Shifting is not an activity that should be taken lightly. Remember, it takes a lifetime to build a home, but all that can go up in smoke due to one bad moving experience.

It is for this reason that modern Ugandans are opting to engage professional movers to help them ease the load (pun intended) of moving house or office.

The shifting experts will do all the laborious work for you and will ensure the safety and success of your relocation adventure – for a price. Which begs the question:

 

How do Professional Movers determine the price to quote for shifting?

 

Any respectable moving company should be able to provide an explanation for all the costs attributed to your move. 

At Nellions™, we usually conduct a free pre-moving survey that helps us identify the items you will be moving. This helps with the planning, as we’re able to compute the Volume of the goods and allocate the resources necessary to execute your move.

When the survey is carried out, we usually focus on several to determine the prices that we quote. Here they are:

 

1. Size of Move / Load Volume

 

The biggest factor when pricing a move is the Volume of your goods. Professional movers use the data collected from the pre-move survey to compute the total Volume of your goods in cubic meters (CBM). The load Volume is always clearly indicated in your quotation.

Naturally, if you are moving a lot of items, your movers will quote a higher price. This is because Volume is the basis for calculating all the resources required to execute the move.

The size of your consignment directly correlates to the manpower deployed for the job, the wrapping materials required, and the size of the truck/container that the movers will use.

 

2. Relocation Distance 

 

The greater the distance between the pick-up and delivery locations, the higher the transportation costs will be – it will take more time and more fuel to transport a shipment over a longer distance. 

If you’re moving a long-enough distance that requires the movers to spend a night (or more) away from home, this has some trickle-down effects too: movers’ per-diems to avail them food and accomodation while on the road. 

3. International and Cross border moving 

 

International and cross-border moves have different considerations compared to inland house moves. For one, shipping and customs fees apply to your consignment. 

Secondly, packing methods and packing materials also vary greatly.

Handling is also done differently. As such, your mover may have to hire a container to ship your goods, and even fabricate wooden crating to ensure maximum safety. 

Other costs are determined by the country of destination. In some countries, for example, insurance is mandatory for your consighment, while in others it is not. 

Some countries also impose levies on all imports which add up to the moving costs. 

 

4. The Complexity of the Job

Any special requirements that necessitate extra steps in packing and handling usually attract higher charges because they either make the moving process slower, riskier, or more difficult. 

Examples of these situations are: 

• when movers have to dismantle complex items for moving: bulk filers, bookshelves, etc
• moving delicate items like antiques and fine art requires special materials to protect them
• moving heavy items like pianos, safes, or pool tables requires materials and tools to avoid damaging the item or its surroundings (flooring, walls, etc)
• long flights of stairs in buildings with no elevators – more manpower is needed
• where the movers have to haul the goods for a long distance between the house and loading vehicle. According to international standards, when a long carry exceeds 30 meters, extra labor should be deployed in order to do the job within the set time.

These are some of the fairly common situations that certainly have an effect on the price that is quoted for your move.

 

5. Timing of your Move 

 This is a demand and supply issue. 

The peak period for shifting (when there is the highest demand) is around the end-month. Certain times of the year also bring increased demand, such as summertime in the Northern Hemisphere (June-August) and the holiday season.

If you intend to move during this time, it is advisable you book your move as early as possible — at least 2 weeks in advance — and lock in the best prices. 

 

6. Packing Materials, Equipment and Machinery

  

When it comes to packing, Nellions™ uses reusable moving crates and moving blankets to transport your items during residential house moving. 

However, international moving effectively negates the use of moving crates, so different packing materials — moving boxes, bubble wrap, and corrugated cardboard — which are left with the client when they arrive at the destination country.

The process of packing for residential shifting is much faster (items are placed in crates which are easily sealable) than international moving (fabrication of boxes from corrugated cardboard, double wrapping, taping, etc), which also contributes to the increased cost of the latter.

In the cases where we are moving heavy machinery, it is sometimes necessary to hire machinery that can handle these loads safely, such as cranes.

 

7. Access

 

If you live on the 8th floor of an apartment building with no elevator, it will require much effort and manpower to move your goods compared to someone on the ground floor. 

Also, if you have narrow doors and hallways, a rigger might be needed to hoist them inside through a window. In this case, you could be assessed a hoisting fee. 

Sometimes the link road to your residence is too narrow for a moving truck to get through and a smaller van is deployed to shuttle the items.

 

8. New Furniture Assembly/Installation

In most cases, if a moving company has to mount or assemble brand new furniture within the course of a move, they charge extra since this is a different service altogether.  

Conclusion

The cost of moving varies from client to client depending on their needs and the goods they’re moving. A lot of factors go into calculating the quoted price, which requires your mover to assess the goods that you are moving beforehand.

Professional movers ensure that the moving quotes they issue provide details on every price point. ask for an explanation from your mover where you don’t understand the reason for any charges.