Get quotes from a few moving companies, and you'll notice something odd: for the same move from China to France and roughly the same volume of stuff, quotes can differ by 30%, 50%, or even double. The cheap one looks tempting; the expensive one makes you wonder if you're being ripped off. What's really behind the gap? Is the expensive one inflated, or is the cheap one hiding something?
We've been doing international moves to France for 11 years now, and we've seen countless customers lured in by low prices—only to be hit with surprise charges after their shipment arrives at the destination port, ending up paying more in total than if they'd just gone with the pricier quote upfront. Today we'll break down the actual logic behind international moving quotes, and teach you to spot exactly what's included and what's not.
1. First things first: Are you comparing an international moving company or a freight forwarder?
Many clients show up with two quotes and ask, "Why is there such a difference?" Our first move isn't to look at the prices—it's to check whether the two companies are even the same type of business.
In the international moving market, there are two fundamentally different kinds of companies. The prices aren't even in the same league:
- Professional international moving companies: Handle customs clearance as personal effects, provide door-to-door turnkey service (doorstep packing → export customs → ocean freight → destination customs clearance → delivery inside your new home → unpacking and placement → debris removal)
- Commercial freight forwarders: Clear goods as commercial merchandise, usually only port-to-port or curbside delivery, without local handling at either end.
It's like comparing an all-inclusive tour with a flight-only ticket. The cheaper one isn't really cheaper—it just includes less. The differences show up in four areas:
1. Customs clearance: tax-free eligibility vs. taxable
Professional moving companies clear goods as "personal effects." For France, moving in under a personal effects status can use the déménagement tax-exempt procedure, waiving the 20% VAT and import duties—provided you declare properly as personal luggage and submit your passport, long-stay visa, a detailed inventory in French, etc. As an EU member state, France doesn't impose strict value caps on personal belongings for moving purposes—as long as you declare truthfully and the items are for personal use, you can apply for tax-free clearance.
Commercial forwarders mostly declare goods as "merchandise." That means: either you need to provide material certificates and purchase receipts for every single item, or you risk inspection, back taxes, and even seizure. The key is that back taxes and duties at the port usually exceed whatever you saved on freight, making that "deal" cost more in the end.
2. Item complexity: accepts whole-household loads vs. only simple categories
Professional movers handle complex inventories—clothes, shoes, pots and pans, decorations, handicrafts mixed together. They clear everything under personal effects in one shipment.
Most forwarders only accept relatively simple categories and won't handle complex household loads. If you have dozens of different item types mixed together, you may need to split them into multiple shipments, each with its own customs clearance fee and item-description surcharge.
3. Service scope: two-end services vs. port-only
Professional movers provide two-end service: pick-up from your origin home with packing and loading + delivery to your destination home, inside placement, unpacking, and removal of packing debris.
Forwarders usually just go port-to-port, or at best curbside delivery. When the goods arrive, you have to unload yourself, carry everything upstairs, unpack, and deal with the waste. Hiring local help in France for this will cost you at least several hundred to a thousand euros.
4. Company structure: self-operated vs. shell subcontractors
Professional moving companies operate their own warehouses and logistics. Take Seapoe for example: we have warehouses in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing, plus partner warehouses in Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Toronto. We handle over 8,000 orders per year, with office and logistics teams each exceeding 100 people.
Some forwarders are shell companies—they collect your goods, subcontract to a third party, pocket the margin, and when something goes wrong, they pass the buck and nobody takes responsibility.
If you see a quote well below market, check the company's age, scale, and reputation. Shell companies that subcontract and add hidden charges are a common trick.
2. What a complete door-to-door quote should cover
Once you've confirmed the company is a professional mover, look at what's actually included. For a move from China to France, a full door-to-door service quote should at least include these 7 items:
- Doorstep packing (including packing materials)
- Domestic transport (to origin port, warehouse storage)
- Export customs clearance
- Ocean freight
- French customs clearance (including assistance with personal effects tax exemption)
- Destination delivery (container pickup, devanning, local transport)
- Delivery inside your home (unloading, unpacking, debris removal)
Missing any one of these is a red flag for "charges added after the goods arrive."
3. Where the low-price quote really "saves"
If you get a quote that looks obviously cheap, it's not actually cheap—it's "saving" in these five ways:
1. Inflated volume
This is pretty common. A low-price quote offers a tempting unit rate, say 2000/m³, making the total seem great. But when they actually pack, even though your stuff only needs 5 cubic meters, they deliberately add extra pallets, throw on unnecessary crating, pack loosely and spread things out—all to jack up the volume. Five cubic meters of stuff becomes ten, doubling the volume.
Tip: Ask them to measure on-site, provide a written volume breakdown by item category. If possible, go watch them pack at the warehouse.
2. Only covers port arrival, no destination customs clearance
The quote only includes getting the goods to the port. French customs clearance, personal effects tax exemption application, document handling—none of it. When the shipment arrives, they charge you extra. Going through the moving tax exemption in France requires a French inventory, proof of residence, passport, visa, etc. If you try to hire a local customs broker yourself, it'll cost at least several hundred to a thousand euros, and if your paperwork isn't perfect, your goods can be held.
Tip: Look for explicit wording like "includes French customs clearance, includes assistance with tax exemption application." If it only says "port arrival," ask who handles clearance after arrival and how much it costs.
3. No destination delivery inside
Low-price quotes often only include "port arrival." Getting the goods delivered to your home, unloading, unpacking, and moving them inside are all extra. In France, port container pickup + local transport + delivery to your door + unpacking and placement adds up to a significant amount.
Tip: Ask clearly: "Who arranges delivery after arrival? Does delivery inside the home come with the price? Does unpacking and debris removal come with the price?"
4. Tariff risk of commercial declaration
This goes back to the customs clearance issue. Some quotes are low because they declare as commercial goods. After arrival, you have to pay 20% VAT and duties. Professional movers declare as personal effects, and if eligible, you get tax exemption—a direct savings.
Tip: Before you sign, get it in writing: Will your goods be cleared as personal effects? Will they assist with the French tax exemption process?
5. Shell company subcontracting and price padding
The cheap company collects your goods, then subcontracts to a third party. Margin gets added at each layer. Things go wrong, and nobody takes responsibility.
Tip: Verify the company's credentials in advance. Confirm whether they operate their own logistics and have their own warehouses and physical teams. Check their years in business and real customer feedback.
4. Transparent list of France ocean freight surcharges
Beyond the base freight, moving to France by sea can incur these additional fees. Reputable companies will tell you upfront so you can budget; shady ones only add them after your goods arrive at the port.
| Fee Item | Reference | Typical Situation |
|---|---|---|
| Stair fee | ~€10–20 per cubic meter per floor | Second floor or higher without elevator, or elevator too small for large items |
| Truck parking permit | ~€200+ | Downtown area with truck restrictions requires a permit |
| Custom wooden crate | ~a few hundred RMB per cubic meter | Fragile or valuable items need reinforced crating |
| Oversize surcharge | Depends on dimensions | Any one side over 1.1 meters |
| Overweight surcharge | Depends on weight | Single piece over 50kg needs reinforcement; over 150kg requires forklift |
These aren't "traps"—they're value-added services for special cases. The key is whether the company tells you about them upfront so you can budget, or only mentions them when your goods arrive. At Seapoe Relo, for example, based on your inventory and your French address, we list all potential surcharges in the quote—like the stair fee if you're on the fifth floor of an old Paris building with no elevator, or the overweight fee if your items are heavy. We spell it all out before you sign.
5. How we do it
Seapoe has been doing international moves to France for 11 years. Our quoting principle is simple: on-site measurement, compliant customs clearance, transparent surcharges, no hidden charges at destination.
- Personal effects customs clearance: We strictly declare as personal effects, handle even complex mixed inventories, and assist with the French déménagement tax exemption—so you don't pay taxes you're eligible to avoid.
- On-site cubic measurement: Our professional team comes to your home to measure each item and provides a detailed volume list.
- Full two-end service: Doorstep packing and loading at origin + delivery inside your new French home, unpacking, and debris removal.
- Self-operated, no subcontracting: Own warehouses in Shanghai/Guangzhou/Beijing, partner warehouses in Tokyo/Los Angeles/Toronto, over 8,000 orders/year, office and logistics teams each 100+.
- Surcharges listed upfront: Stair fees, crating, oversize/overweight charges—told to you based on your items and French address, never sprung on you after arrival.
- Full customs clearance support: We guide you through every step and handle communications with French customs.
- 30-day free storage: Free storage at our domestic warehouse for up to 30 days.
We're not the cheapest option on the market, but we're the ones who lay out exactly what's included and what might be extra—before you commit. When it comes to moving to France, the most expensive quote isn't the one with the highest initial price. It's the one that looks cheap upfront but piles on charges after your goods have arrived.
If you want to know how many cubic meters your household will be and what a fully inclusive move to France would cost, just send us your inventory. We'll visit, assess, and give you a detailed quote in black and white—clearly stating what's covered and what's extra, with zero hidden fees.