International sofa options

I am originally from the US but will be moving to Germany in the near future. I would like to buy a high quality sofa and it seems that I have two main options:

(1) Purchase a quality European brand in Europe. Do you have any suggestions for brands which are equivalent in quality to the brands discussed on this site? A quick search didn't yield anything interesting and I couldn't seem to find a foreign form like this one. In general, furniture is more expensive in Europe than America (especially with the current exchange rate) so I would expect that I have to pay a bit more to get the equivalent quality.

(2) Purchase an American sofa and have it sent to Europe. Shipping and import taxes (up to 25%) would add a considerable amount to the price. Duane, on your website it says you ship internationally. If you have shipped to Europe, is there any info you could share about how the process went.

Thanks,

Pat

Its pricey to ship to Europe, I've done it using ocean line services out of Baltimore to Italy, England, France and Japan. I don't think I would do it as a cost-savings move however. Mostly its for customers who want a specific item they cannot course overseas, and they have all had deep pockets to pay the freight and custom charges. I would probably opt for buying in Europe if you just need a general piece and not something specific from the USA. I really don't know the prices on the other side of the pond, nor any of the brands.

There are about 300 spammers to this forum that would LOVE to direct you as to what to buy once you get there, however....<G>