How to do a cheap mini-move to another city, paying only for the boxes you send

You've got five or six big boxes of clothes, books and little else, and suddenly moving house feels like an impossible mission. You ring a couple of traditional firms and they quote you a fortune for a full lorry you neither need nor will ever fill. And if what you're after is a cheap mini-move to Europe or to another city in Spain, things get even trickier: quotes that take days to arrive, prices that change depending on who answers the phone and zero transparency.

The usual alternative isn't convincing either: hiring a van and driving it yourself. On paper it sounds good, but in practice it's a gruelling slog of hours behind the wheel, tolls, petrol, the rental deposit and the trip back by train or plane. In the end, between one thing and another, you end up paying almost the same as for the lorry... but exhausted and two days of your life down the drain.

Cheap mini-moves to Europe and Spain: pay only for what you send

The idea is very simple: instead of hiring a whole lorry, you pack everything into boxes of up to 30 kg and pay only for the parcels you send. No empty cubic metres, no minimum charges, no surprises on the invoice.

Here's how it works, step by step:

1. Go to the online calculator and enter the weight and dimensions of your first box, along with the origin and destination.
2. Press the «+ Add parcel» button as many times as you have boxes. In 30 seconds you'll see the fixed price with VAT included, from 53 €.
3. Book and pay online, with no need to register. You'll receive the labels by email straight away.
4. The GLS driver collects the boxes at your door and your parcels travel with real-time tracking all the way to your new doorstep.

Thanks to the GLS network and its European coverage, your boxes reach any point in Spain and across the whole EU: Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the rest of the Union's countries. And since there are no customs within the EU, you don't have to fill in any paperwork or pay any duties: your boxes travel just as easily as a domestic shipment.

How to prepare your boxes so they arrive in perfect condition

A mini-move by parcel service works out brilliantly when the packaging is up to scratch. These tips make all the difference:

• Use double-wall boxes (reinforced cardboard). Supermarket boxes tend to give way under the weight.
• Stick to the 30 kg maximum per parcel. Books are extremely heavy: better to spread them across several medium boxes than to pile them all into one.
• Fill the gaps with clothes, paper or bubble wrap. A box that "rattles" inside is a box that suffers in transit.
• Tape it in an H shape: one strip along the central seam and two at the ends, top and bottom.
• Weigh and measure each box before calculating. That way the price you see on screen is exactly what you pay, with a 48-hour price guarantee.

Common mistakes that make a mini-move more expensive

• Asking for a full-lorry quote for half a dozen boxes: you're paying for empty space.
• Packing things into the boxes that you no longer use. Every kilo counts: use the move as a chance to donate or sell whatever you don't need.
• Using enormous boxes that are impossible to handle. Better several medium, manageable ones than a 40 kg box that also exceeds the permitted limit.
• Not labelling the contents. Number the boxes and note what's in each one: you'll save yourself hours when unpacking.
• Leaving everything to the last day. Work out your price in advance: you'll have it in 30 seconds and with no obligation.

Doorstep collection anywhere in Spain

We are the official GLS agency in Puerto de Mazarrón (Av. Dr. Meca 107, local 2, 30860 Puerto de Mazarrón) and we collect from anywhere in Spain. You don't have to take anything to any office: the driver comes up to your door to fetch your boxes. And if you find it more convenient, you can also drop them off yourself at a GLS collection point or at our Puerto de Mazarrón agency.

And if you'd rather speak to a person before deciding, we're here to help in Spanish and English on +34 910 80 62 29, Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 19:00. If, on top of boxes, you need to send other things, take a look at our parcel or luggage services.

Moving to another city doesn't have to cost as much as a whole lorry or rob you of a weekend behind the wheel. Pack your boxes, add them up in the calculator with the «+ Add parcel» button and let the GLS network do the rest.