Removal options.

[lamprey42]

Moving to Canada from Ireland in 2016. Probably looking at taking most stuff with us so ~20ft container. I'm getting quotes but they vary wildly - we have a removal allowance but it won't cover all costs so obviously keen to get as cheap as possible. Just wondering what bits we will be able to manage ourselves as the cheaper quotes don't include much.
Did anyone pack themselves and was it too much hassle? What about doing customs clearance yourself? Anything else I should think about?

[GreenSand]

I don't know what Canadian Customs paperwork is like, but I'd be very wary of completing your own paperwork. A single mistake can, for some countries, result in long hold ups, with you paying the customs holding (demurrage) fee.

I have packed for a UK local move, and it wasn't too bad, but anything fragile wasn't covered for breakage unless the external box was visibly damaged, so consider how fragile things are.

We paid (we given no choice, weren't allowed to pack) for packing. The guys were amazing. No furniture, but toys, bedding, clothes, some kitchen stuff and some paperwork/books.

They turned up early, so I was still taking the boys bikes apart, turned my back, and they'd taken the wheel off for me. We flew 30 boxes, packed and unpacked by them, for £100/box roughly. Excellent value afaic.

There is A LOT to do when relocating (made harder for me by the fact DH had gone on ahead). I'm very glad packing wasn't on my to do list. I had a morning nap most days for the first 2-3 weeks after getting to our new country.


Don't forget to factor in vast quantities of bubble wrap, packing paper and boxes if you DIY.

[swisscheesetony]

When making a European move my quotes ranged from 1200 to 10000! I looked at the costs and couldn't have done it myself for 1200 so ruled them out immediately!

In the end I went with a big experienced company which was about 4k and they delivered boxes/wrap in advance.

Beware of 20 foot... Ours didn't fit and we had to leave stuff behind and I didn't think we had that much!