Cheaper Alternative to Van Hire?

Kayleigh09

I am moving from Birmingham to Glasgow and I need to get minimal belongings up there. I have looked into hiring a van and between the hire and fuel costs it will cost around £500!!! This seems ridiculously expensive to me!

Do any MSer's know of any other cheaper ways that I could get my belongings up there?

Thanks everyone

Bowling_4_Gold

Connect a series of bags with string and take the train?!

Just a quick quote from 'OnlinePallet' suggests sending a pallet up to 180cm high and up to 1000kg in weight costs around £80 from Birmingham to Glasgow on the economy option, or Next Day for £10 more. It may seem a bit silly, but would you be able to fit it all onto a pallet? You are often able to buy fully enclosed pallets (to chuck all your stuff in) cheaply on eBay.

EDIT: Here's a link to a cardboard pallet you can buy on eBay. It is half size, so will cost a bit less to send, but can still hold up to 500kg of stuff. Other Pallet Couriers offer cheaper delivery. OnlinePallet was just the first one to come up in an internet search.

anewman

Try some different van hire companies. I hired a Ford Transit recently and was surprised at how fuel efficient it was. Also do you really need to go to Glasgow and back? You may be able to hire the van in Birmingham and drop it off in Glasgow if that would make it any cheaper. If you can advance book a cheap single train ticket back perhaps?!

globalds

try typing " man with a van" into ebay.

Then drop one or two an email and ask what rates they would do ...

Kayleigh09

anewman wrote: »

Try some different van hire companies. I hired a Ford Transit recently and was surprised at how fuel efficient it was. Also do you really need to go to Glasgow and back? You may be able to hire the van in Birmingham and drop it off in Glasgow if that would make it any cheaper. If you can advance book a cheap single train ticket back perhaps?!

Yes - unfortunately. I do not drive, and as I am moving up there on my own I need someone to give me a hand with all my belongings and they will need to get back somehow! I have looked into that and then them getting a train/flight back from Glasgow and it's just not worth it.

globalds wrote: »

try typing " man with a van" into ebay.

Then drop one or two an email and ask what rates they would do ...

Thanks! Never thought of that, I will give that a go

Bowling_4_Gold wrote: »

Connect a series of bags with string and take the train?!

Just a quick quote from 'OnlinePallet' suggests sending a pallet up to 180cm high and up to 1000kg in weight costs around £80 from Birmingham to Glasgow on the economy option, or Next Day for £10 more. It may seem a bit silly, but would you be able to fit it all onto a pallet? You are often able to buy fully enclosed pallets (to chuck all your stuff in) cheaply on eBay.

EDIT: Here's a link to a cardboard pallet you can buy on eBay. It is half size, so will cost a bit less to send, but can still hold up to 500kg of stuff. Other Pallet Couriers offer cheaper delivery. OnlinePallet was just the first one to come up in an internet search.

I was actually considering just taking loads of suitcases on the train with me! I have a 3rd off railcard and the cheapest I could find my rail ticket was £20.33!!!! Such a difference, such a shame I can't do that!

I should be able to fit it all into a pallet, as really it will be just my DVD's, PC, clothes, small TV etc. Basically what you would find in a normal persons bedroom! I currently live at home with my Mom whilst I am waiting for the house to become free, so I will only be taking my belongings with me, not a house full of items i.e. sofas/beds/kitchen stuff. It is more stuff than can fit into cars, yet it doesn't quite fill a van, so fuel costs are the problem! I have never heard of Pallet Couriers before, I will have to look into that!

bobnodgers

The last time I had a big load to shift I used Pallet Delivery, their company motto is "On time, Every Time" and its true and they have never damaged a pallet or lost one in eight years that I have been using them.

Kayleigh09

bobnodgers wrote: »

The last time I had a big load to shift I used Pallet Delivery, their company motto is "On time, Every Time" and its true and they have never damaged a pallet or lost one in eight years that I have been using them.

Wicked, I tried to get a quote yesterday and I think the website had something wrong with it. So I shall try again today/over next couple of days. Thanks

Hammyman

Kayleigh09 wrote: »

I am moving from Birmingham to Glasgow and I need to get minimal belongings up there. I have looked into hiring a van and between the hire and fuel costs it will cost around £500!!!

How? A few years ago, I hired a 7.5t lorry in Hull, drove down to Letchworth, filled it full of my brothers house and drove back to Bridlington then delivered the lorry back to the hire company on Monday morning. Came nowhere near £500. In fact, I think it wasn't even half that.

Hell, a haulage company wouldn't charge £500 to move 24 tonnes of whatever up to Glasgow from Birmingham.

forgotmyname

I paid about £70 - £100 for a 7.5t lorry a couple of years back.

Man & Van, Hope you find one cheaper than around here, Guy wanted £60 to take a wardrobe
and chest of draws, Approx 6 mile round trip.

He parks the van on the corner 100 yards from where we wanted the stuff to move from.

mountainofdebt

If you do get a man with a van I'd be tempted to make sure your insurance covers you for giving your belongings to a stranger and trusting them to deliver it in one piece.

goldspanners

im sure you could hire a van out midweek for 24 hours for around £50, for a transit sized van. these vans are pretty economical and should give around 35-40 mpg on a run like this no problem. givig you around 500 miles per tank, a tank will cost around £70 - £80.
glasgow to birmingham is around 300 miles each way so say £100 on fuel being generous and the van hire at £50ish comes in much cheaper than your £500 price.

where did you get the £500 figure from?