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Original poster

Moving - packing service?

58 replies

Dreamingofthishouse · 02/06/2023 21:18

Just wondering what thoughts were on using a full packing service? Have a very busy time ahead work wise and we are still
unsure of completion date so looks like myself or partner could be away with work around the moving period making hard to pack a house it’s small children and no help!. Considering getting some quotes for a packing service, not sure what to expect to pay for this in addition to removals, any advice?

OP posts:

Furries · 03/06/2023 02:16

I know I’m repeating what others have said, but I will chip in anyway!

100% yes - definitely worth it. I don’t plan on moving again, but if I did then I would definitely pay for packing.

Moving is bloody stressful. The removal guys know what they’re doing, they do it everyday. It gave me time to focus on doing a quick hoover before I left and, most importantly, to make sure the animals were ok.

Had already done a decluttering in the weeks before the move, but not having to pack was brilliant.

I did print out floor plans of the old and new houses. I just numbered rooms accordingly so that boxes would find their way to their new location fairly easily.

OhWifey · 03/06/2023 07:39

To give you a sense of how much stress it avoids...I asked our removal guy when he came to quote, what the house needed to look like when they arrived. He said 'exactly as it looks now; you can still be having your breakfast if you like'. Then on the day of moving I asked where I would be most useful and their answer was 'in the pub, enjoying yourself'. So off we scuttled and came back to an empty house. I did forget to isolate the kettle though. That was a very bad mistake.

OhWifey · 03/06/2023 07:41

Oh and I did leave them copious amounts of drinks, chocolate and snacks which they absolutely demolished

Upanddownthemerrygoround · 03/06/2023 07:45

Yes, no need to do anything before you move whatsoever, apart from declutter.

if you usually take shoes off when you go into the house, don’t. //pointed stare at DH, who realised at 7pm the night before moving day that he had no footwear//

lemonyellows · 03/06/2023 14:23

Did you pack your clothes? Just would feel weird someone going through our drawers 😂

hettiethehare · 03/06/2023 15:00

Kids clothes, our packers/ movers just took drawers out and taped up their (small) wardrobes.

We actually ended up packing our own clothes, but that was more because we needed to dismantle our knackered old Ikea pax we weren't taking with us and take it to the tip before we moved, rather than any squeamishness at the movers seeing my pants.

RidingMyBike · 03/06/2023 15:12

I wouldn't move without a packing service! It makes it so much easier and removes so much hassle and stress.

The removal people are experts at packing quickly and well. They'll have boxes that are the right size and shape to slot in efficiently together. They whizz through a house packing at speed. Much much faster than we could do it.

But definitely declutter first as there's nothing more annoying than getting it packed and moved then getting rid of stuff!

SpeckledlyHen · 03/06/2023 15:15

To echo others.. yes yes yes. I moved twice in 10months (sold house, had to rent, bought new house and moved) and both times used a packing service. From memory it was about £300 extra and the best money I ever spent. The first move was from my ‘forever’ home and we moved due to very noisy neighbours. I bloody loved the house but nearly had a breakdown due to noise. I really didn’t want to move and was a bit traumatised. I couldn’t get involved in the packing, I just sat drinking tea in the kitchen and chatting to the lovely man who packed my kitchen.

The next I moved I was a bit more proactive but honestly they’re much better and quicker than you or I so I just let them get on with it. Had nothing broken or missing either time.

RidingMyBike · 03/06/2023 15:18

But do think about what you need out for the last night - ours packed the tea towel that was in use, and a pile of recycling!

Also narrowly avoided having our shoes packed and a set of keys!

SpeckledlyHen · 03/06/2023 15:20

One more thing to add… you will be left with a mountain of moving boxes. I flattened them out when I finished emptying them (so did it as I went along) and when finished put them on FB market place for free. Both times they were snapped up in hours. Again this saves loads of aggro getting rid of them.

hettiethehare · 03/06/2023 15:47

SpeckledlyHen · 03/06/2023 15:20

Our movers came back for ours in two goes - once after the initial unpack, and once a couple of months later when we had had built in storage put in and we could unpack the rest of the boxes!

We did have two sets of people knock on the door when we left them out for the movers asking if they could have them though!

Original poster

Dreamingofthishouse · 04/06/2023 07:21

Loving the enthusiasm for the packing service on this thread, taking all tips on board and will let you know how much the quotes are!

OP posts:

Persipan · 04/06/2023 07:47

Once you go pack you won't go back! I think I paid about £1k (I have STUFF) and I would never want to move without packers again, they were brilliant.

AmandaHoldensLips · 04/06/2023 08:01

Absolutely do it.

I would never consider moving without a packing & unpacking service. These people really know what they're doing and it's worth every penny.

HouseIsOnFire · 04/06/2023 08:41

@Dreamingofthishouse I did and it was amazing, would definitely do it again but be very thorough on the contents form and don't take short cuts, i.e:

I had 2 small plants pots, a medium and a lge: put 4 pots vale £120 - the large one broke and I was reimbursed £40 despite having receipts showing it was £70

I also put a bulk £1000 in for decorative vaes and bowls, a bowl broke and was only allowed to claim £50 as a single item when it was worth 200

Both absolutely my fault, make sure you don't make my mistakes and spend a decent amount of time inventory-ing!

AmandaHoldensLips · 04/06/2023 14:00

When I was moving I seem to recall more than a few threads about people who had been in total denial about the logistics of packing up a house. Like the family who arrived only to find that the vendors hadn't even started packing up, and another who was attempting to move from a 3 bedroom house using only their car.

Gottoloveatakeaway · 04/06/2023 14:24

Absolutely have packing, it's fab, makes life so much easier. Agree re sorting as much as possible in advance. Bedtvthing is you live normal life with access to all your stuff until day before you move. We'll worth additional cost

WeAreTheHeroes · 04/06/2023 14:30

To echo everyone else: best thing ever and totally worth the relatively small additional cost. They know what they are doing and how best to do it too. I had an area we put things in we didn't want them to pack which then went in our cars and there was a box of instruction manuals, etc which we left for the new owners.

OnTheBoardwalk · 04/06/2023 20:21

Interesting thread

the thought of moving and packing is the thing, well apart from house prices, that really puts me off

good to hear how easy it is and not as expensive as I thought. I thought it would be mega bucks

RidingMyBike · 04/06/2023 22:53

It cost about 10% of our total move cost. So the whole thing was about £4k of which about £400 was for packing.

Original poster

Dreamingofthishouse · 04/06/2023 23:16

The prices quoted here are genuinely a shock , was expecting much more! Have emailed for a few quotes so will keep you posted. Decision made regardless of the cost haha

OP posts:

Smartiepants79 · 04/06/2023 23:19

We last moved about 6 years ago.
The packing was less than £400 extra and it was the best money we spent.
All done in less than 2 days!
If you’re working and have a kids it’s worth every penny.

InsertUsernameHere · 05/06/2023 07:45

Agree with everyone else - the additional price for packing on top of removal is surprisingly small - (given the cost of everything involved in moving house). I think partly because it makes the job of the removers so much easier for them. No over filled, extra heavy boxes, and it means they can be confident in timescales as they are in control. It’s a win-win.

Anyfeckinusername · 05/06/2023 12:26

I'm moving in august and have been pondering the same - I'm very happy now too as this sounds like an absolute life saver! I'm also wondering about the trampoline 🤣

EmmaGrundyForPM · 05/06/2023 14:12

We've used packers every time we moved.

Worth their weight in gold

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