The Cost of Moving Overseas in 2023

Up until recent years the cost of moving overseas and relocating was quite predictable and settled.

This meant that it was easy to obtain a price for your overseas removal in advance of the actual move and you could feel quite comfortable in the knowledge that prices would not alter too much in the coming months. This was great, as it enabled people to budget and helped them to manage and plan their finances if they needed an international removal service because of an overseas relocation. However, the past two or three years has been anything other than settled.

Here Greens Removals, who offer high-quality, competitively priced international household removals, outline some of the challenges faced by the internationals removals industry over the past three years.

The Effect of COVID

Put simply, COVID turned our world upside down and also resulted in turmoil in the shipping world, with costs and prices going through the roof with services becoming very unpredictable and unreliable.

Often the industry experienced delays around the world with shipping containers stuck at ports or on ships that could not get into ports to unload – which caused further delays in their schedules – and all of this added enormous operational costs.

The Shortage of HGV Drivers

We also have seen a well-documented problem with a shortage of HGV drivers, so containers have been very difficult to move around once they were offloaded from their ship and had been cleared by Customs. The UK has been hit hard by this and import containers were also affected with delayed, late, and often cancelled haulage, sometimes on the day of delivery. Again, all of these factors added unexpected and not-budgeted-for costs.

The Rising Costs for Customers

These direct problems and their knock-on effect result in extra costs being incurred which must be paid for. Contractually, this is often by the end users of the services – in this case the person or family moving their worldly possessions to the country they are moving to.

More recently we have seen economic problems, not just in the UK but worldwide. This has also seen increased costs and it continues to bite further as inflation continues to rise.

As we start a new year (2023) the signs are that some of these pressures and problems may be starting to ease on the shipping side, but they have not all completely disappeared.

Use a Reputable International Removals Company

Taking everything into account it is wise, therefore, if you are moving overseas and shipping your belongings in 2023 that you ensure you use a reputable international removals company, like Greens Removals, to ensure the move is managed in the best possible way. We will also try to minimise any additional costs and always look after your best interests operationally and financially.

Of course, increases in costs are unpredictable, but once you have a mover booked to move you it is important that they won't take advantage and hit you with additional costs that aren't actually valid. Make sure you only move with a reputable, accredited, international removal company and do your research and due diligence to help you make the right decision on who to use.

International Household Removals with Greens Removals

For more information on Greens’ international removal services and how we will look after you and your possessions during your removal please click here.  We can help with domestic and commercial moves to Germany, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia and many other European and worldwide destinations.  

Greens is an accredited international removals company with membership of The British Association of Removers (BAR), the BAR Overseas Group, Movers Trading Club (MTC,) and The International Association of Movers (IAM). For more details of these organisations, check out our previous blog here.