Removal prices are one of the most-asked questions we get from Eastbourne customers — and one of the most opaque parts of the industry. This guide gives you honest, realistic 2026 pricing ranges for moves around Eastbourne and East Sussex, with the factors that drive them up or down. We publish guideline ranges, not headline "from £" prices, because every move is genuinely different and we believe you deserve a real number, not a marketing one.
Prices last reviewed: May 2026. All amounts include VAT for domestic moves.
| Property type | Local Eastbourne move | Move within East Sussex | Long-distance (UK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1-bed flat | £350 – £600 | £450 – £700 | £700 – £1,100 |
| 2-bedroom home | £550 – £900 | £700 – £1,100 | £1,100 – £1,700 |
| 3-bedroom home | £800 – £1,400 | £1,000 – £1,700 | £1,600 – £2,500 |
| 4-bedroom home | £1,200 – £2,200 | £1,500 – £2,600 | £2,200 – £3,800 |
| 5+ bedroom home | £1,800 – £3,500 | £2,200 – £4,200 | £3,000 – £6,000+ |
These ranges are guidelines based on standard moves in 2026. They assume reasonable access at both ends and no packing service. Add £350–£600 for full packing of a 3-bedroom home, or £150–£300 for fragile-only packing.
The single biggest factor. Volume is measured in cubic feet during the survey — a typical 2-bedroom home is around 700 cu ft, a 3-bedroom 1,000–1,200 cu ft, a 4-bedroom 1,400–2,000 cu ft. More volume means more vehicle, more crew and more time.
Within Eastbourne or East Sussex, the distance is rarely the dominant cost. For long-distance UK or international moves, distance becomes significant — both fuel and the labour-time the crew spends on the road.
Restricted parking, narrow streets, long carries from the vehicle to the front door, lifts (especially small ones), tight stairwells, low ceilings and basements all add time. A 3-bedroom flat on the fourth floor with no lift can cost as much as a 5-bedroom house with driveway access.
Self-pack is free; full packing for a 3-bedroom home typically adds £350–£600. Fragile-only packing is roughly half that. Materials are included in the quoted price.
Storage is a separate monthly billing — typically £15–£40 per week depending on room size — and adds two transfer operations (in and out) which we charge as nominal labour.
Saturdays attract a small premium (10–15%); Sundays and bank holidays more. Many customers find a weekday move is cheaper and the crew is fresher.
Pianos, antiques, safes, hot tubs, fine art, motorbikes — each can need specialist handling, equipment or sub-contracted specialists. These are always quoted as a line item in the written quote.
Every Mark Ratcliffe move starts with a free survey — in your home, or by video call if you prefer. We walk through every room, agree what is moving and what is not, look at access at both ends, and discuss whether you want packing, storage, dismantling or any special-item handling. You receive an itemised written quote with absolutely no obligation, typically within 24 hours. There are no hidden fees, no fuel surcharges and no "from £" marketing prices.
Comparing removal quotes is hard because firms structure them differently. Things to look for in any quote — including ours — before you sign:
Our quotes are all-inclusive within our published service area and we do not charge for postponements or cancellations.
"From £X" headline prices are the removal industry's worst habit. A "from £350" advertised price typically assumes a studio flat moving 5 miles with no packing, no parking permits, no awkward access and weekday timing — circumstances that match almost no real customer. When the survey happens, the price jumps, and the customer either accepts the new figure (annoyed) or starts the quote process over with another firm.
We do not work that way. Our quotes are based on the survey and reflect the actual move. Once we issue a written quote, the price is fixed unless your inventory changes materially. We do not levy fuel surcharges, parking surcharges or weekend "premium" surprises on the day. Our cancellation and date-change terms are written into the quote — and we do not charge for postponements.
Our experience is that customers who shop on the lowest headline price often pay more in the end (and have a worse move). Customers who shop on transparent, surveyed quotes usually pay a little more than the cheapest headline but a lot less than the inflated headline-plus-extras outcome — and they get pad-wrap protection, BAR-registered crews, and guaranteed date.
These are anonymised real quotes we issued in the first quarter of 2026 to give a sense of how the ranges resolve into specific numbers:
These are all real numbers, all from properties we surveyed in 2026. Your own quote will be different — but these give you a sense of how the ranges in the table earlier resolve in practice.
Eastbourne properties tend to fall into two main groups. Substantial detached commuter homes on the established estates — typically three to five bedrooms, with garages, summerhouses, gym or office conversions and a fair amount of outdoor furniture. And the older village cottages and farmhouses in the surrounding lanes — listed buildings, original fireplaces, low beams and steep stairs that benefit from careful pad-wrap protection on every piece.
Either type lends itself well to a proper in-home survey. We walk every room, count cartons by name and size, photograph the access points and email the quote with itemised pricing within two working days. For straightforward smaller jobs (a single bedroom, a studio flat or a baggage shipment) a phone or video survey is enough. The aim is the same regardless of the property: a fixed, written price that doesn’t move on the day.
Our daily routes out of the Lower Dicker depot put Eastbourne within standard half-day or full-day reach, depending on inventory size and the destination address. A typical Eastbourne pickup with a Sussex or Surrey delivery completes in a single day, including pad-wrapping at the load and unwrapping at the unload. The lorry leaves Lower Dicker in time to be on your driveway ten minutes before the stated load time — we don’t make customers wait around at 6am for a 7am scheduled start.
For chain-day moves out of Eastbourne the timings matter and we plan the schedule from the keys-release time backwards. The conveyancer’s 12 noon or 1pm completion target shapes when we crew up, when we pad-wrap and when we leave the property. For longer-distance UK moves — to the Midlands, the West Country, the north — we generally split the day across two crews if the inventory exceeds a single lorry. Anything heading overseas from Eastbourne routes through our customs-controlled holding bay at the depot, where the container is loaded after a final inventory check.
Every Eastbourne quote starts with an in-home or video survey — free, no obligation, and the only way to give you a fixed price that doesn’t move on move day. The surveyor walks every room, photographs access at both ends, and counts the cartons by size. The written quote follows within 48 hours, broken down by line: crew time, lorry, fuel, pad-wrap, materials, insurance, any specialist handling. You can see exactly what every cost line is paying for.
Confirming the date takes a 20-25% deposit, protected under the BAR Advance Payment Guarantee. The balance is paid on the day of completion. The crew that arrives on move day is the crew that gets the job done from start to finish — uniformed, directly employed, trained at our Sussex training centre. No agency labour, no day rates, no sub-contractors. It’s a slightly more expensive way to run a removals firm but it’s the single biggest reason we’ve been in business since 1982.
20% of the quoted price secures your move date. Balance is due on the day of completion. We accept bank transfer, card or cheque.
Minor additions are usually absorbed. Significant additions (e.g. forgotten contents of an outbuilding) may be charged at our hourly rate. Always best to mention any uncertainty during the survey.
No. Our quotes are all-inclusive of fuel within our standard East Sussex service area. Long-distance moves include fuel in the quoted line item — no surprise add-ons.
Often yes — Tuesday to Thursday in the middle of the month outside school holidays is our quietest time. Mention you have flexibility during the quote and we will tell you what we can do.
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