International removal quotes: declared value, packing, access, timing and storage
Two quotes showing the same total can carry radically different commitments. The price is the most read line and the least decisive: what counts on the day of a breakage, a delay or an impossible access lies in five other lines. This dossier reviews them, in the order in which they decide.
By Jean Mascla, founder of Home SelectUpdated · 5 min read
The declaration of value, and its hidden ceiling
The quote states the price. The declaration of value states what the carrier will owe you if everything disappears. These are two distinct figures, and only the second protects you.
The genuinely misleading line, however, is not the overall amount: it is the per-item ceiling. A comfortable overall declaration of value can come with a low individual ceiling, which will never cover the one piece you cared about. Valuable items are declared by name, on a list attached to the contract.
Calibrate that amount on real value, neither above nor below. It raises the price, and rightly so: it raises the commitment on the other side.
The packing formula, and who packs what
An item packed by you is almost never covered by the carrier, who does not answer for packing they did not do. It is logical, and it is rarely explained.
The trade-off is therefore made item by item, not across the whole move. Full packing for what is fragile, old or irreplaceable; plain carriage for the rest. Saving on the packing of inherited crockery is not a saving, it is a transfer of risk.
Hence a simple rule: never get a quote without a technical survey, on site or by video call. A phone estimate produces a quote that does not hold, at both ends of the journey. And since the price is computed by volume, sorting is done before the survey and not after: sorting once the quote is signed does not lower the bill.
The lead time, and its nature
A firm date and an indicative range do not commit in the same way, and the quote rarely says which of the two it offers. In shared sea freight, the arrival date depends on the container filling: it is indicative by construction, and no undertaking in the quote will make it firm. That is the heart of the choice between a shared load and a full container, which decides the timing far more than the price.
Ask the question explicitly, and note the answer. It decides what you carry as accompanied baggage to live on during the transit.
Pyla-sur-Mer, Sud-Ouest
Storage, and who insures during that time
A last line, often absent: what happens if the home is not ready on arrival? Who charges for storage, from what day, and above all who insures the goods during that period?
The answer varies from one carrier to another, and it is not improvised on the day the container lands before you do.
Delivery day
The quote has done its work; what follows depends on one gesture. Reservations are written on the delivery document, they must be precise to count, and they are confirmed by registered letter within ten days. What that formality requires exactly deserves to be known before the truck arrives, not during.
What Home Select organises for your move
Settling in is prepared during the search: the date of the deed sets that of the delivery, and the contracts are opened before the arrival. Your Home Select property finder keeps that calendar with you, from the preliminary contract to the first night.
We introduce the international remover, the tradespeople of the fit-out and the concierge service that receives deliveries and prepares the house. Transport, customs and works are theirs, under their responsibility: our role is that you arrive in a house that is ready.
Frequently asked questions
Is the declaration of value enough to be compensated?
It sets the overall ceiling, but the decisive line is elsewhere: the per-item ceiling. A comfortable overall declaration of value can come with a low individual ceiling, which will never cover the one piece you cared about. Valuable items are declared by name on an attached list, otherwise they are covered at the common ceiling and not at their worth.
Can you pack yourself to save money?
Yes, and it lowers the bill, but you should know what you are trading: an item packed by you is almost never covered by the carrier, who does not answer for packing they did not do. The trade-off is made item by item, not in bulk: full packing for the items that deserve it, plain carriage for the rest.
Why is a quote without a technical survey a problem?
Because the most underestimated item in a move is not volume but access: no lift, a narrow street, carrying distance, a hoist required. What was not seen will be charged extra on collection day, when it is too late to compare. The survey is done on site or by video call, never on a phone estimate.
What is the per-item cap in a declaration of value?
The quote states the price. The declaration of value states what the carrier will owe you if everything disappears. These are two distinct figures, and only the second protects you. The genuinely misleading line, however, is not the overall amount: it is the per-item ceiling. A comfortable overall declaration of value can come with a low individual ceiling, which will never cover the one piece you cared about. Valuable items are declared by name, on a list attached to the contract.
Is the timing of an international removal a commitment?
A firm date and an indicative range do not commit in the same way, and the quote rarely says which of the two it offers. In shared sea freight, the arrival date depends on the container filling: it is indicative by construction, and no undertaking in the quote will make it firm. That is the heart of the choice between a shared load and a full container, which decides the timing far more than the price.
Who insures stored belongings if the home is not ready?
A last line, often absent: what happens if the home is not ready on arrival? Who charges for storage, from what day, and above all who insures the goods during that period? The answer varies from one carrier to another, and it is not improvised on the day the container lands before you do.
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