Packing yourself saves money on labour, but it costs you days of time and it can quietly void your insurance on the exact fragile items you most want protected. A packing service costs more upfront, but it is faster, better protected, and keeps your goods-in-transit cover intact. The right choice comes down to how much you are moving, how fragile it is, and how much time you actually have. Here is the honest comparison, with real figures.
The short answer
- Pack yourself if the move is small, mostly sturdy items, and you have several free evenings before the move.
- Use a packing service if you are short on time, moving a full home, or moving anything fragile, valuable or hard to replace, because that is where DIY packing costs you most, both in breakages and in lost insurance cover.
How long does packing yourself actually take?
Packing is almost always slower than people expect. These are realistic guide times for careful DIY packing, not hard data, since every home is different.
| Room | Typical DIY packing time (guide) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | 6 to 10 hours | The slowest room: glassware, crockery and awkward appliances all need wrapping |
| Living room | 3 to 5 hours | Electronics, books, ornaments and cables |
| Double bedroom | 2 to 4 hours | Wardrobes and drawers add up |
| Bathroom | 1 to 2 hours | Usually quick |
| Loft, garage or shed | 4 to 8 hours plus | The most unpredictable, often underestimated |
| Whole 2 to 3 bed home | 2 to 4 days, spread out | Rarely done in one sitting |
For comparison, a professional two-person packing team will usually pack a 2 to 3 bed home in around a day, arriving one or two days before your move.
What packing materials cost
If you pack yourself, budget for the materials. These are typical UK retail prices and vary by supplier.
| Item | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Two-bed moving kit (boxes, bubble wrap, tape, marker) | from around £58 |
| Packing paper, 500 sheets | around £18 |
| Packing tape, 3 rolls | around £6 |
| TV moving box | £15 to £20 |
| Plastic crate hire for a 2 to 3 bed (incl. bubble wrap and sack barrow) | around £85 per week |
Sources: RemovalReviews, Boxtopia two-bedroom kit, Youstock packing materials guide.
So DIY is not free. Materials for a 2 to 3 bed home realistically run to a few tens of pounds once you add enough boxes, wrap and paper, and that is before your own time. With a professional service, the materials are included in the price.
The part most people miss: breakage risk and insurance
This is the real difference, not the box count. Standard goods-in-transit insurance usually only covers items that the removals company packed. If you pack a box yourself and something inside breaks in transit, that damage is typically excluded or heavily limited, because the insurer cannot verify how it was packed. Cover on self-packed boxes is often restricted or refused, and per-item limits can be low. Sources: Compare My Move and reallymoving.
In plain terms: the china you carefully wrapped yourself is often the china that is not covered. When a professional packs it, it is protected and it falls under the insurance. That is why fragile and high-value items are the clearest case for a packing service.
When packing yourself is fine
- A small move: a studio, a one-bed flat, or a single room.
- Mostly sturdy, low-value items: clothes, books, bedding, kitchenware you would not miss.
- You have the time: several free evenings or a clear weekend before the move.
- You are comfortable that self-packed items may not be fully insured.
When a packing service is the safer call
- You are moving a full family home and cannot lose several evenings to it.
- You have fragile or valuable items: glassware, art, mirrors, electronics, antiques.
- You are moving abroad, where items are handled more and are in transit longer, so proper packing and cover matter more. See our international removals service.
- You want the insurance to actually apply to your breakables.
- You are moving to a tight deadline, or juggling a sale and purchase at once.
A middle option works well too: partial packing, where you box your own clothes and books and let the team handle the kitchen, the fragile items and anything valuable. That keeps cost down while protecting the things most likely to break.
Cost, time and risk, side by side
| Factor | Packing yourself | Packing service |
|---|---|---|
| Money | Materials only (tens of pounds), but your time is free labour | Higher upfront, materials included |
| Time | 2 to 4 days for a 2 to 3 bed, spread out | Around a day, done for you |
| Breakage risk | Higher, especially on fragile items | Lower, packed to a professional standard |
| Insurance | Self-packed items often excluded or limited | Covered by goods-in-transit insurance |
| Best for | Small, sturdy, low-value moves | Full homes, fragile or valuable items, tight timelines |
Our Pack and Move service is quoted as a fixed price after a short survey, and it pairs with our house removals service so one team packs, moves and unpacks.
FAQs
Is a packing service worth it?
For a full home, or anything fragile or valuable, usually yes. It saves you days of work, packs to a standard that reduces breakages, and keeps your goods-in-transit insurance valid on those items. For a small move of sturdy things, DIY can be fine.
Does insurance cover items I pack myself?
Often not, or only in a limited way. Standard goods-in-transit cover generally applies to items the removals company packed, because the insurer cannot verify a self-packed box. If you want fragile or high-value items fully covered, have them professionally packed.
How long does it take to pack a house yourself?
As a guide, two to four days for a 2 to 3 bed home, done over several sessions. The kitchen alone can take a full day. A professional two-person team usually packs the same home in around a day.
How much do packing materials cost?
A two-bed moving kit starts at around £58, with paper about £18 for 500 sheets and tape about £6 for three rolls, prices varying by supplier. With a packing service the materials are included, so you are not sourcing or buying them.
Can I mix the two and only pay for some packing?
Yes. Partial packing is popular: you handle clothes and books, and the team packs the kitchen, fragile items and anything valuable. It keeps the cost down while protecting the things most likely to break, and those professionally packed items are covered.
Get a fixed-price quote for packing and moving
MET Removals is a family firm run by Michael, Ethan and Troy, rated 5.0 stars from 161 Google reviews. Our Pack and Move service includes all materials and a fixed price with nothing added on the day. Request a fixed-price quote or call 07919 037695 to talk through full or partial packing for your move.
