How to start offering moving and furniture transport services
You have access to a van and two reliable helpers. That sounds enough for a first move, until you discover that the wardrobe will not fit in the lift and the van must park behind the building. A good moving service starts with questions asked before departure. Here is how to organise your early jobs around work you can actually deliver.
Contents
Before your first booking
- Choose a defined service: transport only, moving with handling, or packing included.
- Assess the belongings and access at both addresses before confirming a price.
- State the crew, vehicle, included tasks and conditions for extra charges in writing.
Decide which moving jobs you can handle
Start with a limited area and a clear type of job. Delivering a sofa bought from a shop is different from relocating a whole apartment. If you work alone, explain who loads and unloads. A driver does not automatically provide a handling crew. Do not build your price around the customer helping unless that arrangement has been explicitly agreed.
Ordinary furniture, boxes and items with verified access can be a workable starting point. Pianos, safes, particularly fragile objects and external lifting need separate assessment and specialist competence. Decline jobs for which you lack suitable people or equipment. Before taking bookings, check the legal conditions for your activity, vehicle documents and insurance cover with relevant local professionals.
Request an inventory, not just a room count
A two-room apartment might contain ten boxes or a balcony full of stored belongings. Ask for a room-by-room list of furniture, appliances, approximate box numbers and fragile items. Request wide photographs and measurements of large pieces. For furniture that comes apart, establish who dismantles it and whether instructions and fittings are available for reassembly.
A short assessment form
- At collection and delivery: floor, usable lift, doorway dimensions and entrance steps.
- Distance from vehicle to door, courtyard access and a lawful place to stop.
- Date, available time window and the person providing access at each address.
- Bulky or delicate items, packing requirements and any intermediate stops.
When photographs leave questions unanswered, offer a visit or a video walkthrough with the customer's agreement. A sofa that fits in a room may not turn around a stairwell. Record your assumptions in the quote and ask the customer to report inventory changes. Use the customer moving guide as a shared preparation checklist.
Choose the vehicle and equipment for the job
Check the actual vehicle's load space, payload and door opening dimensions. A spacious compartment does not permit unlimited weight, and protective materials and securing arrangements also take space. If you lack enough information to promise one trip, say so before booking. A photograph of your van cannot establish how many furnished rooms it will carry.
Prepare clean furniture blankets, corner protection, packing materials, suitable straps and trolleys appropriate to the route. Inspect their condition and the vehicle's securing points. Keep tools and small fittings in labelled containers. Arrange protection for doors, floors and the lift with the building manager's agreement, while keeping access routes clear.
HSE advises assessing the task, route and workers' capabilities (opens in a new tab). Use that principle when selecting people and handling aids. This article provides no universal weight that every worker can safely carry. Stop if actual access requires a method you cannot provide.
Calculate the cost of the whole booking
Record time spent on enquiries and assessment, vehicle preparation, travel, loading, transport, unloading and cleaning equipment. Include labour, fuel, materials, vehicle use and administration. Your own work has a cost even when you drive and answer the phone yourself. The remaining margin must also help cover periods without bookings.
| Item | Calculation | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Crew time | 2 people × 4 hours × 100 MDL | 800 |
| Vehicle and travel | assumed amount | 400 |
| Packing consumed | assumed amount | 150 |
| Administration and preparation | assumed amount | 150 |
| Total cost | 800 + 400 + 150 + 150 | 1,500 |
| Proposed price | cost + 300 MDL margin before applicable tax obligations | 1,800 |
A costing exercise, not market rates, a recommended selling price or guaranteed earnings. Replace every assumption with your costs and account separately for applicable tax obligations.
For hourly work, state when the clock starts and stops, the minimum booking and how part hours are rounded. For a total price, tie the amount to the confirmed inventory and access. Set rules for waiting, extra trips and additional floors, and obtain approval before doing extra work. FMCSA emphasises written descriptions of charges (opens in a new tab). We use this organisational principle; American rules are not presented here as Moldovan law.
Write an offer the customer can check
A sample to adapt
Apartment moves and furniture transport in Chișinău. Quotes are confirmed after reviewing the inventory and access. For the described job: one vehicle, two handlers, one trip between agreed addresses, furniture blankets, transport of 20 boxes and the furniture listed in the attachment. The customer packs the boxes. Dismantling, reassembly and new packing materials are quoted separately. Total: [amount] MDL for the confirmed conditions. Agree the date, time window, payment and any extra charges in writing before booking.
Finish the job as carefully as you start it
On arrival, review the list with the customer and photograph existing damage with their agreement. Establish who coordinates the crew and who communicates with the customer. At delivery, check furniture and boxes, position items as agreed and record anything missing or damaged. FMCSA's checklist includes checking the delivery inventory (opens in a new tab). Maintain a clear reporting procedure with a named contact and written response. Do not promise compensation unsupported by your contract or insurance.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to buy a van immediately?
Consider rental or a clearly defined arrangement with a transport provider. Check availability, full cost, documents, insurance and responsibility for the vehicle and belongings before promising the customer a date.
Can I quote from the number of rooms alone?
Only a preliminary estimate with explicit limitations. A confirmed quote needs an inventory, access at both addresses, agreed tasks and the moving window.
What if an item is added on moving day?
Check whether it fits the transport and handling plan, explain any extra cost and time, and obtain agreement before accepting it. If you cannot move it safely, explain why and suggest an alternative.
Sources
- Moving Checklist (opens in a new tab), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, accessed 15 October 2026
- Tips for a Successful Move (opens in a new tab), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, accessed 15 October 2026
- Assess manual handling you can't avoid (opens in a new tab), Health and Safety Executive, accessed 15 October 2026