Start with the right assessment
An inventory-led assessment starts with your item list, quantities and details of unusual pieces. Video or in-person assessment may be useful when there is more to inspect, subject to availability. Explain access as well as contents: a complete furniture list does not reveal narrow stairs or limited parking.
For a few items, use the quote form’s inventory picker. For a household, include cupboards, garages, outdoor areas and belongings held elsewhere in the assessment. Identify anything you have not decided to take so it can be treated as a separate option.
The records to keep at each handoff
Keep an agreed record of the inventory, scope and timing as the move progresses. The table pairs each stage with your action and the information to confirm.
| Stage | Your useful action | What to have clear |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Enquiry | Provide locations, dates and shipment size | The details needed for assessment |
| 2. Assessment | Confirm inventory, packing and access | The volume basis and unresolved items |
| 3. Quotation | Review scope and ask about exclusions | Price basis, validity, assumptions and optional work |
| 4. Booking | Confirm the agreed plan and dates | Booking confirmation and any conditions |
| 5. Packing and collection | Separate essentials and check the inventory | Collected items, condition records and contact details |
| 6. Transport | Stay available for requests and updates | Estimated milestones and who communicates changes |
| 7. Destination preparation | Provide requested documents and receiving details | Release requirements, access and any storage decision |
| 8. Delivery | Check received items and record concerns promptly | Delivery record and the process for reporting an issue |
Separate the dates that matter
Your collection date, international departure, arrival and final delivery are different milestones. Ask which milestone a transit estimate describes. An arrival estimate does not itself confirm that goods have been released and a delivery appointment has been arranged.
Tell us when you leave your current home, when you travel and when someone can receive your belongings. If these dates do not align, discuss essentials travelling separately or storage as appropriate. Changes to a route, consolidation or receiving arrangements can affect the plan.
When your plans change
Adding furniture, changing the delivery address or discovering an access restriction can alter the scope. Share the change before work proceeds and ask for its effect on cost and timing in writing. Keep the updated inventory with the latest quotation rather than relying on an earlier estimate.
Before collection, confirm the contact route for questions at origin and destination. At delivery, keep records of any concerns and follow the reporting requirements in your agreed terms and any applicable protection arrangements.