Have you bought furniture at an auction abroad, and are you looking to have them transported home to the UK or somewhere else in the EU? Then it is crucial to find a carrier with experience in transporting furniture who does not reload your furniture during transit along with a service that guarantees good communication to ensure that pickup and delivery proceed without complications.
There are several auction houses in Europe – from Stockholm to Paris – and it has become quite popular to buy furniture at auctions. With the free movement of goods within the EU, all legal transport barriers between the EU member states have been eliminated, allowing you to buy furniture from an auction house in one EU country and have them transported to another EU country without having to worry about customs registration, customs clearance and related paperwork.
Packing requirements for furniture bought at auction?
Transporteca does not require your goods to be packed on pallets, however, we always recommend that your goods are protected one way or the other – for example with cardboard, plastic, bubble wrap or the like to avoid damages to your or other customers’ goods in the van. Although we only use experienced drivers to transport our customers’ furniture, we cannot fully hedge against accidents.
It varies from auction house to auction house if and how they prepare and pack the furniture for transport. Therefore, it is your responsibility to contact the specific auction house and make sure that they pack your furniture securely for transport.
Finally, it is important that you check with the auction house if they have any special requirements or formalia in regard to collection, and if that is the case let Transporteca know when you confirm your booking. This secures a successful pickup.
Transit time: How long does the transport take?
The delivery time will vary and depends on multiple factors, for instance how the particular route is scheduled and how many stops are on the way. Transporteca’s “Direct Van” service runs according to a route that is scheduled from trip to trip. Therefore, the delivery time will depend on when your furniture is ready for pickup in relation to the current route and how far your furniture needs to be transported.
Transportca’s vans drive a ‘round trip’ in Europe approximately every 18 days, and you will receive an expected pickup and delivery date along with your transport quote, after which you can decide if the transport is relevant to your need.
The quick alternative
Some might be tempted to order a courier transport (an express service) as an alternative to the (slightly) longer delivery time, our “Direct Van” service can offer. In case you are one of those people, make sure your furniture is well protected and securely packed. Unfortunately, we often see that furniture and other goods shipped with courier services are damaged during transit. This is due to the fact that the courier companies’ business model is based on several transshipments, where the sorting of goods is handled by machine, which is undoubtedly the most frequent cause of damages.
In addition, you must be aware that the courier companies only accept very small shipments and have special requirements to how your furniture is packed.
Transporteca’s “Direct Van” service accepts shipments of all sizes, and since the car is not reloaded at any time during transit, Transporteca has less strict requirements for preparation and packaging compared to the couriers and traditional carriers.
Transporteca’s drivers have extensive experience in handling auction furniture and furniture in general, and we guarantee that your belongings will be collected and delivered in the same van. This reduces the risk of damages and loss significantly.
Delivery of your furniture bought at auction
Transportca’s “Direct Van” product is a ‘curb-to-curb’ service. In other words, this means that delivery is at street level and that your furniture will not be carried inside. For example, if you live on the 3rd floor, it is your own responsibility to get your furniture up in the apartment and unpacked. For an additional charge, it can be arranged that the driver helps carry your furniture in/up. However, this extra service must be booked and paid in advance so it can be taken into account when planning the respective schedule.
Delivery time slots
It can be very challenging to give an exact time for delivery several weeks ahead of a specific transport. This is due to the fact that there are many factors that the driver does not have any influence over, which can lead to shifts in the timetable:
- Traffic congestion on the motorways
- A punctured tire
- Road accidents
- Last minute bookings or cancellations, which mean more og less stop on the route
- Customers that are not home on the agreed time
The above suggestions are only a few of the many factors that can lead to changes in the time schedule. However, at Transporteca we always make sure to include some extra time in the timetable to avoid significant changes in regard to the expected delivery date and time slot you receive with your transport quote.
We do our best to communicate the delivery time as soon as possible in order for our customers to be able to plan their day accordingly. With that said, we would greatly appreciate it if our customers are flexible and willing to allow some extra time on the day of delivery, as this gives our driver the best conditions to succeed with all the respective deliveries.
In case of any changes occurring in the driver’s timetable, we will contact you immediately and follow up with your updated delivery time slot.
Transport prices
When you need to have your furniture bought at auction transported home, you can save money by arranging the transport yourself, rather than letting the auction house or a moving company handle it for you. The transport price depends on the following four factors:
- Volume: How much space your furniture takes up in the van
- Weight: How much your furniture weighs
- Distance: How far your furniture needs to be transported
- How far the pickup and delivery addresses are located from the ‘standard route’
When you make your transport request on Transporteca’s website, you will either get the price directly on the screen or alternatively in an email within one business day.
Price examples of transport of furniture purchased at international auction houses
Six dining chairs (3,6 m3) from an auction house in Paris to London (287 miles) – GBP 471 incl. VAT
A three-seater sofa (1,2 m3) from an auction house in Stockholm to Cambridge (1.137 miles) – GBP 356 incl. VAT
A painting (0,1 m3) from an auction house in Milan to Nottingham (939 miles) – GBP 152 incl. VAT
Do you need transport of your furniture bought at auction to the UK? Find quotes here.
Transport insurance or not?
When you book the transport of your furniture bought at auction on Transporteca, you have the option of adding a transport insurance. A transport insurance entitles you to compensation should you end up in the unfortunate – yet very rare – situation where your furniture is damaged or lost during transit.
Transporteca offers a transport insurance with First Marine, which has extensive experience in the transport industry and is also very competent and efficient in their handling of insurance claims. If you do not wish to purchase a transport insurance, you should be aware that you will not be entitled to a full replacement of your furniture bought at auction in the unfortunate event anything happens to your goods.
The reason is that all carriers as a rule function with limited liability. In practise, this means that carriers are only obliged to replace approximately GBP 8.5 pr. kg. in case of damage to or loss of your furniture. With this in mind, it will often make sense to purchase a transport insurance if your furniture has been expensive, and in this way secure the best possible coverage.
The price for insurance depends on the total value of your furniture as well as the transport costs and is calculated directly at checkout when you book your transport.
For more information, read our post on transport insurance.
Transporteca’s “Direct Van” service for furniture bought at auction
In many ways Transporteca’s “Direct Van” service is a ‘do-it-yourself’ solution and thus not a professional moving service as provided by traditional moving companies. Transporteca is a freight forwarding company with its own vehicles that transport goods across the EU. The route is determined by the transport bookings we receive and is updated continuously.
When we write that it is a ‘do-it-yourself’ solution, it refers to the fact that it is your responsibility to pack your goods securely for transport, and also that the transport as a rule is from ‘curb-to-curb’. Because you are responsible for preparing and carrying your goods in/out and up/down Transporteca can offer a cheap alternative to the traditional moving companies.
With Transporteca’s “Direct Van” service we guarantee no reloading of your goods. Your furniture will be collected and delivered by the same van, which reduces the risk of damages and loss that we often see with courier shipments. For this reason, Transporteca’s “Direct Van” service is a particularly good solution for furniture bought at auction.
It is not an express service. This also means that the delivery time will be longer than it is for courier services and regular road transport. On the other hand, both couriers and traditional carriers have strict requirements for packing (eg on pallets) as the goods are typically reloaded several times during transit.
We transport almost all items – both for private customers and businesses – whether you are looking to transport furniture bought at auction, motorcycles, any household effects, building materials, headstones, wedding dresses, electronics, suitcases, car parts, we can help – as long as it fits in the van.
To learn more about the product and process, we refer to the following page for a detailed introduction to our “Direct Van” service. Happy reading.
Book your furniture transport with Transporteca: This is how it works
Visit our site for transport of furniture bought at auction for a non-binding quote. Simply add the address of the auction house as well as the address for delivery. In addition, specify the dimensions and weight of the furniture you need collected and transported. You are more than welcome to look up transport quotes even before you buy your furniture. Transporteca’s quotes are available to all and always non-binding, and the transport will only be set in motion once you have confirmed and paid – all online.
If you have any questions regarding transport of furniture bought at auction, please contact us by phone, mail or chat – our customer support team is ready to help.