Why is it so expensive to rent a van one way internationally?
One-way international van rentals can cost thousands of euros, making it cheaper to abandon bulky items like TVs and chairs rather than move them. This leaves people without enough time off work or money to drive long distances scrambling to find affordable shipping alternatives.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Renting a one-way cargo vanDid this help you?
- 2Buying a used trailer to haul items behind a personal car and reselling itDid this help you?
- 3Selling belongings and buying replacements locallyDid this help you?
- 4Renting a U-Haul or U-BoxDid this help you?
- 5Pricing out a Relocube from ABF FreightDid this help you?
- 6Replacing the furniture entirely instead of shipping itDid this help you?
- 7giving away what I canDid this help you?
- 8looking into shippingDid this help you?
- 9shipping through greyhoundDid this help you?
- 10using independent truckersDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My initial idea was to rent a van and leave it there, since I have some things that won’t fit in suitcases (TV, fan, chairs, etc.), but Avis quoted me €4,600 lol.”source ↗
“I also have a 2004 diesel Toyota, but I’m not sure if it’s worth taking the car with me either.”source ↗
“I dont have the time off work or the money to get a uhaul and drive it to him but I might be able to scrape up money if theres a way to ship it.”source ↗
“Too much to fly, not enough to justify a cross-country co. Other options?”source ↗
“So, too much to pack, to little (and silly) for cross-country movers. Looking into shipping, which can also add up - are there other options?”source ↗
“the first idea was to rent a van one way and not buy and sell it after, I think this may be too much trouble!”source ↗
“I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the logistics of a move that far. Mainly, what the best course of action would be when staying at a hotel for the night along our journey.”source ↗
“The idea of leaving everything we own in a locked uhaul in the parking lot is pretty intimidating. Additionally, our two cats would be along for the ride and neither of them travel well.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to package and ship an office chair to another state
- 6Why is my domestic order shipping from overseas and clearing customs?
- 6Is it cheaper to ship a TV or buy a new one?
- 2Why won't companies ship specialized products to Alaska?
- 9Where do I declare gold bullion at LAX customs?
- 4How to transport large building materials to a remote job site