An exchange? Moving furniture to Finland from UK

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chaDirector
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2018 8:37 am

An exchange? Moving furniture to Finland from UK

Post by chaDirector » Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:14 pm

Hi all,

I will be moving the contents of my 1bd London apartment to Finland (Oulu) this summer – at some point in July or August. I have been trying to price out the various options for the move: a shipping/moving company, renting a van one-way, buying outright a car with a trailer...none of which seem particularly affordable to me.

So I wondered if there might be anyone out there on the forum who is over the next months doing the opposite move: moving house from Finland to the UK, who would be interested in splitting the cost of a large van rental that we could each drive one of the directions. One way rentals (particularly with vans) are prohibitively expensive, so the most affordable thing seems to be renting in one country and returning in the same country. We could either hire/return in the UK or in Finland - whichever makes the most sense.

From what I’ve read so far, the DFDS freight ferry from Immingham to Gothenburg seems a plausable way to avoid the Holland-Germany-Denmark-Øresund bridge quagmire of tolls and bridge fees. After that, it’s a drive to Stockholm and then the ferry to Helsinki.

But Id be happy to hear anyone’s thoughts on the best and most affordable route for moving things from the UK to Finland.

Thanks!



An exchange? Moving furniture to Finland from UK

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Tiina_Finn23
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:35 pm

Re: An exchange? Moving furniture to Finland from UK

Post by Tiina_Finn23 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 3:54 pm

Is it even possible to do that with a rental car in terms of insurance/liability?

And have you seriously considered selling/getting rid of everything and starting again here? IKEA is very reasonable if money is tight and you can hire IKEA vans on site or get delivery.

You can ship boxes fairly cheap from UK to Finland. I shipped 5 x 25kg boxes with DPD for approx 30 pounds each. Items included jackets, shoes, kitchen ware, photo albums, special books etc.

I decided to do the long drive through Europe with two ferries included but only because I have dogs and didn't want to put them on a flight. In hindsight I think I should've just put them on the flight. The drive was horrendous and long and expensive (the petrol alone). It would've been much quicker and mich cheaper to stick us all on a direct flight.

It was stressful with weather conditions, traffic, making time for ferries, making time for accommodation check ins and worrying about the car breaking down in the middle of nowhere (even with breakdown cover).

I sold nearly everything I owned via Gumtree at well below their worth, packed my dogs and a few bags in my little car and shipped a few boxes to arrive at a friend's house in Finland. If you don't have the option to send things in advance you could ask someone to send these on once you have left or have arrived?

If I could go back I would've just got on a flight with several bags in the hold and been happy with what I shipped. A new mattress, sofa, and TV didn't set me back a lot financially and I think my home looks amazing without so much stuff inside it. I'm quite enjoying building my home from scratch and it's funny how little you really need. I realise my old furniture wouldn't have even suited my new Finnish home.

I can understand for some this isn't feasible but just wanted to add my experience to make sure you REALLY need those things with you.

Otherwise, the Immingham to Gothenburg route sounds like the optimal one. But that's quite pricey and then you have to add on buying a vehicle on top of that. Either way, good luck with your move!

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wolf80
Posts: 474
Joined: Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:43 pm
Location: Helsinki

Re: An exchange? Moving furniture to Finland from UK

Post by wolf80 » Tue Apr 03, 2018 5:21 pm

chaDirector wrote:
Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:14 pm
Hi all,

I will be moving the contents of my 1bd London apartment to Finland (Oulu) this summer – at some point in July or August. I have been trying to price out the various options for the move: a shipping/moving company, renting a van one-way, buying outright a car with a trailer...none of which seem particularly affordable to me.

So I wondered if there might be anyone out there on the forum who is over the next months doing the opposite move: moving house from Finland to the UK, who would be interested in splitting the cost of a large van rental that we could each drive one of the directions. One way rentals (particularly with vans) are prohibitively expensive, so the most affordable thing seems to be renting in one country and returning in the same country. We could either hire/return in the UK or in Finland - whichever makes the most sense.

From what I’ve read so far, the DFDS freight ferry from Immingham to Gothenburg seems a plausable way to avoid the Holland-Germany-Denmark-Øresund bridge quagmire of tolls and bridge fees. After that, it’s a drive to Stockholm and then the ferry to Helsinki.

But Id be happy to hear anyone’s thoughts on the best and most affordable route for moving things from the UK to Finland.

Thanks!
I would agree with Tiina_finn23 here. It's easier and cheaper leaving most of your things behind in Britain and rather use the money to start fresh in Finland.

A professional shipping company will be very expensive and only makes sense if you have very expensive furniture that you wanna take with you, in general a lot of stuff, or do not care about money.

Trying to haul all the furniture to Finland will only cause you an immense lot of trouble and stress. And be rather expensive. Tiina_finn23 pointed it out, driving through Europe is no piece of cake, especially in a van. Rental companies will charge you a huge fee if you wanna take a vehicle abroad, and considering the kilometers and days you need to drive to Finland (and back) you are looking at a very high bill. (Don't even think about taking a rental vehicle abroad without telling the company - basically you are driving without insurance and are screwed in case of an accident. So will be any person you cause harm to - no insurance will pay. In case somebody ends up in a wheelchair or worse that can be a total disaster!)

1. Sell your stuff. All the furniture. All the kitchen glassware, plates, other things that break easily. Most decorative items, lamps, carpets, etc.

2. Pack up your personal belongings, memorabilia, maybe a few books and DVDs that you like, into neat packages and have them shipped to an address in Oulu. If you have no address in Oulu yet then arrange transport for later, friends and relatives might be able to help. I used ecoparcel.eu to ship bigger packages. They are a bit rough, but cheap. Choose the better insurance, and document what you pack into the packages.

3. Pack your clothes and everything you will need immediately upon arrival into two suitcases and hop on a nice Finnair flight. Have a beer and enjoy the flight.

4. Find a place to live in Oulu. Have your packages sent to you.

5. Use the money you got for your things in Britain to buy new furniture. Ikea will help. Also, Finland has a vibrant second-hand culture. There are second-hand stores like Kontti (Red Cross), Kierrätyskeskus (city-owned second hand) and others to buy furniture, plates, glassware and everything else you need. Also huuto.net (online ads) is helpful, but be careful if you have to pay up front. Also a good place for used electronics, which tend to be rather reasonably priced normally.

You might think that you like your stuff and do not want to let it go. As somebody who moved countries several times I can tell you - there are very few items that you will actually miss, most things you won't remember you ever had after just a few weeks. I downsized my books and DVD collection to the few books and movies I really like. I only take kitchen tools with me (as they are small but expensive, and I simply like the ones I have) and a favorite pan and pot, but nothing that breaks, is heavy and/or big. I furnished my first appartment in Helsinki for around 500 Euro, mostly second hand but bed and mattress from IKEA. Got nice kitchen equipment for little money. Got a used giant flatscreen tv for 60 Euro. It's rather easy, and it's also fun to pick out new things when you start a new life abroad.

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zetorpilot
Posts: 165
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:03 pm

Re: An exchange? Moving furniture to Finland from UK

Post by zetorpilot » Tue Apr 03, 2018 7:29 pm

Don't rule out the removal companies. There are companies in Finland that specialise in European and UK work. Remember that Finland is an exotic destination for UK firms, they might not be able to organise other cargo in either direction which would inevitably be reflected in the price. But for a company based in Finland, (at least speaking for the one I work for) the UK is a very frequent destination and the truck or combination is generally full in both directions.

A small job like the contents of a one bedroom apartment could go along with several other moves and need not be particularly expensive.

I've personally done scores of small, medium and large moves between Finland and the UK in the last 7 years, as have my colleagues who have been doing it for a lot longer. There are obviously therefore many many people who find a professional service to be a viable, cost effective option.


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