Domestic, international and commercial removals explained
Not every move is the same job, and the three main types are priced on different information. Knowing which one you are asking about is the difference between quotes you can compare and quotes you cannot.
Domestic removals
A home move within the UK. The quote is driven by how much there is to move, how easy the access is at both ends, how far it is going, and which extras you want. Volume tracks bedrooms, access tracks floors and parking, and almost all of it resolves into crew hours. Our guide to how much removals cost goes through what each line on that bill is paying for.
If you are moving in or out of London, the parking and emissions charges are a separate exercise with their own deadlines, covered in our guide to moving house in London.
International removals
Moving a home overseas. Alongside the property details, a firm needs the destination country, the method you want, and your timescale. The method is the decision that moves the price most.
Sea freight, and the container question
The cheaper route, and the slower one. The choice inside it is between a container to yourself and a shared one.
A full container is yours alone. Nothing else travels in it, it sails when your booking says it sails, and it is the right answer for a whole house.
Groupage, sometimes called a shared or part container, means your belongings travel with other people’s. It costs less because you are paying for the space you use rather than the whole box. The trade-off is time: a shared container generally ships when it is full, so the departure date is less certain, and consolidation at both ends adds handling.
Air freight
Faster, dearer, and priced on weight and volume rather than floor space. It earns its cost for a small, urgent shipment, for somewhere sea freight does not sensibly reach, or for the things you need in the first fortnight while the rest of the house is at sea. Plenty of people use both: a small air shipment to live out of, and a sea shipment behind it.
The customs part people forget
If you are moving to the UK from outside it, you may be able to bring your belongings in without paying import duty under transfer of residence relief.
The part that catches people is the timing: you have to apply to HMRC and get approval before your goods are shipped, using a ToR1 application, and you are given a reference number to quote on the import declaration. Sorting it after the container has sailed is a much worse position than sorting it before.
Moving the other way, the rules belong to the destination country rather than to the UK, and they vary enormously. A remover that handles that route regularly will know them; one that does not will tell you it is your problem, which is a useful thing to find out early.
What to check on an international quote
- whether it is door to door or door to port, which is the single biggest source of surprise costs at the far end
- who handles customs clearance and whose name is on the declaration
- what the insurance covers in transit and in storage, and the limit per item
- how long the quoted transit time is, and what happens if it slips
- whether destination charges, quarantine or port fees are included or billed separately when your goods land
Commercial removals
Relocating a business or an office. These are priced on a different set of facts again: floor area rather than bedrooms, headcount, lift and loading access, whether IT and server equipment needs specialist handling, and whether the work has to happen out of hours or over a weekend so the business keeps running.
Downtime is usually the real cost, so the plan matters as much as the price. A commercial quote should say who is responsible for disconnecting and reconnecting equipment, how the move is sequenced, and what happens if it overruns into a working day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an international move quoted without a firm date?
Yes, and you should, because the quote tells you what the options cost before you commit to one. Sea freight bookings firm up closer to the date; what you want early is the comparison between methods.
Is groupage worth the saving?
For a flat or a partial household, often. For a full house where you need the contents by a known date, a full container usually wins once you price the gap between arrival dates.
How do I compare three international quotes that look nothing alike?
Make them quote the same scope: same inventory, same method, same door-to-door or door-to-port basis. Our guide to how to compare removal quotes covers how to hold firms to the same brief, and when you have one written down you can compare quotes from removal companies on it.