What is a return leg?

Anything that has to come back. An old sofa leaving as a new one arrives, a wrong purchase going back to a seller, a market stall collected on Sunday after being delivered on Friday. It changes the crew time, the price and whether the van waits.

Why organise a van service around that?

Because half the van work in London is not A to B at all, and because the second leg is the one people forget to book. A delivery with no collection arranged is the commonest avoidable problem in this trade.

A new sofa is coming and the old one has to go.

That is the job we take most often. We move the old one to a charity that has accepted it, to a buyer, or to another address. We hold no waste carrier licence and do not dispose of anything.

Will you take the old one to the tip?

No. Carrying waste for disposal requires a licence we do not hold, and the liability for improperly disposed waste partly attaches to the householder as well as the carrier.

Can the van wait between the two legs?

In the outer boroughs usually yes, which makes it a single visit and the cheapest version of the job. In central London there is nowhere legal to stand, so it becomes two visits instead.

Do you go outside London?

Single long runs across the UK, and overland into Europe and beyond. On a long leg we try to pair your load with somebody going the other way, and where that works both parties pay less.

A London van

Does anything have to come back?

Half the van work in London is not A to B at all. An old bed leaves as a new one arrives. A wrong purchase goes back to a seller. A market stall is delivered on Friday and has to be gone by Sunday evening.

A return leg changes the crew time, the price and whether the van can wait — and it is the half that people forget to book until a venue is closing around them. So it is the first thing we ask.

Get a price One leg or two?

Six shapes a van job takes

A room to a new flat One leg. The van leaves empty.
New sofa in, old sofa out Two legs, and the old one goes first.
A wrong purchase to the seller Two legs, with a deadline on the second.
A market stall, Friday and Sunday Two visits. The second is the hard booking.
Studio to store, every week The same two legs, repeatedly.
A room-sized load to Glasgow One long leg, and a return we try to fill.

The teal arrow is the leg people do not book. Four of these six have one.

Six shapes

One leg, or two

Not by load size, not by job type and not by what you are moving. Each page says what that shape of route involves, whether the van can wait between the legs, and what it costs to book only half of it.

One arrow

A to B. The van leaves empty and the price is one leg.

→ Nothing comes back A to B, and the van leaves empty The simplest job there is and the one everybody pictures. A room, a flat-share, a single heavy item, a purchase collected and delivered. One leg, one price, and nothing waiting at the far end.

Something comes back

An old item, a wrong item, a hired item. Two legs in one visit.

In and out again

Two separate visits, and the second is the one nobody books.

Out of London

One long leg, with a return we will try to fill.

⇢ The long single leg A room-sized load, a long way, one direction A student going home, a flat-share ending, one household going north. A van doing a single long run is ordinary work, and where we can fill the return leg with somebody else's load it costs you less.

Not sure which yours is? Ask whether anything has to leave as something arrives, go back where it came from, or be collected later. Any yes makes it two legs — say so on the quote form.

The swap-out problem

Who takes the old one away

A new item has a delivery date and the old one has to be gone before it. Retailers take less away than they used to, charities have rules almost nobody knows in advance, and the whole thing surfaces about three days beforehand.

A sofa or armchair

The retailer Some will take the old one away on delivery; many now will not, and it is rarely clear until the week before.

A charity Only with an intact fire label. No label, no collection — and the label is the single thing that decides it.

What we do Take it to a charity that has accepted it, to a buyer, or to another address. Disposal needs a licensed carrier, which we are not.
A bed and mattress

The retailer Mattress removal is usually a paid add-on rather than included, and it is frequently declined on the day for hygiene reasons.

A charity Most will not take a used mattress at all. Bed frames, frequently yes.

What we do Move the frame wherever it is going. A mattress going to disposal needs a licensed firm and we will say so rather than take it.
A washing machine or fridge

The retailer Many will take the old appliance on a like-for-like delivery, and the offer usually has conditions attached about access and disconnection.

A charity Working appliances only, and several will not take white goods at all.

What we do Move a working appliance to a buyer, a charity or another address. Anything for disposal is a licensed job.
A wardrobe or large cabinet

The retailer Almost never included, because it usually has to be dismantled to leave the room.

A charity Frequently yes if it is in good condition and they can get it out.

What we do Dismantle it, move it, and rebuild it at the far end if it is going somewhere rather than nowhere.
A dining table and chairs

The retailer Rarely offered at all.

A charity Usually welcome, and among the easiest things to rehome.

What we do Take it to a charity, a buyer or a family member, which on this item is almost always the right answer.
A piano

The retailer No.

A charity Occasionally, and far less often than people hope.

What we do Nothing. A piano is a specialist job with specialist equipment, and we will say so rather than attempt it in a van.

We hold no waste carrier licence and do not dispose of anything. We will take an old item to a charity that has accepted it, to a buyer, to a family member or to another address — and where the honest answer is that it needs a licensed carrier, we say so rather than taking it and leaving you to assume.

Half a booking

The return leg nobody books

In every one of these, somebody booked the obvious half. The other half has a deadline attached, usually belongs to a venue or a seller, and becomes a short-notice scramble at the worst possible hour.

A market stall or a fair

What gets booked The delivery on Friday morning.

What gets missed The collection on Sunday evening, inside the venue's break-down window.

What it costs A venue with a hard closing time, a stallholder with a car that will not take it, and a booking made at short notice on a Sunday.
An exhibition or a degree show

What gets booked Getting the work in.

What gets missed Getting it out, which the venue treats as non-negotiable.

What it costs Work standing in a corridor, and a venue charging for space that was supposed to be clear.
A new sofa being delivered

What gets booked Nothing. The retailer is bringing it.

What gets missed Removing the old one first, because there is nowhere for both to stand.

What it costs A delivery refused at the door, or two sofas in a one-sofa room until somebody can be found.
A hired item

What gets booked The delivery, by the hire company.

What gets missed The return, which has a date on the agreement and a charge behind it.

What it costs Late fees that accumulate, and a hire company that will not collect from an upstairs flat.
A purchase that was wrong

What gets booked Nothing — it arrived by courier.

What gets missed Getting it back to the seller inside a returns period.

What it costs A refund window that closes, and an item too large for any courier to take back.
A house clearance for a sale

What gets booked Moving what is being kept.

What gets missed What is going to a charity, a buyer or a licensed carrier, on the same day.

What it costs A second day, a second booking, and a completion date that does not move.

If your job is on this list, book both legs in the same conversation. Added at the booking the second one is frequently just a wait; added afterwards it is a second visit at short notice.

Book both legs

Overland

The same arithmetic, across a continent

A van that drives to Belgrade has to drive back. That empty run is real cost and somebody pays for it — which is why, on a long route, whether we can pair your load with somebody travelling the other way is most of the figure.

These four corridors were chosen for exactly that. They are genuine small-consignment routes with traffic in both directions, and the pairing logic that organises this whole site matters more the further east you go. On the last of them we say plainly that a shared container is usually the better answer.

Collections run from every London borough and from Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol where the route already passes.

A van beyond Europe

Asked most often

Questions about one leg or two

What is a return leg?: Anything that has to come back. An old sofa leaving as a new one arrives, a wrong purchase going back to a seller, a market stall collected on Sunday after being delivered on Friday. It changes the crew time, the price and whether the van waits.
Why organise a van service around that?: Because half the van work in London is not A to B at all, and because the second leg is the one people forget to book. A delivery with no collection arranged is the commonest avoidable problem in this trade.
A new sofa is coming and the old one has to go.: That is the job we take most often. We move the old one to a charity that has accepted it, to a buyer, or to another address. We hold no waste carrier licence and do not dispose of anything.
Will you take the old one to the tip?: No. Carrying waste for disposal requires a licence we do not hold, and the liability for improperly disposed waste partly attaches to the householder as well as the carrier.
Can the van wait between the two legs?: In the outer boroughs usually yes, which makes it a single visit and the cheapest version of the job. In central London there is nowhere legal to stand, so it becomes two visits instead.
Do you go outside London?: Single long runs across the UK, and overland into Europe and beyond. On a long leg we try to pair your load with somebody going the other way, and where that works both parties pay less.

More on the questions page — one leg or two, swap-outs, returns and hire, events and repeat runs, long runs, and how we work.