leather couches - very very expensive in India(but such amazing styles). Also the India wood furniture(kicking myself for not bringing back any). I took fitted sheets and comforters but I love the Bombay Deiying designs. My mom started getting a tailor to make fitted sheets for me by just buying the Indian bedsheets. Bras - Amante is my go to brand in India. VS quality is so bad that I just texted my sister to buy me a few Amantes. Clothes - I ended up not wearing anything I took from here. I had a closet full of beautiful sarees that I wore to work. Western clothes just stayed in the back of the closet. Personal care items - We switched to himalaya in India. Even now, I have to get the himalaya face wash for my DD from the Indian store. All others make her face break out. Make up - I love L’oreal India for their colors. Lakme too. Hair products - still bring L’Oréal salon products from India and cry when it gets over(not available here). Jeans - I liked the curvy fit of FC-UK(what a brand name) available in India. These days I buy AE from here but I get a pair of jeans from India(altered to my height) each time. Kiddo was 5-6 yrs old. Whatever went in the container stayed in boxes. Don’t bother. All the princesses were available in shoes, water bottles, back packs etc. she wanted what her friends had and didn’t use any of the stuff we took from here. She used the parachute chocolate shampoo for the longest time. Still loves that. The fragrance free dove soaps were what I couldn’t find in India. Himalaya soaps were good though and I switched to that brand. Corelle sets - Definitely take. I have taken plates in my suitcases and they have reached fine but packing is a pain. I did take multiple sets in my container and those were the nose useful. I also took Corning Ware serving sets which were a big hit. The same is available in India but expensive. (I have a set from India that I now use).
i am not in the us, i have a foot abroad so two cents if it is ok. agree with @Laks09 . dinner ware,bakeware and serveware, cast iron lodge pan if you have been using them and are well used, bring them. some educational toys, science kits, lego and you should browse through and look for things that won’t phase out. rest is available if you keep a watch. cosmetics, to be honest quality differs between what is on the shelf in india anf abroad. there were years i would take dove, dettol and st ives from abroad. now i have moved into organic and home made. lingerie- i am a through and through enamor fan. nothing like it. the wipes, the clothes, the scrubs and cleaners work only so much. if you are returning to mumbai the mositure and rajns play a pivotal role and if you return to chennai the hardness of water makes it very difficult to maintain with the best of these products. and if you plan to have a maid she would be more than happy to ise sabena, vim and banian cloths.. furniture.bought and custom made to adapt my designs using a woodwork person and it is 10 yrs and my cot withstood 3 moves. if you already have a place to settle, visualise what you may need and will it work.. storage and cabinet options are many. howard, and other brands are available in india. bedsheets and fitted sheets bombay dyeing from childhood and they still stand at the top of my list . then I like the swayam range. http://www.swayamindia.com/ just to share that cushions to kitchen linen to curtains can be customised too.. these days i go for soft cotton ones that may not last for more than a year, but going by the finance guy at home worth thr steal i get them for.. the designs and soothjng feel of colors is somethjng i looks for and changing these gives a new look and feel. curtains you needs to visit the dedicated curtain people and they leave you surprised and awe.. i never took electrical appliances.. maybe the handheld vaccum that was new at that point, my juicer and fp. sadly fp conked with voltage fluctuations and now i am a loyal prestige, lg customer. service is good to. but i would say take your ip, fp and vitamix if you plan. worth it if you are a juice person and more. coming to shoes, bags we get most of it if you know the right places. yes puffer jackets are of not that great quality but leather jackets sadly are exported from india and if you know the right person you can get them for a bargain in india. i know for sure becuase recently dd’s batchmate got one for her trip abroad through some source of hers. at the end of the day it all trickles down to what you actually need. the cost of bringing it to india( if the company pays for relocations nothing like it) but weigh the pros and cons of the cost, the use, and expiry in case of your cosmetics, cleaners and things. all of us have preferences and now i have weaned off from looking for things from abroad.. just my pov..
ILites, Thank you so much for the amazing response. this really helped...I'll be setting down in Chennai .... so i guess i'll not get the boots/jackets etc.... Thanks for the different perspective and sharing your experiences... Probably i'll focus more on kitchen electrics,dinning sets....and maybe kids clothes and sneakers...and maybe few cosmetics for initial days ....
