One of the practical complications of an international move is the gap period — the time between leaving your UK home and settling into your new home abroad. What happens to your belongings in between? Where do they go? And what should you ship, what should you store, and what should you let go of entirely? This guide gives you a clear, practical framework for managing your possessions before, during and immediately after your international removal.
The Core Decision: Ship, Store, Sell or Donate
Before booking your removal, work through every category of possession and assign it to one of four outcomes:
Ship — essential possessions that you need in your new home from the start. Furniture you love, clothing, kitchen equipment, books, electronics, sentimental items.
Store (UK) — items you are not ready to part with but don’t need immediately. Consider short-term storage if you’re initially moving into furnished temporary accommodation abroad, or longer-term storage if you’re unsure how permanent the move is.
Sell — furniture, appliances and items that are too large or costly to ship, or that won’t suit your new home. Also items you can easily replace in the destination country.
Donate or dispose — items that are worn out, that nobody would buy, or that you’ve been meaning to throw away for years. An international move is the best possible incentive for a thorough declutter.
Working through these four categories methodically — room by room — before you book your removal serves two purposes: it reduces your removal cost significantly (volume directly affects price) and it clarifies exactly what needs to move and on what timeline.
Option 1: Ship Everything With Your Removal
The simplest approach is a single, complete removal — everything you own goes into the van, moves to your new home, and you arrive to a fully furnished property.
Best for: Families with permanent accommodation arranged before the move; people moving into unfurnished properties; full household relocations where most furniture will fit the new space.
Considerations:
- Requires your new home to be ready and accessible on arrival day
- Higher upfront cost (full-load prices for a 2-bed range from £1,200–£2,800 to most EU destinations — see how to save money on a removal)
- Not suitable if you’re initially moving into temporary furnished accommodation
Option 2: Part-Load Now, Ship the Rest Later
A flexible approach is to ship the essentials immediately (clothes, electronics, important personal items, a minimal set of furniture) and store the rest in the UK until your permanent accommodation is confirmed.
Best for: People moving into temporary furnished accommodation first; those whose permanent destination is uncertain; people downsizing significantly.
How it works with Easy Move: Our removals to Germany, removals to France and other routes operate as shared load (groupage) services, meaning your belongings travel with other shipments. You can ship a partial load now and arrange a second shipment later once you’re settled.
Cost: Part-load costs depend on volume. A studio or 1-bed worth of effects (10–20 cubic metres) typically costs £400–£1,100 to most EU destinations. A follow-up shipment of remaining items would be priced separately.
Option 3: Short-Term Storage in the UK
Short-term storage (1–6 months) is the most practical solution when:
- Your new home isn’t ready on your departure date
- You’re renting furnished temporary accommodation abroad for the first 1–3 months while flat-hunting
- You have more furniture than your new property can accommodate and need time to decide what to keep
- Your removal is staggered — you move first, belongings follow once you’re settled
Storage costs: Self-storage in the UK typically costs £80–£300/month depending on unit size and location. London and the South East are most expensive; other regions significantly cheaper.
Removal company storage: Many removal companies, including Easy Move, offer short-term storage within their own facilities. Items are packed, loaded and stored in the same removal containers — which means when they’re ready to ship, they don’t need to be repacked. This is often more convenient than self-storage if you know you’ll be shipping to your EU destination within 3–6 months.
Key question: Is this storage truly temporary? Short-term storage has a way of becoming long-term storage, and the cumulative cost (£100–£300/month over 12 months = £1,200–£3,600) can significantly exceed the cost of simply selling the items and replacing them.
Option 4: Sell Before You Move
Selling furniture, appliances and large items before your move reduces removal volume and generates cash — which is useful at the start of a new life abroad.
What sells well:
- White goods (washing machines, dishwashers, fridges) — always in demand
- Sofas and large upholstered furniture (if in good condition)
- Dining tables and chairs
- Wardrobes and chests of drawers
- Garden furniture and tools
- Bicycles and exercise equipment
What is harder to sell:
- Heavily used mattresses
- Flat-pack furniture (IKEA etc.) — poor resale value
- Non-standard or oversized items
Where to sell:
- Facebook Marketplace — best platform for quick local sales of furniture
- Gumtree — traditional UK classifieds, still effective for larger items
- eBay — electronics, books, specialist items
- Vinted / Depop — clothing, accessories
- Local Facebook community groups — fast, free, local collection
Timeline: Start selling 8–10 weeks before your move. Furniture sales on Facebook Marketplace typically sell within days at the right price; allow 2–3 weeks to move everything through the platform.
Option 5: Donate or Dispose
Items that can’t be sold or aren’t worth selling can be donated or disposed of responsibly:
Donation options:
- British Heart Foundation, BHF Furniture and Electrical — collects furniture and white goods from your home (free collection)
- Oxfam, Cancer Research UK — clothing, books, smaller household items
- Local charity shops — many accept good-condition household items
Disposal:
- Local council bulky waste collection — most councils offer 2–4 free collections per year for large items
- Skip hire — for larger volumes of disposal waste
- Freecycle / Freegle — online platforms where locals collect items you’re giving away for free. Effective for furniture and household items with remaining life in them
What to Do With Items You Can’t Decide About
The hardest category is items you’re attached to but unsure whether you’ll want abroad. Practical rules:
The 12-month rule: If you haven’t used it in the past 12 months, you almost certainly won’t use it abroad. The energy needed to pack, ship, unpack and store it in a new country is rarely worth it.
Ship the sentimental, sell the replaceable: A grandmother’s sewing table that has emotional meaning is worth shipping. An IKEA bookcase you’ve owned for 3 years is not.
Store only with a deadline: If you put something in storage, set a concrete deadline (3 months, 6 months) at which point you will either ship it or sell it. Open-ended storage becomes expensive and psychologically difficult.
The Gap Period: What to Do With Belongings When Timing Doesn’t Align
The gap period — when your UK home is vacated but your EU home isn’t ready — is the most logistically stressful part of any international move. Options:
Stay with family or friends — while your belongings are in transit or storage. Works well if your network can accommodate you for 1–3 weeks.
Short-term furnished rental in the UK — a serviced apartment or Airbnb for the transition period. Budget £80–£200/night in London; less elsewhere.
Short-term furnished rental abroad — many people prefer to move to their destination country first, even into temporary accommodation, and ship their belongings once they have a confirmed permanent address. This also resolves the issue of needing a local address for customs documentation.
Transit time awareness: Your removal will be in transit for 1–6 working days depending on destination — during which time your belongings are inaccessible. Plan for this period. Make sure anything you might need (clothes for a week, medications, important documents, toiletries) travels with you personally, not in the removal vehicle.
Practical Pre-Move Belongings Checklist
8 weeks before:
- Walk every room and categorise: ship / store / sell / donate
- Begin selling on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree
- Contact removal company with volume estimate for quote
6 weeks before:
- Book removal company with confirmed volume
- Book storage if required
- Continue selling and donating
4 weeks before:
- Most sales should be completed
- Begin packing non-essentials
- Confirm delivery address with removal company
1 week before:
- Pack clothes and daily essentials separately in bags you’ll carry personally
- Confirm all medications, documents and valuables are in personal luggage
- Confirm removal date and access arrangements
For a full budget breakdown by cost category: moving budget planning guide.
Frequently Asked Questions: What to Do With Belongings During a Move
Should I store my belongings in the UK or ship them to my destination straight away?
It depends on your housing situation abroad. If your permanent home is ready on arrival, ship everything immediately — storage adds cost without benefit. If you’re moving into furnished temporary accommodation first, either store in the UK short-term or ship a minimal part-load and follow up with the rest once settled.
How long can I leave belongings in storage during an international move?
As long as you need to. Monthly storage costs are typically £80–£300. The practical issue is that the longer items sit in storage, the more you pay — and the harder it becomes psychologically to commit to shipping or selling them. Set a deadline when you book storage.
Is it worth selling furniture before moving abroad?
For most people, yes. White goods, sofas and large furniture are heavy and expensive to ship, sell quickly on Facebook Marketplace, and are easily replaced. Shipping a washing machine to Poland costs more than buying one there. Ship items with emotional value; sell what you can replace.
What if my removal vehicle arrives before my new home is accessible?
Your removal company will hold your goods in their vehicle or offload to temporary storage until access is available. Confirm the procedure and any associated holding fees before you book. Easy Move includes short-term holding within our standard service for minor delays.
Can Easy Move handle a two-stage move — some now, the rest later?
Yes. Our shared-load (groupage) service to all EU destinations allows you to ship a partial load now and arrange a second collection later. Contact us for a two-stage quote.
Ready to move? Our team handles the full process: packing, customs and delivery.