Buying furniture second-hand has become a pretty normal part of life. A sofa on Facebook Marketplace, a wardrobe on Gumtree, a bargain dining table that is too good to leave behind. The only problem usually comes after you have agreed the price.
How are you going to get it home?
For smaller items, a car might do the job. Once you are collecting a sofa, bed, wardrobe or several pieces of furniture, things get a little more complicated. That is where van hire for furniture collection in Kent can make life considerably easier.
At Hire2You, we provide a range of vans from our base in Medway, with customers travelling from across Kent for furniture collections, house moves, trade work and all the other jobs where a car simply does not provide enough space.
You can see our main van hire service here:
Van Hire Kent | Hire2You
Found the bargain, now you need to collect it
One of the annoying things about buying second-hand furniture is that the seller usually expects you to collect it.
That £50 sofa might be a brilliant bargain until you realise it is six feet long and there is absolutely no chance of getting it into your hatchback.
The same applies to:
- Sofas and armchairs
- Beds and mattresses
- Wardrobes and chest of drawers
- Dining tables and chairs
- Fridges and other appliances
- Garden furniture
- Flat-pack furniture
- Large DIY purchases
Hiring a van gives you the freedom to actually take advantage of these bargains rather than having to pay a delivery company or turn up with a car that is obviously far too small.
Which van is best for collecting furniture?
This really depends on what you have bought.
For a single armchair, a few boxes or smaller pieces of furniture, a short wheelbase van may be all you need. Hire2You has Peugeot Expert and Vauxhall Vivaro SWB vans starting from £49 per day.
If you have bought something larger, such as a sofa, wardrobe or several pieces of furniture, stepping up to an LWB van can be a much better idea. Our Citroën Relay long wheelbase vans start from £69 per day and provide considerably more load space.
Then there are the jobs where you have seemingly managed to buy half of someone’s house.
For larger collections, a Renault Master Luton gives you considerably more room and height. Luton hire starts from £89 per day, and the extra capacity can be worthwhile if it means getting everything home in one trip.
You can browse the wider Hire2You fleet here:
View the Hire2You Fleet
Always check the measurements first
This is probably the biggest mistake people make when collecting furniture.
A seller might tell you that something “fits in a van”, but that does not necessarily mean it will fit in every van.
Before you collect, ask for the dimensions of the item. Measure the length, width and height, then compare those measurements with the available load space of the vehicle you are hiring.
Pay particular attention to awkward items such as:
- Corner sofas
- Large wardrobes
- Bed frames
- Dining tables
- Tall cabinets
- American-style fridges
Also remember that an item’s dimensions are not always the same as the space it needs to get through a doorway or into the van. A large sofa might technically fit inside the load area but still be difficult to manoeuvre through the rear doors.
A few minutes spent measuring beforehand can save a very frustrating journey.
What about Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree sellers?
Collection arrangements can vary quite a bit when you are buying from a private seller.
Some sellers will help you carry the item outside. Others will expect you to do all the lifting yourself. Some properties have easy driveway access, while others involve stairs, narrow entrances or awkward parking.
It is worth asking a few questions before agreeing to collect.
Where is the furniture located?
Is there parking nearby?
Will someone be available to help load it?
What are the item’s exact dimensions?
Is it already dismantled?
These questions might sound obvious, but they can make a massive difference on collection day.
Why a van can be better than paying for delivery
If you are buying several second-hand items, arranging separate deliveries can quickly become expensive.
Hiring a van gives you control over the collection. You can arrange a suitable time with the seller, collect multiple items during the same day and bring everything home yourself.
It can also be useful if you are buying from several sellers.
For example, you might find a sofa in Maidstone, a wardrobe in Sittingbourne and a dining table in Canterbury. Instead of arranging three separate collections, a suitably sized van gives you the option of collecting everything during one planned trip.
That is where hiring the right vehicle can really pay off.
Hire2You vans for furniture collection across Kent
Hire2You is based in Medway but serves customers throughout Kent. That includes people looking for van hire around Maidstone, Sittingbourne, Canterbury, Ashford and the surrounding areas.
Our range starts with smaller SWB vans and goes through to larger LWB vans and Renault Master Lutons, giving you options depending on what you are collecting.
The important thing is not simply choosing the cheapest van. It is choosing one that is actually big enough for the job.
A £49 van that requires two trips may not be better value than a £69 van that gets everything home in one go.
A good Marketplace bargain should not become a transport headache
Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree can be brilliant places to find furniture for considerably less than buying new. The awkward part is getting your purchase home.
Whether you are collecting a sofa from across town or filling a van with several bargains from different sellers, the right vehicle makes the whole process much easier.
If you need van hire for furniture collection in Kent, Hire2You has SWB, LWB and Luton options to suit different sizes of load.
You can visit the Hire2You website to see the available vehicles and find out more about hiring in Kent:
Hire2You | Car & Van Hire in Kent