It depends on how long you’ll be away and what the furniture is worth to you. For a move of a year or two, or if you’re not sure you’ll stay, storing your furniture in the UK is often simpler than shipping it out and back. For a permanent move, ship the pieces you love, sell or give away what’s easy to replace, and store only what you’ll want when you come back.
What decides it
- How long you’re going. Storage costs add up month by month, while shipping is mostly a one-off cost each way. A short stay favours storage; a permanent move favours shipping or selling.
- Whether you’re coming back. If there’s a good chance you’ll return, storing means your home is waiting for you, with no second shipment to arrange.
- Whether it suits your new home. Furniture that’s the wrong size, style or voltage for your new country may not be worth shipping at all.
- What it would cost to replace. Cheap flat-pack furniture is often better sold. Good-quality, sentimental or hard-to-replace pieces are worth keeping, either shipped or stored.
Shipping costs depend on volume, distance and the destination’s import rules, so get written quotes from removals firms that handle international moves, and ask what’s included.
A piece-by-piece approach
- Ship what you’ll use straight away and love most.
- Store what you’ll want if you come back, and things you’re not ready to decide on.
- Sell or give away what’s easy to replace.
Storing with us while you’re abroad
- Manage it from anywhere. Payments are taken automatically by card or Direct Debit every four weeks, and we email your invoice 5 to 7 days before each one.
- Someone at home can help. Share access with a relative or friend, so they can collect or check on things while you’re away.
- No long contract. After the two-week minimum, your storage carries on until you give notice, normally 14 days.
- Kept safe. Every unit has its own alarm, and our sites are watched by CCTV monitored around the clock.
Pack for a long stay: everything clean and completely dry, furniture taken apart where possible, and breathable covers rather than sealed plastic.
To get a price for the space you need, get a price online, or call us on 0800 2545585.
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