Student end-of-term checklist: send, store or sell

Moving out at the end of term goes far better with a plan that starts about four weeks before you leave. Sort everything into what you will take, send, store, sell or give away. Pack the things you will not need first. Measure and weigh as you go, book a collection for a date before you check out, and label everything twice. If home is abroad, add customs paperwork to the list.

Below is a week-by-week checklist, a quick way to decide between storage and sending home, and what changes when home is outside the UK.

Four weeks before: sort everything

Go through your room, kitchen cupboards and any shared spaces, and put everything into one of five piles.

Pile	What goes in it
Take with you	Passport, keys, laptop, chargers, medicines, valuables, and clothes for the journey and the first few days.
Send home	Things you will use over the break or need at home for good, and heavy items you cannot carry.
Store	Bulky things you will need again next year near the university, such as bedding or a desk lamp.
Sell or give away	Cheap kitchen kit, flat-pack furniture and anything that would cost more to send than to replace.
Leave	Anything that belongs to the hall or landlord. Check your inventory so you do not pack it by mistake.

At the same time, find your check-out date and your hall's rules on collections. Some halls want couriers booked through reception. Our guide to sending luggage to university halls gives examples.

Three weeks before: get materials and book

Get strong boxes. Double-walled boxes survive shipping far better than supermarket ones. Get tape and a marker too. Clothes you will wear soon travel well in a suitcase; books and kitchen kit are better in boxes.
Measure and weigh as you pack. Most door-to-door services charge on size-based weight (length x width x height in cm, divided by 5,000) or the real weight, whichever is higher, rounded up to the next 0.5 kg per item. Big, light boxes cost more than you expect.
Get a price and book early. Pick a collection date before your check-out date, with a day or two spare in case anything slips. The booking page shows the dates available for your route.
Tell your hall. If reception needs to know about collections, let them know the date now.

Two weeks before: pack what you do not need

Start with books, out-of-season clothes, posters and anything you have not used this month.
Put heavy things in small boxes and light things in bigger ones, so no box is too heavy to lift safely.
Fill gaps with soft items so nothing shifts, and tape every seam on the top and bottom.
Number each box and write down what is in it. Our booking form has a packing list, checked against our prohibited items list.
Leave out aerosols, perfume, power banks, spare batteries and anything else on the prohibited list. Carry what you need on the journey.
Photograph valuable items, and each box or case once it is packed and closed.

The last few days: label and hand over

Label everything twice: one label on the outside and a copy of the address and your phone number inside.
Remove old labels and airline tags so there is only one address to read.
Take your things to the collection point your hall uses, and keep a note or photo of what you handed over and when.
Do a final sweep: under the bed, the top of the wardrobe, desk drawers, the bathroom, the fridge and the freezer.
Hand in your keys and keep any check-out paperwork.

Storage or sending home?

There is no right answer for everyone. These are the questions that decide it.

Your situation	Usually the better choice
Coming back to the same city in the autumn with bulky things you will need again	Storage near the university. Some universities run their own, for example the University of Essex's luggage storage (checked on 3 October 2026).
Final year, or moving out for good	Sending home.
Things you need over the break	Sending home, or carrying them.
Cheap, bulky items	Selling or giving away, and replacing later.

If you are tempted to store things and then send them later, compare the total: storage for the summer, plus the cost of moving them twice, against sending them once.

Sending home within the UK or abroad

Home is in the UK

Within Great Britain there is no customs paperwork. GOV.UK says personal parcels between private individuals from Great Britain to Northern Ireland need no customs declaration either (GOV.UK, checked on 3 October 2026). The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have their own rules, set out in our guide to sending luggage within the UK. Use the full postcode for home. Remote and island addresses can take longer.

Check the cover shown when you book. Loss or damage is covered only up to the limits our transport partner gives us on that route, and on some routes, including some within the UK, there is no cover beyond your price back if we fail to take reasonable care.

Home is abroad

Every shipment needs a customs declaration. GOV.UK says one must go with any package sent outside the UK (GOV.UK: sending post or a parcel abroad, checked on 3 October 2026).
Your home country's customs decides what is due. Many countries have rules for residents coming home or for used personal belongings, but the conditions differ. Check your own country's customs website before you pack.
Write a clear, honest packing list. Describe each item plainly, mark used things as used, and value them at what they are worth now. List anything new separately and keep the receipts. Our packing list and customs declaration guide shows how.
Check the awkward items. Food, medicines and anything with a battery have their own rules. See sending laptops, toiletries, food and medicines.
Allow for duty and tax. Import duty and taxes set by the destination country are not part of our price.
Compare options if you have a lot. The price page shows every option side by side: our door-to-door services, sea freight where it is offered for larger shipments, and an estimate of what your airline would charge as excess baggage if you tell us your airline.
Arrange someone to receive it at home if your things may arrive before you do.

The checklist

Note your check-out date and your hall's collection rules.
Sort everything into take, send, store, sell or leave.
Get double-walled boxes, tape and a marker.
Get a price and book a collection before check-out.
Pack what you do not need first, heavy items in small boxes.
Measure and weigh each box and case.
Number boxes and fill in the packing list.
Leave out prohibited items.
Photograph valuables and packed items.
Label inside and out.
Hand over at the right place and keep a record.
Final sweep, keys in, travel documents in your hand luggage.

Questions people ask

When should I book my end-of-term collection?

As soon as you know your check-out date. Pick a collection date before it, with a little slack, and make sure reception will be open that day.

Can I leave my boxes at reception after I have gone home?

Only if your hall agrees. Some halls will not hold items after you check out. Ask first, and get the answer in writing if you can.

Is it cheaper to send my duvet or buy a new one?

Often it is cheaper to buy one. A duvet is light but bulky. Packed in a 55 x 45 x 40 cm box, it is charged as 20 kg on size-based weight, even if it weighs 3 kg. Our guide to size-based weight shows the sums.

Do I need to declare used clothes when sending home abroad?

Yes. Every shipment leaving the UK needs a customs declaration, including used clothes. Describe them plainly, for example "used women's jumpers x 4", and give an honest value.

What to do next

Start your sort this week, then measure and weigh what you are sending and see your options and dates on the price page.