The container lands before you have anywhere to put it. That is the defining feature of a China to London return, and it happens because Chinese postings end on fixed dates while London property does not.
One vetted mover from our network handles both ends. International movers who deliver in London regularly know which streets take a lorry and which need a shuttle, and that knowledge is worth more here than anywhere else in the country.
The relief side is the same as any China to UK relocation. Transfer of Residence with HMRC, applied for before the goods arrive. What differs is the shipping arrangements after clearance: the packing you did in Shanghai has to come back out in a Victorian stairwell, and good movers plan for that.
The timing never lines up. A Shanghai contract finishes on a stated day. A London tenancy or purchase does not begin on one. Between those two facts sits a container, and how you handle the gap decides most of what this move costs you.
Book storage from China, not from Britain. Arranging a London warehouse six weeks out from Shanghai is materially cheaper than arranging one from a relative's spare room the week the ship docks. It also takes the panic out of the property search, which tends to produce better decisions.
Never leave goods at the port to wait. Quay rent and container demurrage run considerably above warehouse rates. If a delay is coming, move the shipment into storage rather than letting a clock run on a quayside.
Ask about part delivery. Many firms will release a portion of the load to a temporary address and hold the balance. If you are in a rented flat while searching, that is the difference between living normally and living around boxes.
Use the pause honestly. Whatever suited a Shanghai apartment may not suit a London one, and you are paying to store every cubic metre of it. A shipment in storage is the last easy moment to decide something is not coming any further.
Then the relief. Transfer of Residence with HMRC, applied for before the goods arrive. Without the reference the entry cannot claim it and duty and VAT become payable on the lot.
The freight is the same as any China to UK shipment. What sits on top is the London delivery, and it is a real line rather than a rounding error.
£300 to £1,100
Plus London delivery and any parking suspension.
£1,200 to £4,100
The common return shipment into London.
£3,500 to £9,200
Family households, plus shuttle and access charges.
Tell us the London postcode and the floor, and whether you have an address yet. Those three answers shape the whole arrival.
We match you with your vetted mover, which means one team handles the whole relocation. It is free, with no obligation. Get a quote today and hold your dates.
Send your move detailsCall 07551 855 064 or +447551855064. Message us on WhatsApp.
Once you have keys, the delivery itself follows the same London pattern as any other. The outbound page sets it out in full and it is worth reading, since the same constraints apply in reverse.
The short version. Controlled parking zones need a suspension applied for through the borough. Many streets will not take a full size vehicle, so a shuttle from a depot is common. Emissions charges apply to the vehicle. Period conversions have no lift.
What differs coming home. You are carrying goods up rather than down, which is slower, and you are doing it into a property you have often only just seen. People routinely discover on the day that a wardrobe will not turn on a half landing.
Measure before the delivery, not before the shipping. By this point the goods are already here. If something genuinely will not fit, the useful options are selling it or keeping it in store, and both are easier decided in advance than in a stairwell with a crew waiting.
Give the mover the floor number and the stair type when you confirm the address. A crew that expected a lift and finds three flights loses hours, and those hours are billed.
The wider China to UK page covers the relief and the export side. This one is about the London end specifically.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Chinese flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
Experts in currency exchange
No hidden fees
5 star consumer ratings
Competitive exchange rate
Book storage from China rather than waiting. A London warehouse arranged six weeks out from Shanghai costs materially less than one arranged from a relative's spare room the week the ship docks, and it removes the pressure from the property search.
You can and you should not. Quay rent and container demurrage run well above warehouse rates and accrue daily. If a delay is coming, move the shipment into storage rather than letting a clock run on a quayside.
Three parts: handling in, the storage period, and handling out. The weekly rate is usually the smallest of the three, which means a three week stay can cost more per week than a three month one. Ask for all three figures.
Many firms offer this and it is worth asking at the outset, since it affects how the container is unloaded. If you are camping in a rented flat while searching, it is the difference between living normally and living around boxes.
Yes. You pay to store every cubic metre, and whatever suited a Shanghai apartment may not suit a London one. A shipment in store is the last easy moment to decide something is not coming any further.
The entry cannot claim Transfer of Residence relief without it, so duty and VAT become payable on the whole shipment, or the goods wait while HMRC processes the application. Apply as soon as you know you are returning.
Felixstowe, London Gateway or Tilbury on most services, decided by the shipping line rather than by your postcode. All three serve London, and the difference to your delivery is a short additional drive at most.
Six to eight weeks door to door from a coastal Chinese city and eight to eleven from an inland one. If storage is involved at this end, add however long the property search takes on top of that.
As soon as you have it, with the floor number and the stair type. A crew that expected a lift and finds three flights loses hours, and those hours are billed. This is the one detail people leave until the day.
Send your collection address, your Chinese destination, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the paperwork and the access, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.