What Is the Cheapest Way To Move Furniture to Spain?

While it's an exciting and worthwhile experience, moving to Spain is a journey that comes with many challenges and hurdles. If you're like most globetrotters, one of the largest of these challenges is moving your belongings overseas along with you — a process that requires careful planning and foresight, not to mention high costs.

Fortunately, shipping furniture to Spain from abroad (especially from a European country like the UK) is reasonably easy and affordable to do. And although the final cost will depend on many factors such as where you're relocating from and how many belongings you want to have shipped, the total charges can be quite manageable with the right know-how and careful planning.

In this short guide, we go over the costs of shipping furniture to Spain and how you can save money by finding the cheapest way to move furniture to Spain for your unique needs.

Shipping Furniture to Spain Can Be Pricey

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There's no escaping the fact that moving your belongings abroad is an expensive endeavour that adds a considerable cost to any international move. This is no different for shipping furniture to Spain — no matter your country of origin.

The final costs can vary significantly and depend on how far and how much you'd like to move. For example, moving a four-person household's worth of belongings to Spain from the US will generally cost between $7,500 and $20,000. However, moving a two-person household's worth of belongings along the much closer route from the UK to Spain will cost between £1,500 and £5,000.

It's because of these costs that it's always a good idea to rely on an affordable international mover like Eurosender to get the job done (more on them later).

Let's break down these costs. While you'll probably pay a once-off payment to the international moving company, they'll take care of the intermediary steps for you.

Below, we go over some of the third parties involved in shipping furniture to Spain (if you're moving continents and will require your goods to be loaded onto a cargo ship):

• International mover: As mentioned above, this is the company you'll be dealing with. They'll take care of most of the process for you, from packing, shipping, customs, and delivery in Spain. In most cases, they'll also be the only company you pay to get the job done, and they'll also be your main point of contact along the way.
• Origin agent: Usually employed or subcontracted by the international mover, the origin agent will be responsible for coming to your home before your move to help build a more accurate quote and oversee the packing of your belongings on moving day.
• Freight forwarder: Acting as a middleman between the moving company and transportation services, freight forwarders don't move your belongings but are responsible for managing their import and export and the associated regulations.
• Consolidated warehouse: If your combined belongings aren't enough to fill an entire cargo container, they may be stored in a warehouse to await other goods before being combined into a container with them and shipped off.
• Origin Port of Departure (OPD): This is the port authority where your belongings are loaded onto a ship. The port authorities often charge a fee, which is sometimes not included in your quote with the international mover. Be sure to check your quote to see whether or not this cost appears.
• Ship line: The company owning the ship that carries your belongings from the origin to the destination.
• Destination port: The customs authorities at the port in the destination country. Another party is sometimes involved here if your belongings are stored temporarily in a warehouse before clearing customs.
• Destination agent: This is the company subcontracted by the international mover to move your belongings from the port to your new home in Spain. It's a good idea to contact them in advance to determine whether they plan to unload the boxes inside your home or unpack them and clear the debris for you.

On the other hand, if you're shipping furniture to Spain from Europe (e.g. the UK), then your good probably won't be loaded onto a ship and will instead be brought over by truck (which brings down the costs) or air freight (which is very expensive). However, while this process is simpler, it still involves third parties and customs clearances.

Regardless of where you're shipping from, considering many third parties are involved in shipping furniture to Spain (each charging its own set of fees or taxes), it's easy to see how quickly these costs can stack up. Furthermore, considering the international moving company that arranges everything is itself also its own company seeking to make a profit, it's then easy to see how you could end up paying upwards of £5,000 to move furniture to Spain!

While the costs are high, they vary significantly from case to case, and although you'll get a precise quote, you might not know the total cost of the move until after it's already been completed.

How To Find the Cheapest Way To Move Furniture to Spain

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As we've seen, the cost of shipping furniture to Spain is far more expensive than shipping furniture domestically (and that's not even to mention all the planning, admin, and other expenses that go along with moving countries!).

Whenever you plan to spend £5,000 or more on anything, it's always a good idea to compare providers in advance, as every percentage saved adds up to large amounts of real money!

To find the best rates and service for your move, we recommend shipping your belongings overseas with Eurosender, whose innovative online platform connects shippers with logistics companies worldwide to find you the best price and service for your relocation needs.