Removal firms UK to Bulgaria

Last activity 02 December 2022 by Cumbrian

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kaththomas2017Contributor06 August 2022 16:48:18

127

Does anyone know of firms still doing removals from the UK to Bulgaria post Brexit ? I'm trying to get prices to see if it's worth bringing things from the UK or attempting to buy new in Bulgaria.

Guest7632Guest06 August 2022 20:19:26

214245

Better to sell what you have there and buy new in Bulgaria.

BhavnaTeam07 August 2022 07:13:09

40008

Hi everyone,

@Kaththomas, you can order a free quote from our partner here : https://www.expat.com/en/movers/europe/bulgaria/

I hope members will be able to guide you.

Regards

Bhavna

lambertp146Active member07 August 2022 11:25:57

@GB_2_BG hi mate is that what you recomend doing to sell everything an buy over there such as freezers an things could you roughly give some costs for stuff many thanks Paul

gwynjBulgaria Expert07 August 2022 16:25:19

2232

Usually, when you sell your secondhand UK stuff (on Ebay, local paper, whatever) you get a load of hassle, and not much money. And then you come over here and buy brand new stuff at full retail price. So it does not seem very efficient! :-) But it's certainly a lot less aggravation to dump your stuff and buy new as required.

I voted for that option ('cos I'm lazy), but my Mrs. was very attached to the leather sofa, and some almost brand-new appliances (washing machine, fridge/freezer, smart TVs) so she insisted we bring them. I had to pay a man-and-a-van (a Luton). They're a lot cheaper than a full-service removal company, but not sure how many such folks are still doing international deals post Brexit. Cost me 1,500 quid or so a few years ago, so even if you could find one, it will be much more. (And I probably got a good deal, as he already had booked a job bringing stuff back from Bulgaria for a lady returning to UK.)

So I guess if you've got some valuable stuff it might pay. We didn't have much, but maybe a couple of grand new. Plus we squeezed my bikes and my motorcycle in. That's another couple of grand... and I'm pretty sure I would have just about died trying to ride my motorcycle 2,000 miles. So that made me feel better about the deal. :-) And you can squeeze in a bunch of suitcases and boxes of whatever you've got. Oh... and as the motorcycle was in the van, and the vanman shared the driving with his son, I decided to drive my trusty old diesel Vectra over, in convoy. I could have got 500 quid for it in the UK, and then spent a few grand getting a Bulgarian replacement. As it's still going strong 5 years later, I'm quite pleased with that aspect of the deal (plus I loaded the Vectra up with a trailer and a ton of stuff too).

But... our house renovation wasn't finished... so there wasn't much room for our stuff anyway. I've enjoyed the bikes and the motorcycle over here, but apart from that, everything's still piled up in the basement (and the trailer), and the only appliance we dug out was the microwave. :-)

One of our expat member recently did it himself. as he couldn't find a man-with-a-man to do it. He bought a cheap and cheerful long wheelbase Transit on Ebay, and loaded everything up in that. Must have been a few grand for the van, and a good chunk for fuel, vignettes, food, accommodation driving over. Their property agent accepted the van as his commission.

As to prices, appliances are pretty much the same as anywhere else. You can compare on Technopolis or Praktiker or Technomarket (all dot-bg)

lambertp146Active member07 August 2022 17:23:23

Hi mate you ok so best to get rid an get stuff over there what do think paul

lambertp146Active member08 August 2022 11:34:09

@gwynj hi mate do you no any body that's that's got Luton van to move all tools to Bulgaria an wood burning stoves plus other stuff mate thanks paul & Gillian

gwynjBulgaria Expert08 August 2022 14:26:04

2232

@lambertp146

Personally, I don't know anyone. And I think post-Brexit it's harder to find someone. I suspect that might be why my friend bought his own LWB van to do it himself. Probably you'll need to do a bit of research to get some options.

- There's the DIY option, if you have a van. It'll be a few grand to buy an LWB van on Ebay, but then you don't have to drive it back. (Personally, I'd prefer to re-register it in Bulgaria and sell it on, rather than give it away, or drive it back.) Or, there are plenty of van hire places who'd rent you an LWB van or a Luton (but then drive it back to UK).

- There are a few online quote sites for shipping/moving items, which list your job to see who wants to bid for it. I think uship.com is a popular example. I used something similar to get my stuff back from San Francisco to UK, and it worked pretty well, at a competitive price.

- I found Transport Executive who mention men, vans, and Bulgaria... so gotta be worth a quick email. :-)

https://www.transport-executive.co.uk/man-van-bulgaria/

- I also found Van One who have a page on moving your stuff from UK to Bulgaria (and tell you what you have to do). So this seems very promising!

https://www.vanone.co.uk/removals-to-bulgaria

- There are definitely many expat.com members here who've made the move from UK to Bulgaria. But I haven't seen many specifics about who helped them do it. Hopefully, some folks have done it recently, and can give us a few recommendations.

Harry_BrownMember08 August 2022 18:36:55

Hi All, I'm just about to do the ‘move everything from UK to BG trip. I’ve decided to do it myself, the reason being I want to take my 4x4 and transfer it to Bulgarian plates.

Because of this I decided to purchase a box trailer and move everything over using that. I’ll be able to camp in the car, sleep with one eye open focused on the trailer, saving on hotel fees. I’d rather do that than leave a box trailer attached to the car alone in a hotel car park! Also, can probably get a good amount of hours driving each day because it’s just a matter of stopping in the truck services and climb in the back for a kip.

I have no idea how much I’ll be looking at for Diesel, but it’s going to be a lot, 7-8 tanks maybe. So all in, the car I’ve had for 15 years so costs me nothing. £1500 for a box trailer that I’ll use for a temporary shed for the lawn mower etc when I get there. Maybe €1200 on fuel, Vignettes and whatever else is need.

I’m interested if anyone has any up to date information on registering an older car in BG these days? Who’s a good agent to use for paperwork / translation etc?

Thanks.

kaththomas2017Contributor08 August 2022 20:38:52

#10

127

Wow good to hear from you Harry , husband wants to do something like that but I'm not the best passenger and I don't drive also he cannot leave his elderly Mum for more than a week at a time. I'm also concerned about not having a left hand drive vehicle and the fact that it would take us at least three days there and the same back and he'd expect me to travel both ways with him and I feel that it would be my duty to do that as well. That's why I'm thinking that it in the long run it would be better to get someone else to do it.

gwynjBulgaria Expert09 August 2022 18:40:37

#11

2232

@Harry_Brown

I did pretty much that with my trusty old Vectra diesel. Got a trailer for a couple of hundred on Ebay. Loaded the car and the trailer up to the roof (including all the passenger space), squeezed a ton of stuff in! Just stopped in the motorway services for a couple of hours when I got too tired to drive. But, man, sleeping in the front seat is massively uncomfortable, I was wrecked at the end. But that meant Leeds to Stara Zagora in 3 days. The worst is doing the Driving Miss Daisy thing because of the trailer, so 60 mph all the way is right boring (especially as I usually thrash it through Germany at 120 mph just to get maximum entertainment from a bit of autobahn driving). A grand-ish for ferry, fuel, vignettes, and food sounds in the ballpark.

I put this link earlier in the thread, but here it is again, as they explain documents required for "transfer of residence" so you can move your personal effects without importing them and paying duty.

https://www.vanone.co.uk/removals-to-bulgaria

No problem re-registering to BG plates. But as non-EU there will be an extra 32% for import duties and VAT. You can do it yourself at Kat (traffic police), but loads easier to find a helper/attorney to do it, or at least go with you.

CumbrianMember02 December 2022 08:41:36

#12

@kaththomas2017 Definitely www.expatcouriers.com

14 years in business in UK with depot in Veliko Tărnovo since 2016. Fully licensed, insured and voted EXCELLENT on Trustpilot.

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